The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-08
CANARY BIRD VOYAGES
Great Care Necessary for the warb-
Iers While at Sea-

The Sun published recently story
about canary breeding in Germany" said
| the head of large bird importing firm
| in this city. Il wondered When / saw It
whether the average reader would have
| the slightest idea of the amount Of work
| Implied in the transfer of the birds from
the German breeders to the American own
ers of pet canaries. It's a long story and
| as fuli of problems IS modern novel.
| VI course, a good many OF the German
birds go to the English market and it is
| comparatively simple matter to ship
| them so short distance. A large proper
| ton of the best singers, the Campanini
birds. stay in Germany; for the Germans
are such music lovers that they will pay
sixty to seventy dollars for a canary more
| quickly even than the Americans, who are
supposed TO be so lavish with money Still.
the United States afford the best bird
! market in the world and the number of
ordinary grade canaries shipped here each
season is enormous. New York is the dis
tributing point. and the New York import
! ing firms have a large staff of employees
working for them abroad. We have about
| thirty travelling men who go back and
| forth between Europe and New York Then,
too, We have a few travellers in South
| America and Africa. but our chief trade
is in canaries, and is carried on with the
| great German exporting houses whose
shipments we distribute
These German firms employ scores of
pickers. who go from village to village
| through the bird breeding districts, select
+, Ing the singers. The picker's job isn't
| any snap | can tell you. He has to be as
shrewd as weasel; for the breeders arc
| up TO all sorts of tricks. and will try in
| every possible way TO get around him, and
! palm off old sick. or silent birds on him.
The hardest proposition he finds ie in dis
| tinguishing the sexes of tie birds. The
| colors in the head feathers are the indica-
| ton, and some of the breeders are adopts
| at dyeing feathers; so it's a clever picker
| that doesn't bring in at least a few female
! canaries. for which he has paid songster
| prices. 1t takes years of experience to
teach man even moderate proficiency in
| TINS feature of the buying. Through the
| summer and fall the picker's work isn't
! so very bad. His route lies far off the lines
of railway. and he does a tremendous
amount of tramping; but he is well known.
along the way. and Hospitality entertained
and the weather is usually good After
the first of November it's another story
The winds and storms especially among
the HartZ Mountains where the best
canaries are bred. are simply terrific and
the snow lies on the paths four or five feet
deep. The cold is intense. and many pick
ers have been badly frostbitten. a few
even dying fBom the exposure. Still tins |
holiday season must be provided for. and |
the birds. after the summer sales are |
scarce; so the picker must search every |
nook and corner of the breeding district |
to supply the demand of his house He /
starts out early in the morning. taking a |
helper with him to carry his cage crates. |
This helper. after the cheerful custom of |
the Fatherland, is usually woman and
more often than not old woman. The
two travellers buffet their way through
the snow and storm. and the greatest care
is exercised in protecting the birds carried
with them from cold. The little wicker
cages are first packed in straw, then COW
cred with thick linen, and finally wrapped
in heavy wOGlen blankets. Frequently in
extreme weather. pickers have been badly |
frostbitten. because they have taken of |
their great coats to wrap about cages hold
ing birds of special value.
These cages. by the way, provide dis
tinct industry for German peasants in the
bird districts. They are made by the
poorest classes, who white them by hand
in the long winter evenings, and a clever
hand can make fifteen in an evening
They sell for about 3 cents. and are
always in demand. Many of the breeders
contract TO sell all their birds to a certain
firm. In that case. the picker's work is
slightly lightened; for he doesn't have to
arm against competition and need only
wrestle to foil the wiles of the breeder
After he has canvassed his district. he
takes his birds to the nearest railway sta
ton. and ships them to his employer. The
crates go baggage, and the picker always
accompanies them and helps to handle
them. At the exporting house. the birds
are unpacked and kept until they are all
in frst-class condition for shipping. From 1
%, 900 to 10000 csnaries are taken care Of {
daily; and during the busy season. about
( 600 birds are received and sent out each
week. There are great many rooms in
the building, no two kept at the same {
temperature ana the different birds are
allotted to rooms, agreeing in degree of /
,old with the climate to which they have
been accustomed A small army of work c
men is employed; the apprentices clean /
ng. feeding, and watering, while the old /
hands sort out the grades of birds doctor
he sick and prepare the stock for ship b
nent u
The strongest birds are selected for c
Nmerioa. for the long ocean voyage plays /
lavOc with any save the healthiest. Fer e
he London market. color is the chief con- p
liberation. Two men are always sent with i:
London consignment. one TO manage the b
business, and a young fellow TO learn the o
opes More female canaries are sent to I
England than elsewhere; fer the street
akiTs in London. buy only the cheap I
emale birds, take them home and paint o
hem skiilfully. aud then peddle them o
bout the town. The man who is sent TO "
america with a consignment of birds has a
hard job before him and it takes a won L
erfully honest, sober and faithful man Il
o carry it through. He has five large h
rates which contain about 1.JO0 birds. and b
he probabilities are that he will be Obliged h
o work for twenty hours out of the TWEEN t.
y-four. He and his charges are slowed
way in the coal bunkers or the steerage p
here he makes the crates fast 10 the walls Il
nd floor. He begins his work by 4 a. m p
nd spends from enc TO two hours cleaning p
eed. preparing food, and drawing water -
Or the birds. Then his charges are fed ii
nd watered. and each is carefully ex- CT
mined for indications of sickness. The
ages are scrupulously cleaned and the :
uarters ventilated as well as possible q
he slightest neglect In all this care might
ring about disease and long death list |
nd that would mean business ruin for the |
ian in charge.
Sometimes the dreaded bird pest. called !
chnapDen, breaks out. and then the ten
er is wild with despair. Cases have been |
nown where. out OF l 500 birds not more
han twenty were alive when the consign- | K
lent reached New York. The ship rats
re another dreaded enemy; and. in spite
I all vigilance, invariably make way with
few birds during the voyage. Nothing
D the world is more voraclous than a
hip rat; and although the bird tender
sually stays up most of the night to pro-
ect his charges. the rats actually attack
he cages and devour birds before his -,
cry eyes. One OF the hardest problems ~
)at can confront bird tender is a long q,