Evening journal., 1897-05-04
B. Short. pastor Of Epworth Church,
addressed the board on the financial
condition of his charge.
EIpERpoWN rs cosTLY.
There Is Only 1000 Pounds Year
Used I'm This Country.

of eiderdown used in this country in a
year." said a veteran down importer of
this city. when asked about the quality
of eiderdown used in quilts sold for
five or six dollars. There are three
grades, and the range in price is $40,
SIP and SIS pound
THE down is imported chiefly from
Greenland and Iceland. where il 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 it the second and third
times, each time the grade of down be-
coming poorer, as there are greater
number of small feathers mixed in.
After the third robbing the ducks quit
the nest, and do not build again until
the next season.
"Eiderdown is about twice as bulky
as the finest goose down; that is, one
pound of eiderdown will serve as a fill
ing where two of the best goose down
would be necessary. Owing to its scare
ity and costliness it is used only in fill
ing the most expesive cushions and
quilts. 1t can be used to n greater adj
vantage, and is really the only salts
factory filling for elegant smoking
Jackets, muff beds, women's skirts. and
babies clothing.
"The next quality of down is goose
down, which is produced in the United
States, the larger part coming from the
! fanfa
are three grades, at SO, 81 and $1.50 a
pound. The first grade is the pure
down, plucled from the breast of the
live goose. The other two grades are
extracted by machinery from the feath-
ers of poultry plucked for the market.
The feathers are sold in bulk, unsorted,
and have to be separated by special ma
chimes. The only goose down import
ed comes from China. 1t is white, but
not so fluffy as the American, and con-
sequently used only for cheaper filling.
'Ducl down is imported almost eX-
clusively from China in feathers
There are about three grades. The
best OF pure down sells for SIPS, and is
used for making o fair quality of quilts
Innings, pillows, etc. The other two
grades, bringing one dollar and z.
cents a pound. are made by leaving q
certain per cent. of feathers in the
down. These feathers, as imported
from China, are exceedingly dirty, and
the cleaning and separating, which is
done by machinery, are very expensive
The yield of down is about ten or twelve
per cent; of dirt, so to 40 per cent;
the rest is feathers. These feathers
are a little better, when thoroughly
steamed and cleaned, than our nativi
chicken feathers, which, as all house
keepers should know, are the cheapes
feathers.
-This Chinese down is from the duck
which the Chinese consume in grea
quantities. AS rice is their chief bread
stuff, ducks are their chief meat. On
duck will furnish a meal for 90 China
men. The fowl is boiled until the flesl
drops from the bones. 1t is then hashe,
very fine. and with its gravy used Il
season boiled rice enough for abou
20 men. OF course a vast number o
these ducks are reared and consumes
in China, and as the Chinaman make
no particular use Of the feathers, thes
are shipped to this country and Eu
rope. There are about 100000 pound
of feathers imported to the Unite
States each year from China, whil
from Austria and Germany come seN
eral hundred thousand pounds of dowr
extracted from Chinese feathers.
"Chicken feathers, which have no lif
r in them, are chiefly used in cheapenin
= down. And cheaper grades are use
: by mixing in cat tails light cotton O
rabbit hair. These last three may a
, ways be detected by beating the article
: as the cat tails and rabbit hair wi
r invariably sift through and the cotto
= will lump. Good down may always b
= judged by its feeling and its power {
a rebound. A cushion well filed wit
t elder or the next best thing, America
goose down, when pressed will reshap
/. itself almost as quickly as an India
= rubber ball."-N. Y. Sun.