Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1900-04-19
ERICAN HENS
After becoming Nata allied In 5outb
Akrica lhanrs Their Natnrea.

After becoming Natu allied In South
Africa Change Their Natures.
"One of the greatest troubles expert
enced by people living in tropical
countries" said l.. r. Warden OF Chi
cago. at the Gilsey house, lis to obtain
meat of quality fit to eat. Take the
Philippines, for instance. The cattle
there are magnificent to look at, but
they cut up into mighty poor food, be-
ing fat and also stringy. Almost all
the meat used by our men there comes
from Australia, being brought IN re-
frigerator ships, from which II IS Is
sued three times a week. The Austria
liam is as good beef as man would
care to eat. There is, or rather, was
for it is nearly year and half since
| was there-a lack of poultry also.
No hens or chickens can be obtained,
but only ducks, and, of course, your
morning egg was that of duck, which
is an exceedingly poor substitute FOR
hens egg, in my estimation. l un-
derstand that since then they have
tried to remedy this and other de-
ficiencies by importing hens and other
things, but | doubt the success or the
experiment, for the climate, different
kind of food and the like, may change
the flesh of the fowl and the quality
of the egg. C. A. Williams, friend
of mine, who used to be United States
consul at johannesburg, and who now
In, told that
when he first went TO South Africa he
endeavored to raise the character and
quality of his table supplies by i'm
portatiOn. The meat in South Africa
was poor, but that could not be helped
American fowls, Williams thought
would be decided improvement over
those Of the Transvaal. and their eggs
would enable him TO begin each dag
with an easy stomach and a satisfied
mind So he brought out flock OF
American bred poultry. At first all
went we'll; the breakfast egg was
godsend and the occasional chicken at
dinner all that he had fondly antlci-
pated, but then there came change,
at first SO gradual, that Williams was
inclined to attribute it to loss of APP
petite. The breakfast egg grew coarse
and cCarser in flavor until it became
wholly uneatable, and the dinner
chicken deteriorated in similar mar
ner and with identical result With
the former. however, the outward APP
pearance of the egg remained the
same, but the poultry not only changed
in quality and favor of flesh. but alsc
in external appearance. as well. With
out increasing the size of the body, the
necks grew longer and thinner and
the legs heightened out Of all proper
ton. until at last the hens resembled
nothing so much as diminutiye os-
triches. They were unfit to eat, and OF
no other domestic use, and so Williams
gave them away to the Kaffirs, but for
some time he thought OF exhibiting
them here at poultry show, mainly
to ascertain what names competent
judges would apply to them. but the
expense deferred him. He also had an
other scheme TO get even, which was
" tHltI lIle iOoSleLo III CoOh4ho ihdlil9'
Williams said they could lick any
thing that wore feathers. short OF an
eagle or an ostrich and that there was
rot a dog in the Transvaal that would
come anywhere near his house while
they remained his property. so utterly
had the few dogs which had tried con-
illusions with them been routed. -
New York Tribune.