The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1897-05-26
ELDER DOWN is COSTLY.
hut loo Pounds = Year Used. and IN
Cheapest Costs $40 n Pound


Cheapest Costs $40 = Pound
There are only about 1000
pounds of elder down used in this
country in a year" said a veteran
down importer of this city when
asked about the quality of cider
down used in quilts sold for s. or
60. There are three grades, and
the range in price is s10, s12 and
els a pound
THE down is imported chiefly
from Greenland and Iceland, where
it is gathered by the natives. When
the ducks build their nests, they
line them with down plucked from
their own breasts. This first lining
is the finest quality of down After
a nest is robbed the ducks line il the
second and third times, each time
the grade of down becoming poorer,
as there are a greater number of
small feathers mixed in. After the
third robblng the ducks quit the
nest and do not build again until
the next season
Elder down is about twice as
bulky as the finest goose down
that is, one pound of elder down will
serve as a filling where two Of the
best goose down would be necessary.
Owing to its scarcity and costliuess
it is used only in filling the most
expensive cushions and quilts. IL
can be used TO a greater advantage
and is really the only satisfactory
filling for elegant smoking jackets,
muff beds, women's skirts and ba-
bies' clothing.
The next quality of down is
goose down, which is produced in
the United States, the larger part
coming from the western and south
ern states. There are three grades
of it's, 81 and S1.5O n pound.
The first grade is the pure down,
plucked from the breast of the live
goose. The other two grades are ex-
tracted by machinery from the
feathers of poultry plucked for the
market. The feathers are sold in
bulk, unsorted, and have TO be sep
arated by special machines. The on
! ly goose down imported comes from
China. 1t is white, but not so fluffy
as the American, and consequently
used only for cheaper filling.
Duck down il imported almost
exclusively from China in feathers.
There are about three grades. The
best or pure down sells for 81 %
and is used in making n fair quality
of quilts, Innings, pillows, etc. The
other two grades, bringing 81 and
20 cents pound, are made by leav.
ing a certain per cent of feathers in
the down. These feathers, as i'm.
ported from China, are exceedingly
dirty, and the cleaning and separat
ing, which are done by machinery
arc very expensive. The yield OF
down is about 10 or - per cent; OF
dirt, 30 to 40 per cent; the rest Is
feathers. These feathers arc a little
better, when thoroughly steamed
and cleaned, than or native chick
en feathers, which, Us all house
keepers should know, are the cheap
est feathers.
This Chinese down l. from th'
ducks which the Chinese consume
in great quantities. As rice Is then
chief breadstuff, ducks are then
chief meat. One duck will furnish {
meal for 90 Cinnamon. The fowl j:
boiled until the flesh drops from tn,
bones. 1t Is then hSsEed very fine
and with its gravy used to seasoI
boiled rice enough for about 20 men
OF course "a number of these duck
arc reared and consumed in China
and as the Chinaman makes no par
ticular use of the feathers these ar
shipped to this country and Europe
There arc about !, 200, coo pounds o
feathers imported to the Unite,
States each year from China, Will
from Austria and Germany com
several hundred thousand pounds o
down, extracted from Chinese feath
ers.
Chicken feathers, which have n
life in them, are chiefly used il
cheapening down, and cheape
grades arc mado by mixing in cat
tails, light cotton or rabbit haiI
These last three may always be de
tected by beating the article, as tn
: cattails and rabbit hair viii inva
! : riably sift through and the eotto
will lump. Good down may alwny
> be judged by its feeling and its pow
: a L. - -