The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-10-04

II n ~. - : - y
lnlosf An fsIhe5ea 81 PEOPLE ElleEe
Sre n 10 llllssilliea--z
Nearly IN the canaries imported lntq
a afieh arelf from GefIialIIl. a D.
fieh treef bird q der te
4 finnoi sfr0fi 6O.00O to ~, 000 etl1arl.-s
1 3 Sear and esfinates the tptsli AEleEls
J can fm10rfn lions OF the melodioll5 ~.
- q bout e Q1Q IN q
I y Every thing c0usldered me 1tetlll y
canry birds are more satlstaetory ~
1 mos people than THOSE bred asly y lleEs
else. They are not 50 hrty IN THIS
eof1try perhaps as the American
filfie AfleS are not SO large and good
/ Ks q the English or seotch gll-
! rfeties. nor so freaisily SNOWY as those
raised IN Belgium. But of gu 7eqllaEi u
me German bred sing most % ttstacto-
ffiy; and as uinety-nine in hundred
buyers of birds want them for their
songs the bulk Of the business e m
Gern1ah birds.
The canary was hrst found Wild IN
| tfIe fsiaRds OF the same n0me,s though
igyeifefhef- the Islands were named 'tronl
I tie bird or the bird from the Islands
nobocy knows Today, though eanefy
birds stu fy. hbOut in freedom among
the tree branches Of the Canary ana
the Madeira Islands, many thonsands
more are bred In Germany than any
where, probably than everywhere, else.
| And for some reason most German
canaries are bred IN that part OF Ger
many known as the Harz mountains.
Perhaps there Is a climatic reason for
EIarz mountain birds to be stronger
and more melodiOus than others; per-
hans the breeders there learned the
business better than other breeders
go years ago when the birds were
hrst taken to Europe; perhaps 1t just
happened SO. At all events. there are
not only more Harz mountain ca
naries than any others, but they are
the best in everything but size. color
I and freakishness; St Andreasberg.
twhence came the famous fun roller
songsters. is In the Harz mountains.
Inasmuch. as the Harz mountain
breeders have to supply the demand
for canaries in all parts OF Germany
and some other European countries as
well as the chief part of the American
demand, It Is probable that nearly a
million birds are bred there every
year. Oddly euough, while the raising
of canaries Is one of the leading Indus
tries OF the region, no one is under
stood to be devoted exclusively 10
canary breeding. Nearly all classes OF
people breed canaries-the butcher, the
baker ana the candlesticlz maker; the
farmer, the blacksmith, the miller and
all. The most extensive breeder
known to the Greenwich street i'm
porter breeds only 700 or 500 a year,
while many breed only a few each, so
there must be thousands and thou
sands OF breeders.
The German cnuarles begin to reach |
this country early in August, and the |
shipments continue all through the fall |
and winter, the heaviest OF them COM
ing In November and December, just
in time for the birds to be useful as
holiday presents, Importation stops In /
March for the year, 1870
The birds reach this country at ages
ranging from n few months to year.
The younger ones have not been tnught |
to sing OF course, and really are not |
wanted by American dealers as rule. |
for teaching them to sing Is tedious /
operation. No Importer likes to refuse |
consignment OF young birds with the
demand as great as It IS. however, for
fear some other dealer viii get them.
AS practically every bird breeder In I
the Harz mountains has some other
way of making a living besides hatch
ing, rearing and selling canaries
which are thus byproduct, they are
generally bred just under the roofs, In
the attics, and there kept till they have
learned to sing. DInerent breeders
adopt different methods OF teaching the
birds.
Many a breeder keeps in his posses
sion as long as It lives one especially
good singing bird: the young birds hear
his song and Initiate It. Others prefer
the canary organ, a queer whlstlIng
instrument whose motive power Is a
stream Of water from pipe acting
on a little water wheel. This mechan-
IcaI melody producer is kept going con-
tlnuousIy when birds are being taught
to sing. and the fact that it never gets
tired or falls asleep gives It one value
not possessed by the living bird
Some breeders use both the living
bird and the canary organ, only rum
ming the latter when the former refuses
to sing.
Cannries are bred In every country of
Europe, but mostly for domestic con-
sumption. English canaries ure much
larger than the German birds, one rich
orange colored cayenne pepper fed
English canary being twice or thrice
the size OF the average little st. An
dreasberg roller. Not only do English
bred canaries. for some unexplained
reason, tend to grow larger than the
German breed. but. and for an equally
little understood reason. their song,
though loud and vocIferous enough, is
not nearly so melodIous as the German
birds song.
A famous English variety Is the
Manchester topknot, a canary with
crest or topknot The feather foot ca
nary is another variety and those who
FonCv any. NJ these will nay O high ,