Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-01-12
Agricultural.
In.Inh Tnft,s ENncriencr WIN mud

Josiah Tan's Experience with Ducks.
Josiah Taft had been to tho poultry show
and was returning 10y way Of the. Brattleboro
a whitehall railroad. lie had other business
at Braltleboro, and It was only incidentally
that he attended the exhibition of birds and
grizzly bears. His bank deposits needed re-
adjusting to conform to the new law taxing the
surplus over $500 in savings banks the
same as other property. Besides there was
bank that chose not to receive sums exceed
ing $1,000. The full taxation Of savings bank
deposits in excess of $500 did not tend to de-
press him, for he must have felt in his inner
consciousness that il there was anything
wrong in it, il was that all sums over $500
were not so taxed.
He was ono of about a hundred passengers
who were seated in the narrow gauge cars,
awaiting the arrival of the southern train,
which was late lie is strict temperance
man, and the fellow passenger who slyly ex-
hibited to him pocket flask, limiting an in
vitaton to retire to the platform or baggage
car, made decided mistake, and soon chang
ed his seat for more distant locality Hav-
ing adjusted his bank business it is presum-
ed satisfactorily, and having seen the cock
erels, the puets and the Rocky mountain
cubs, Mr. Taft, though strictly temperate,
was in high spirits, and inclined to talk He
soon had the attention of all the passengers
in one end of the car. Among his most in.
terested hearers were several good looking
ladies, and their presence, perhaps, stimulat-
ed his conversational powers The poultry
show, and the special merit Of this or that
bird, and of fowls in general, were naturally
the subject of conversation. Mr.. Taft felm-
ed rather unfavorably inclined toward the
feathered race, but when the discussion turn
en- on ducks he warmed up and rose in his
seat.
II never kept ducks" he said, 'but my
neighbors have. Inever want to keep them.
What know about ducks has been a strain
on my Christian character. I've seen all the
ducks that l ever want to see. The children
of my near neighbor had an unlucky offer of
some ducks and a large number of ducks
eggs. They considered them great acqusi-
ton. In due time the eggs turned into little,
downy feathered web.footed nuisances, and
began to follow the old ducks in a long
train.
"when, after great deal of care and labor
in preparing the ground and sowing tho seed
for my garden, in hoeing, and in pulling
weeds by hand had some fine young cab
bage plants in long rows, some beets some
cucumbers few melons, and other plants
of tender growth, the ducks had grown
to a considerable size. Their broad wob-feet
were just wide enough to cover young plant
and crush or break it. In the nick of time
about thirty of them, in long train headed
by the old ones, came marching-quack,
quack, quack-into my garden. They de-
ployed in two columns one on each side of
row of cabbage plants, and-quack, quack,
quack-marched along-quack, quack quack
the whole length of the row, and whack,
whack, whack went the leaves, and the bare
stems of the cabbage plants stuck up behind
them. After finishing the cabbages, they
wheeled and marched over the tender cucum-
Der plants-quack, quack quack-and the
melons-quack qusck, quack-till they came
to the sugar beets which l had Just thnned
out carefully, leaving two plants to each foot,
in the rows, and-quack, quack, quack-they
left only two to each rod
II went to my neighbor, and told him to
keep his ducks at home or I would kill every
one of them that had a web.foot. But he
he didn't keep them at home they came in
to my garden again-quack, quack, quack-
and got long pole, and II didn't kill any
of them that time-I drove them home.
II had thick, heavy grass near my barn,
and just before it was ready to NOV, thirty
ducks, six abreast, came waddling, waddling,
waddling, quack, quack, quack, and, with
various wheelings and evolutions, laid the
thick grass down in broad roads, as fiat as if
q roller had passed over it, 1 felt that the
time had come when they should be prepared
to de-or that they must die, whether pre-
pared or not. I just went for them, and
and drove them home, didn't kill any-not
at that time. But when cut up my corn
had an excellent field of corn, which the
ducks had spared, and took great pride in
it had got to the farther end of my row of
stocks, and I stopped to look back and enjoy
the sight of the thickly standing corn, with
the ears peeping out from the opening husks,
when-quack, quack, quack-behind me had
followed thirty ducks, and the bare cobs stuck
out on all sides of the stocks Now, said I,
forbearance has ceased to be endurablc. l
seized a club and was among that family of
quacks in less than a minute. How many of
them do you think lived the next day ?? Every
one. l drove them all home unframed l
have never been troubled with ducks since
that year, for the owners had enough of them,
as well as l."