The age-herald., 1898-10-18
CHICAGO'S BIG
 DUCK FARM

located at the corner of Seventy-n nth street and Cottage Grove avenue. The cars go whizzing by all day long within quaek- ing distance of 10000 ducks which enjoy all the advantages of city life. In the end, every one of the 10000 will share the fate of the ordinary barnyard fowl, however, and find it's way to the broi,er and the SD t. And these city-bred ducks run their reck- less and fin de siecle careers in about half the number of weeks that it takes their country cousins to round off existence.
 The duck farm on big scale. locted on a mill on dollar tract of land, is owned by L. G. Fisher a capitalist and manufacturer. He holds the land as an investment and while holding it he decided to indulge hs taste for amateur farming At first he in- vested n a few fancy chickens, ducks, and geese. The chickens came more nearly eat ing their heads off than the ducks did, and were not so sat sfactory. year ago Chatham Fields was converted into a duck farm almost exclusively, with 400 or 500 chickens to make things more home like.
 These ducks are matched in incubators and brought up by hand Mother Nature is allowed to have as little to do with it as possible. The fowls are turned out by ma chinery, fed by machinery and meet their death by guillotine at the tender age of ten weeks.
 The 160 acres of the farm are a rolling p ece of ground, sloplng away from clump of trees. The main bu lding Is big, flat. steam-heated brick barn, 500 by 1SO feet in c;1a ic ipt fba larger section being subdvided into pens which will hold about 800 duckllngs each. The other subdivision is covered with steam pipes raised slightly from the ground. A loose burlap curtain swings between the two. The lttle ducks are put into the pens which are kept at an even and moderate temperature If from any cause the duck 1ings become chilled or damp they poke their knowing little necks under the burlap curtain, push through, and huddle up under the steam pipes. The whole floor is of clean dirt, the top layer being changed often.
 The entire philosophy of SC entfc duck raising may be given in sentence. Keep the ducks dry and stuff them all the time.'
 According to Manager Bellows ducks don't take to water. At Chatham eds they would not be allowed to if they felt so inclined. On fine days the pens are opened and the thousands of ducklings are allowed for a whle to get out of the big building and play in the sunshine. At the least sign of rain, back they are all hustled indoors. They never sw m and never en- joy drop of water, except what they drink. This is provided at a watering trough constructed Ike a saucer, with a teacup inverted in it.
 During the season, about 1000 ducks are set aside for breeding purposes. These are selected for their size, robustness, etc. '"The season" on the duck farm reverses the ordinary poultry season as the farmers wife knows it. At the duck farm eggs must be laid from December to April and the ducks matched and sold from April to Au- gust The thousand fowls set aside for egg laying are allowed to run about freely in a big, grassy yard. They are given enough to eat to keep them in fair condition, and are expected to hustle for salads. This they very much enjoy, as it gives them a chance to dig their bills in the ground for roots and worms
 The expense of keeping these breeding fowls is small. About December the ducks begin to lay eggs. The eggs are put in the incubators, 300 to a machine, and arc matched in twenty-one days. The duck lings are put at once into the "brooder,' where they live out their ten or twelve weeks of life. By this patent process of raising ducks the percentage of loss is con- sideraby less than when the farmers wife parsuadnc oood-nat1lred hon to hat tc1l o1lt a setting of duck eggs. The experts at that farm never make the mistake of putting an egg into the incubator unless is it sure to hatch. They are all tested, and must not be over week old So altogether the loss will not reach 25 per cent. from all causes Baby ducks are fed every two or three hours, and yet they are hungry all the time. They simply live to eat, and have no other ambition in life. The food is made up of variety of things, all intended to make white. juicy meat and small soft bones. The ideal hash for ducks is made on a basis of soup of boiled bones, scraps. etc. With this soup cracked oats, cornmeal, seconds" and various cereals are mixed. Nearly all the food is cooked. This mater- ial here in the city costs little. If meal is damaged in bolting, a lot of roIlea oats get wet, the dealers are glad to sell it for small amount. South Water street furnishes cheaply all the green stuff that
 
 celery, cabbage little the worse for wear, and salad greens of all sorts can be bought at low figures by wholesale.
 Ducks at Chatham Fields are expected 70 be lazy They are prohibited from making century runs and discouraged altogetnef from flying. What with eating every two hours and never taking any exercise they grow wonderfully fast, and the meat is light instead of dark. The breastbone of young duck raised this way can be cut with one swipe of a carving knife, and nearly the whole duck can be sliced into white pieces.
 The cost of raising these ducks and put ting them on the market varies greatly with the season, but the average is about 20 cents apiece.
 ''We aim to take advantage of a season and a market which is not overcrowded,' says MT. Bellows. That's the secret e making thing lil6 this pay. Cut into the market when nobody else is selling, and with something distinctive and curious, If you can."
 Nearly all the ducks raised are sold for broilers. They stand on the same footing as fried chicken. and are said to ba faH