Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-08-02
LOST A
FORTUNE
In DUCKS
The Horse Editor Tells a TrOe
StOryOf a Rancher a Cal
cnlatiOn and a Fool
Goose

Hank Ladehoff owned a ranch nm in
eastern Oregon, and he made money Off
II, too. He made it because he had a
peculiar aptitude for farming, was al.
ways experimenting, and generally won
out His greatest scheme, though. fell
to the ground through a combination
or circumstances, and an ungrateful
goose, the first of which he could mot
toresee or the second forestall. Hank
got to figuring on the rapid increase in
the poultry business, and as he had n
creek running through his place, his
thoughts naturally turned to ducks. He
Knew that a duckling was ft Tor the
market in from six to eight weeks. and
so he began to figure out the amount
OF money he could make in five years
by starting with one duck, or to put IL
financially, with a capital of so cents.
lie convinced himself that good
healthy duck with her maternal in.
stincts well developed, would with a
Few doses Of Swellin's food" be
able to hatch and care for two broods
of ducRlings in a year. Each brood
would contain six ducks and six dudes.
Each of the six ducks would in turn
hatch two broods, so that, at the end
Of the second year, not allowing any.
thing for measles, pips and other in.
fantile diseases he would have with
starter Of dozen eggs, 1866 ducks and
the same number Of brakes. Keeping
the ducks and selling the drates the
third year he would have 2040 ducks
and 1872 brakes, the latter for sale.
The fourth year he would have 26,59O
ducks and 24,4s0 brakes. He had es
timated that the sale of the brakes
would pay all running expenses, so that
his ducks were clear profit. At the end
of the fifth year the ducks would NUN.
Der 3i4,760, and the brakes ho would
send to the market would tally up TO
3iS,240. The sixth year he would
have 4,lsl,s00 ducks and 1885,, 7,l2O
brakes.
As they were now getting too numer-
Gus to handle, he would sell them all
of at SO per dozen, and close out his
business, with $1,000, $50 profit; which
any one will admit is handsome sum
to accumulate in six years, with one
dozen duck eggs as the original capital.
Hank purchased n round dozen duck
eggs Of the Clydesdale variety and
took them home to start his fortune
TO growing. None of his hens showed
any inclination to set, and as time
was valuable no put the eggs in a nice
nest in n barrel, and capturing a hen
enclosed her in it. The old proverb
says, "You can lead a horse TO water
but you cannot make him drink. 4"
Hank found the same rule true among
the gallinaceous birds, for his old hen,
with the stubbornness of her sex, set
standing, and refused utterly TO work
She was ON an individual strike, and
refused utterly TO listen to the voice Of
reason. She scorned to set unless on
her own terms, or, rather, on her own
lay. Hank, knowing the perverseness
Of the sex, yielded to the inevitable,
and began TO look about for a sub.
stitute, sort Of stepmother for his un.
hatched dueklings. He had a dog, but
he was Of the yellow, short haired va.
riety known as a mOngrel, and without
even a strain Of "setter." The COW,
the horse and pet lamb were all con
sidered as 10 their nossibilitiea az an