208 Wri'H BOAT AND GUN IN THE YANGTZE VALLEY. 



Passing on to a question which affects all classes more or less gravely, the economic 

 question of price, Cheng Kee's views may possess some interest for those whose justifiable 

 delight is to find upon their tables palatable food, appetizing vegetables, the kindly fruits 

 of the earth in their season, and the gladdening sight of beautiful flowers. "Yes," said he, 

 " Residents generally and newcomers particularly will be astonished at the multiplicity 

 of the things offered in this market, the almost infinite variety of food-stuffs, whether in 

 the form of meat, game, fish or vegetables, and at the wealth of colour and the beauty of our 

 locally grown flowers, I cannot, of course, run through the whole gamut of supplies and 

 prices, but I will instance the case of game, in which question I know that you take a very 

 great interest, and in the distribution of which I take somewhat of a leading part. People, 

 not in the know, would scarcely credit what I am going to say, but I assure you that the 

 figures would read materially larger if notice were taken, which it is not, of the huge 

 quantities of game rendered unfit for food alike by inconsiderate storing and untoward 

 weather. 



"Now, here are the quantities of the various kinds of game and the average prices 

 at which sales were made during the year. And as the figures have gone through the 

 various market books it stands to reason that they represent what was actually sold. 



" The certified sales were : — 



15,000 brace of pheasants at $0.40 at $1.50 per brace. 



18,000 couples of snipes „ O.30 „ 0.60 „ couple. 



10,000 brace of wild duck „ 0.50 „ 1.50 „ brace. 



10,000 couples of teal .... „ 0.25 „ 0.75 „ couple. 



2,000 wild geese „ 0.50 ., 0.80 each. 



3,000 woodcocks „ 0.35 „ l.oo each. 



500 wild turkeys ,. 0.50 „ i.oo each. 



40,000 quails „ o.IO „ 0.20 each. 



2,500 deer „ i.oo „ 2.00 each. 



3,000 hares „ about 0.50 each. 



"And these figures are wholly independent of the sometimes very heavy requisitions 

 of mail steamers, coasting boats and the various men-of-war that visit the port, which run 

 into thousands of head, and to a ceaseless export to Japan and other places. While quite 

 true that the sum of these figures is fairly suggestive it really denotes none too liberal a 

 supply when divided up amongst this fast-growing population, which already exceeds 

 10,000 foreigners, but it is nevertheless ample enough when it is remembered that it is not 

 the majority that consumes game. There are hundreds of people in Shanghai who never 

 taste it from one year's end to the other, and thousands here to whom it is only a luxury, 

 and yet, anomalous as it may appear, money is unwittingly spent upon dearer but far less 

 satisfying foods. 



"For instance, this establishment alone sells on the average 100 chickens a day, say 

 roughly 35.000 to 45,000 fowls a year, and there are many other large salesmen in Smith's 

 market, the Maloo market and in the French Concession who likewise drive extensive trades. 

 Now who shall say that there is not much more actual meat upon a lYz to 3 lb. pheasant 



