New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-08
DUCK-FARMING.
THE CURIOUS INDUSTRY WHICH OCCU-
PIES SEVERAL LONG ISLAND TOWNS.
C.sTPoRr AND sPEoNK SUPPLY THE NETWORK
MARKET MODES OF MATCHING AND
REARING-DUCKs THAT ARE NOT
ALLOWED TO SWIM

There is something particularly cheerful and
socable about a duck farm. People who talk
OF the deadly quiet and duness of the average
farmers lie would withdraw all such observa-
tions after visit to the home Of one who raised
ducks on a large scale. With few thousand
oc these voluble liIds on the place there is no
stiffness worth mentioning. The effect of the
hOnking. gobbling Guacking chorus. which never
ceases for an instant during the daylight hours
is likely TO remain in the visitors ears for some
time after his departure
II any one had told the good countrywomen of
q decade ago who made practice Ct raising
few ducks yearly for the market. that in ten
years there would be farms producing from ten
to twenty thousand birds year, the statement
would have been thought wildly exaggerated to
say the least. Yet this is precisely what has
to pass in a short time. and the industry
on this large scale seems to be peculiar 20 alitte
group Of towns on the south shore of Long
Island OF these villages PASSPORT and Speonk
are the chicc. The farm of which this article
treats is that of William II. Pye. Of Passport.
Mr.. Pye probably sends more ducks to market
each year than any other raiser and 1t is gen
orally admitted all through the neighborhood
that his place is the best appointed and managed
the island. At the time of his visitors ar
rival Mr. Pye was strolling through his yard
ruefully contemplating the damage wrought ny
the recent heavy rains 1t might be supposed
that ducks one of the few classes OF Great
ures that would not be Inconvenience by rain,
hut the downpour of last month was little too
much for them Cold. easterly storm"
chill the ducklings and the half-grOWn birds,
and. by deriving them of strength, act as
hindrance to their growth. Besides this the
rains had washed out great gullies and bitches
IN the yards and had left huge mud puddies
at which the little ducks looked longinsly. but
which they strongly discouraged from
entering For another popularity Of these farms
is that the birds get along very well on dry land
Only those which almost full grown and
nearly ready for shipment are allowed TO sWim
This plan, however, according to Mr.. Pye Is only
one of necessity. He accustoms his young ducks
to a land life, not because he thinks water bad
for them but because his water room is limited.
and they certainly seem to thrive perfectly away
from their natural element. Large houses,
glazed ventilated and looking much like green
houses are divided up inside into pens of equal
sizes A noored walk runs through the centre
of each building and the pens on each side are
built directly on the ground Each one COM
municates by an opening under the glazed.
slantng roof with an outer pen of good size. so
that each set of ducks have an inclosed apart
ment and an outdoor yard to their home. on the
side facing he shore the outdoor pens extend
down to the waters edge. In these the larger
ducks are kept. A certain portion of the water
front is likewise divided off into pens by sheets
Of wire netting. that each land pen on this
side has its corresponding water inclosure 80
small is this water space for the number of ducks
that use it that it is almost filed with the
glstening white bodies and in bright sunlight
the sight IS dazzling. These favored older ducks
are 50 appreciatve OF their swimming privileges
that they only leave the water at feeding time
There were rather more than ten thousand
ducks on Mr.. Pye's place when the reporter saw
them. and their capacity for food was just two
tons a day.
Talk about summer bOarders," said Mr. Pye,
referring to the occupation of several Of his
harder than the other kind to keep fed 1t keeps
cartng grain and meal pretty steadily We
give them chopped up sweet corn for green food
and a kind of water grass which grows here. |
have a man who spends his whole time fishing
too. to provide a change of that sort for the
ducks, but he doesn't get enough to feed many
We give what fish have to the duckngs. 1t
is especially good for them: makes them grow
and keeps them strong"
Last year Mr. Pye shipped thirteen thousand
ducks to market; this year he has raised nineteen
thousand end the Matching season which begins
about February |. will ret be over until the end
Of this month. The Matching is done partly by
means of incubatOrs, of which Mr. Pye has a
large number, and partly by hens who have
the reputation OF being better at setting" than