Arizona republican., 1920-04-10
Our Infant Canary
BY FREDERIc J. HASKIN

New York, April 4-.-Recently a shipment of $500 canary birds from Germany landed in New York, and there is every reason to believe that this shipment will be followed by more larger ones. Tie result is-a condition bordering upon panic in a newborn in dustry of which many Am orleans have never heard, and a demand for a pro- tective tariff on canaries.
 If you have a little canary in your home, and you adopted him before the war, he is very likely a German bird; if he is a war baby, he is doubtless an American product. For since the war began we have for the first time been raising our own canaries.
 In recent years, the United States has imported over half a million of these birds annually, most of them coming from Germany where canaries, like everything else, are produced in quantity and at rock bottom cost. Can- ary raising in Germany is a cottage in- dustry carried on by children and farmers wives in the mountains. For this reason the price placed on the birds has always been low, so low that while the canary is regarded as lux ury, still it is within reach of most people. Its cheapness as much as it's song is the secret of the canary's pop ularity.
 When the war cut off the main surce of supply, American fanciers and anna teurS took up canary raising as com mercial proposition. They could not raise the birds at twice the German figure, but they had no trouble in dis posing of their stock, for everything else had gone up. Customers unques- tioningly paid fifteen dollars for birds such as had once brought five.
 At the request of canary breeders of this country, Representative Mac Gregor of New York, has presented bill to stop the avalanche of German birds by placing tax of five dollars on each imported specimen. The tax proposed is really prohibitive on all but unusually fine birds. which some times bring as high as $500 each.
 Representative MacGregor is espe- cially interested in his bill, because he believes that raising song birds would be an excellent vocation for disabled soldiers. It is work requiring patience and skill in details, but a lame man, or one who had lost an arm would be at no particular disadvantage in it.
 The most important phase of canary- breeding from the commercial stand point is to develop singers. German birds have always been cultivated with little regard for beauty, but with close attention to the voice.
 As soon as they are old enough to feed themselves, fledglings that are cdIeIuily TdlSeu aTe kept WnGTc they will not hear any harsh or unmusical sounds, as canaries are very initiative when young. An older bird with a fine voice is employed as teacher and in some cases, where a bird shows promise of ability. he is taught ny means of a flute or music box St canaries. from the Aus trian Tyrol. are considered the best singers, and are preferred as teachers. Sometimes a nightingale is used in- stead, but comparatively few canaries can achieve it's trills and soft tones.
 After two to eight months musical canaries are ready to appear in public. They are packed in tiny wooden cages, which are decidedly too crowded for comfort. and shipped in large lots to the retailers.
 Representative MacGregor says that for lot of 100 imported birds to in clude only thirty or forty singers. It is not easy to pick out a good singer in such conditions. Usually the customer who is not wary gets as nervous as the birdss and is easily persuaded to take a canary that has not sung a note l while he is in the room.
 A bird that sings well Is often not 50 | beautiful a specimen as one without q | voice. But most buyers do not realize { his. and let the dealer pick out q pret | .y bird for them. when they really ! wanted an accomplished one.
 The female canary rarely has voice | of any force or beauty, and for this req