The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-08-08
The Poultry Industry In China.

they form very considerable portion
of the daily food of the better class of
the people. The United States consul
at Chin-kiang says that the varieties
of fowls arc few in number: The
principal are the Yangchow fowl, a
large bird of good flavor, which weighs
from four to six pounds. This yario-
ty is a good layer and sitter, the eggs
being of a brownish tinge and good
size. 1t lays, during eight or nine
months of the year. about 2OO eggs,
ccasing only in the hot summer
months. This description is kept
more for the table than for laying
purposes. as it's flesh is particularly
good. The Langshan fowl is a dis
tinct and fairly pure breed from the
Yangtze River, region just below
Chin-kiang. 1t is large, heavy,
handsome bird, weighing from seven
to eight pounds. The eggs are Of
darkish brown, and of good size. The
Black Bone or Typhoon chicken is a
distinct fancy breed. In color it is
white, and it's skin, legs, bones, flesh
and comb are very dark. The flesh of
this fowl is much esteemed, and,
boiled down into soup, it is prescribed
by physicians for certain diseases.
The Chow is another variety. This
breed is small, weighing generally
from two to three pounds. A pure
white cock of this breed is always
carried on the coffin at a native funeral
corteqe, and is sacrificed at the grave.
Also on native boats a cock bird is
killed on the Chinese New Year day,
and the blood sprinkled on the bow to
propitiate evil spirits, and to insure
good luck during the year. Ducks
are reared in great quantities, and are
largely used as food, both fresh and
sailed. They are all artifcially
hatched, as the duck is an uncertain
sitter. The common duck is good
sized bird, weighing, when dressed
for the table, three or four pounds,
and is much esteemed for the excel
lence of its flavor. After fedging,
the birds are driven about in vast
! Aocks through canals, and from pond
to pond, where they find their food.
They are brought under strict disci-
pline, and obey their keepers call
with extraordinary intelligence. The
Mandarin duck is smaller than the
common duck, and is beautiful bird,
with diversified and brilliant plumage.
It is reared chiefly for its beauty. In
the grounds Of the wealthy there is
always an artificial lake, where the
Mandarin duck is kept. They are
considered as emblems of conjugal
fidelity, and a pair of them usually
form a part Of wedding professions;
Preserved ducks eggs are considered
delicacy, and always form an impor-
tant part Of mandarin dinner. The
process of preserving them is as fol-
lows: A lye Of beanstalk and lime is
made by burning these to powder.
This is put in water, black tea leaves
and salt in certain proportions being
added. The boiling is continued un-
til all the water has evaporated, and
the residue becomes caked and hard.
This is powdered fine, and the fresh
eggs are placed therein one by one
with little rice husk. They remain
| in this preparation one hundred days,
when they are ready for use. The
preserved eggs will keep for several
years. When ready for use they have
the appearance of hard boiled eggs.
The she'll is taken off, and they are
put on the table cut into small slices
and eaten as hors daeuures. The
goose is generally of pure white plum.
age, very striking in appearance, Of
great size and majestic carriage, much
resembling the swan. The turkey has
long been introduced into China, and
is reared at Canton and TienTsin en-
tirely for foreign markets, that is, for
the foreigners at the treaty ports.
The peacock is reared in many parts
of China, and has long. been known to
the people, though it is not a native
of the country. It's tail feathers are
used by the mandarins in their caps to
designate official rank.
The gold and silver pheasants Of
China may be called domesticated
birds, as they are now so extensively
reared that it is doubtful if they are
found wild. There is bird in China
the cormorant-which is domestica-
ted, trained to wonderful intelligence,
and employed in catching fish. These
birds are reared and trained with
great care. A pair costs from five to
six dollars. They are taken out on
the lakes and rivers in small boat !;
one man to every ten or twelve cormo-
rants. The birds stand perched on
the sides Of the boat, and, at word
from the man, they scatter on the wa
ter and begin to look for fish. They
dive for the fish and then rise to the
surface with the fish in their bills,
'twhen they are called back to the boat
by the fisherman. AS docjle as dogs,
they swim to their master and are
taken into the boat, when they lay
down their prey and again resume
their labor. The use of incubators in
Matching eggs has been known and
praoticed in China for several hundred
years, but the apparatus used is Of a
very primitive description. The
Matching house is usually long shed
built of bamboo, the walls plastered
with mud and thickly thatched with
straw. Along the ends and down one
side of the building are number of
round straw baskets plastered with
mud to prevent them from taking fire.
A tile forms the bottom of each bas-
kct. Upon this the heat acts, a small
fireplace being below each basket.
Upon the top Of the basket there is a
straw cover, which fits closely, and is
kept shut during the process. When
the eggs are brought they are put in
the baskets, the fire is lighted beneath
them, and uniform heat maintained.
In four or FIVE days after the eggs
have been subjected to this tempera-
ture, they are taken carefully out,
one by one, to door, in which are
number of holes nearly the size of the
eggs. They are held against these
holes, and the attendants, looking
through them, are able to tell whether