The record-union., 1894-12-27

Did you ever eat rapidly grown cell
ery-ied duck? No? Well, then. there is
new sensation for the appetite i'll store
for you. But / am anticipating my
story. During my vacation days last
summer l found in valley under the
shadow OF the Blue Mountains OF Penn
syivania what the proprietors called
duck ranch" The name struck me as
being odd. If it means broad acres,
ranch" is misnomer; if il signifies
place where large numbe OF animals or
fowls are reared, this place was well
named, since during the past year 1900
ducks were reared on the few acres OF the
ranch.
This story told by the proprietor was
confirmed by their New York buyer.
At the time of my visit, early in Septem-
Der, there were about 1000 nearly ready
Tor market, and SUCH multitude of pure
white birds was pretty sight The va
riety grown is the Pekin, that at matur-
ity will weigh fourteen to twenty pounds
to the pair. They have rich yellow skin
and orange-colored bill and legs. They
bear confinement well and ii Is claimed
they may be reared successfully with
water sufficient only for drink. How
ever it is found that without water in
which to wash themselves their plumage
| is soiled by the mud, and their feathers,
worth forty cents pound, are Injured IN
market value.
The Pekins are prolific in eggs, laying
! from l25 to 100 each in the year, but many
of the eggs are intertile, In fact, the pro-
prietors OF this ranch thought they did
not get to exceed fifty ducks from 100
eggs. The duck naturally, or as ordi-
| narily kept on the farm, rarely lays be-
| fore springtime. Ducks reared in the APP
! proved modern style, Matched In May,
| will begin to lay about the holidays and
continue laying all winter, and this
weakenS their vitality. But why is not
the constitution weakened also in regard
to making rapid and great growth of
frame? The barnyard fowl has under
gone the same revolution of habit and |
have found their eggs as fertile III winter
as at any other time. Is not this lack of
fertility attributable rather 10 the tact
that the natural habit OF the duck is not
completely revolutioniZed by domestica-
ton? BY nature the duck Is monogram
ous-that is. the drake mates only with
one duck-and 1t is probable that in large
fiocks there are brakes that Will mate each
only with one duck, while other brakes
will care for two or more each and thus
the fertilization proves unequal and lr-
regular. Ducks at their best DO not show
the development of the polygamous
habit to the same extent as barnyard
fowls. The best authorities recommend
in breeding only i've or SIX ducks to one
drake. while with one vigorous cock III
company with twenty hens the eggs Will
all be fertile.
The eggs are hatched in incubators,
which are set in operation as soon as
there is a complement OF eggs to fill a
machine. On well-managed duck farm
the ducklings should begin to peep about
the lst of February, and the incubators
are kept running until about the 1st OF
July. The ducks are reared under arti-
ficial broOders in their houses and in
small yards and not allowed access 10
water tor bathing until month old. [
presume in winter they never go out of
their yards until killed. From the time
they are Matched until ready for market
the duckllngS are fed all the wholesome
food they can digest, and at ten weeks
old the Pekins should dress ten pounds
to the pair.
OF course, such weights are obtained
only by farmers who thoroughly under
stand the business. The men L visited
had been in the business several years.
| aud had learned by practical experience
how TO achieve success. For any one to
| try it, relying on book knowledge alone
would simply be inviting failure. In
competent hands poultry farming NAV
| be conducted successfully on large
scale; hence 1t was great satisfaction to
| see this notion illustrated OH this ranch
| did notinquire how well 1t was paying,
but that it was paying business was
evident. 1t is proposed to try and rear
! 10000 at THIS ranch next year. 1t is esti-
mated that Pekin ducks may be reared to
| the age OF ten weeks tor D cents pound
and The price received will probably
/ average 70 cents q pound. The earliest
] ShInhQntS < fG
or more, and Is cents is about the lowest
! figure for them at any season.
! There is one peculiar feature in the
| market for choice poultry-the breeder
need not consign his stock for sale
! and take the changes OF the mar
! always in search of poultry OF superior
! quality, and will buy it outright at excel
! lent prices. These dealers supply the
large, fashionable hotels and restaurants.
| that will have only the best, and it is often
more OF question OF ability to get what
/ they want than of price. The house
| handling these ducks in New York was
! getting twenty cents a pound for choice
| spring chickens when what | regard as
very good poultry was selling at fifteen
cents. Their customers don't go shop
ping, but buy where they know what
they get is superior, and they are willing
! TO pay good round price for it. Eager
! buyers seek for good article, while a
! poor article has to hunt for a market
These ducks rapidly grown are like
rapidly-grown lettuce ana radishes-yery
! tender. Their market was originally
made on this tender, fat condition, with
out the use OF celery to add to the flavor
The wholesome food OF course changed
/ the quality of the flesh, and now the sup
/ ply is not equal TO the demand. They are
led celery finely cutand mixed with their
food for probably month previous 10
! killing. There is no distinct taste of
celery III the fesh but its union with the
natural qualities of the flesh impart Is a
flavor that is simply delicious-little. if
any, inferior to the canyassbacks which
feed on wild celery.-1he Country Gem
! tleman.
FARM NOTES.
A writer says that it is hardly nossihla
to overfeed hog with corn if he has first
! had liberal feed of pumpkins. We
never knew one to eat too many pump
kiDs.
y bee man who has experimental To
determine whether bees injure fruit saws
! that although many bees were seen han
quoting on grapes, not one was doing any
mischief TO tie sound fruit.
! Experiments favor the continuance of
/ sods in orchards during the winter
/ While iali plowlng Is an ADVANTAGE in
many cases the SOD or the orchard s6ould
not be turned under until spring.
Potatoes and apples should be bandled
! carefully ana not rolled down into the
cellar through chutes or dumped out of
| wagons, as injury is liable and decompo-