488 
AMERIOAI^ AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
The Old and the New in Canaries. 
The wild canary, as shown in figure 1, is found 
in Southern Africa, and many islands of the Atlan¬ 
tic Ocean. It is stated on good authority that 
these birds found their way to the Canary Islands 
Fig. 1.— THE OEIGINAE WILD CANARY. 
Etigraved for the American Agriculturist, 
by accident—being set at liberty from a foundered 
ship bound for Leghorn. The genial climate of 
the new home proved well suited to the island- 
bound canaries, and they became thoroughly ac¬ 
climated. From these islands, whose name they 
now bear, the beautiful songsters have been car¬ 
ried to all parts of the civilized world, and are es¬ 
teemed as household pets by all classes, from the 
humblest cottager, to the queen in her palace. 
The common canary is a handsome bird, varying 
in color from yellow to buff and green, and is often 
variegated. 
Under domestication, and the guiding minds of 
breeders, several distinct varieties of canaries have 
been produced. Among these, the Belgian, the 
Glasgow Don, Manchester Coppy, Yorkshire Fancy, 
Cinnamon, Lizard, and London Fancy, are leading 
types. Much attention in recent years has been 
given to the Crested Canaries, and a short time 
ago a new variety W'as originated by crossing the 
true type of Norwich Canaries, with the Lancashire 
Coppies. This Modern Crested Norwich Canary is 
shown in figure 2. The changes which have taken 
place in the production of this household pet, are 
indeed striking, as seen by compai-ing the original 
canary in figure 1, with the recent product of skillful 
breeding, shown in figure 8. The modern canary 
is full in the body and head, deep and broad- 
chested,short in the legs, wide across the shoulders, 
and wi*^h a moderately short tail. The crest is the 
most attractive and important feature, which is 
shield-shaped, wider at the back than at the front. 
What shall we do with the Crops? 
A distinguished bank offleer and financier asked 
us to-day the above question. He thought the 
country, and in fact the whole world, was groaning 
under a load of agricultural produce, for which 
there was no present or prospective demand. Do 
not be alarmed, we said, we are better off than we 
were last year. Farmers are hopeful and are busily 
at work, confident that as long as people must eat, 
the products of their labor will be wanted. Let us 
be thankful for good crops. They are a great 
blessing. We know that low prices entail suffer¬ 
ing and disappointment on individual producers. 
This is true of farmers and manufacturers alike, 
but the farmer has this great advantage, he can 
live to a large extent on the products of his own 
farm, and he knows that the world cannot live a 
aingle week without wheat and other soil products. 
“That is all very well and very true,” he re¬ 
marked, “but I do not see what can be done with 
the present large surplus of wheat ?”—In the first 
place, we said, the surplus is probably exagger¬ 
ated. At this season 
of the year, when 
the wheat .is in the 
farmers’ hands,there 
are more “ Bears ” 
than “ Bulls.” They 
wish to get prices 
down as low as pos¬ 
sible, and many of 
the papers teem with 
articles calculated to 
induce farmers to 
accept any offer 
made them for their 
produce. Even ad¬ 
mitting that there is 
a large wheat crop 
all over the world, it 
must also be remem¬ 
bered that prices are 
extremely low — far 
below the cost of 
production and rea¬ 
sonable profit, and it 
is a well known 
fact that low prices 
greatly increase con¬ 
sumption. When 
prices are high we 
get along with as lit¬ 
tle as possible, we 
Now, if the bread is 
are careful to waste nothing, 
not just what we like, it goes into the swili-tub. 
If we cut a larger slice than we eat, no matter, 
bread is cheap. If a favorite dog looks at you 
while eating, you do not hesitate to share with him. 
If the cook does not object to the extra baking, 
you do not care if the 
pigs or the chickens, 
the ducks, the geese, 
or the turkeys, get 
more or less bread. 
On the writer’s farm 
we have a large lot of 
poultry that are fed by 
the juvenile members 
of the household, and 
fed so liberally that 
they will not look at 
rye or common screen¬ 
ings. NothingbutGold 
Medal Wheat, or the 
best Clawson, suits 
their fancy, and they 
are to - day getting, 
without serious pro¬ 
test, all they will eat 
of it. If wheat was 
one dollar and fifty 
cents per bushel, not a 
kernel would they get. 
In addition to the 
bread and’wheat which 
the pigs and poultry 
get incidently as a re¬ 
sult of cheapness,there 
are many places where 
wheat will be purpose¬ 
ly, and as a matter of 
convenience and econ- ' 
omy, fed to stock of 
all kinds. There is 
very little old corn in 
the country, and wheat 
is taking its place. 
This condition of 
things exists more or 
less throughout the world 
a rule it does not pay to raise wheat to feed ani¬ 
mals, we can get cheaper food. But if, once in a 
century or decade, wheat falls so low that it can be 
more profitably and more conveniently disposed of 
in this way, wheat will become th' staff of life for 
man and beast alike. We have as yet scarcely 
touched the wheat of the past harvest. The world 
eats a good deal of bread eveiy day, and there are 
three hundred and sixty-five days till the same time 
next year, when, if the harvest of 1885 is as early 
as it was this year, we may hope for more. Until 
then we must live on the present supply, and happy 
should the world be to know there is no deficiency. 
In all sober seriousness, what is there in the situ¬ 
ation to call out such doleful prognostications of 
impending disaster? If the crops were poor should 
we be richer? Wall street may have cause for 
fears, speculators may come to grief, railroads may 
lose money, but the agricultural interests of the 
country arc, on the whole, safe and prosperous. 
Let us be thankful for the abundant grain crops. 
Keeping Onions. 
The great point in keeping onions through the 
winter is to get them dry and keep them dry and 
cool. A damp, warm cellar is one of the worst 
places. If you do not want to use them until 
spring, a good place is to put them in a dry barn 
or loft, and cover them over with straw or hay a 
foot or more thick, and let them freeze and stay 
frozen until they thaw of their own accord. They 
should not be handled while frozen, unless you 
wish to use them immediately. We have kept 
onion sets by mixing them with dry malt-sprouts, 
say not less than one bushel of sprouts to a bushel 
of sets. We placed a layer of sprouts two inches 
deep at the bottom of a large bin, and then a layer 
of sets four inches deep, and then two inches of 
sprouts, and so on until the bin was full, when we 
placed a foot or so of sprouts on top. The bin was 
in a hay loft, where it was exposed to frost. In the 
spring the sets came out in 
the most perfect condition— 
none decayed and none sprout¬ 
ed. Coarse, dry bi-an, would 
answer the same purpose. We 
once threw a quantity of 
onions by the side of a row of 
evergreens, and covered them 
with straw thick enough to 
keep them dry. They remain¬ 
ed there all winter and came 
Wheat is very cheap, 
beef, mutton, pork, butter, and cheese, are high, 
and there is no law, human or divine, against con¬ 
verting the low priced article into the high priced 
article. If it will pay the thing will be done. As 
Fig. 2.— THE MODERN CRESTED NORWICH CANARY. 
Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
out in good order in the spring. A good plan is to 
keep the onions in slatted boxes holding a bushel 
or less. Plaee these boxes in the cellar on shelves, 
or raised a few inches from the ground, and with 
spaces between the boxes for air to circulate. 
