The Yale expositor., 1900-04-13
M. RICAN f1ENS
After Becomh e Natu'alixed I'm South
Africa Change Their Natures

Africa Chan.e Their Natures.
"One of the greatest troubles expert
enced by people living in tropical
countries" said l.. T. Warden Of Chi
cago, at the Gilsey house, sis to obtain
meat Of a 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 it is is
sued three times a week. The Austria
liam is as good beef as a man would
care to eat. There is, or rather, was
for it is nearly year and half since
l 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. | 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 OF 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
lives in the Transvaal, told me that
when he first went to South Africa he
ondeavored 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 a 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 a flock OF
American-bred poultry. At first all
went we'll; the breakfast egg was a
godsend and the occasional chicken at
dinner all that he had fondly antici-
pated but then there came a change,
at first so gradual, that Williams was
inclined to attribute it to loss of ap-
petite. The breakfast egg grew coarse
and coarser in flavor until 1t became
wholly uneatable, and the dinner
chicken deteriorated In similar man
ner and with identical result. With
! the former, however, the outward ap-
pearance of the egg remained the
same, but the poultry not only changed
! in quality and flavor of flesh, but also
in external appearance, as we'll. With
cut 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 diminutive os-
triches. They were unfit to eat. and OF
no other domestic use, and so Williams
gave them away to the Kaffirs, but foi
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
to enter the roosters in cooking mains
Williams said they could lick any
thing that wore feathers, short OF al
eagle or an ostrich, and that there wa;
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
clusions with them been routed. -
] New York Tribune.