The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-06-08
New Breed of Water Fowl.
From the st. Paul Dispatch.

1t has remained for an enterprisinE
farmer OF Beltrami county to success
fully breed a new water fowl. which.
promises to take it's place in the front
ranks Of the game birds OF the state
and which has already caused cOnsid-
cradle embarrassment to two Bemidji
nimrods.
Charles Saxrud owns a farm In Ma
pie Ridge township. about fifteen
miles northwest of Bemidji. Last year
he decided to raise a flock of ducks.
and. with that end in view, he ecured
a pair of ducks, and, in the nature OF
things, the female was DESTROYS OF
Matching out q brood of her own kind.
and she was given an even dozen OF
nice eggs with which to begin bust
ness. The duck sat industriously ON
these eggs for 1--WE days, when she was
accidentally killed. Mr.. Saxrud vas
at his wits end as to what to do with
that setting OF ducks eggs. He had
an old Brahma hen that had been per-
sistent in setting on doorknobs and
any other old thing that was lying
aroun loose. and he put her to work
on the duck eggs. The eggs finally
produced eight small, hairy fowls that.
caused great CONSERVATION to the old
hen, but she adopted the whole bunch
and took good care Of them until they
day. The ducks Immediately took to
the water, and the hen raised a great
colnmotion as her adopted youngsters
swan about. This was repeated for
several days, until Mr.. Saxrud, in des-
peration as to how to allay the con-
Of rubber to her henship's feet, which
would allow her to swim with her
brood. The scheme worked to perfec-
ton, there being a perfect web foot
TIL brood was raised and is sim a
part of Mr.. Saxrud's flock. This year.
when the old Brahma exhibited signs.
Of desiring another family to look af--
ter, he placed chicken eggs under her.
While she sat, the hen unused contin-
ually on those ducks and the trouble
MIND evidently affected the hatch, an
when they came out Of the she'll they
were exactly the form Of a chick en-,
with the exception that they were pro-
vided with a ducks bill and had
webbed feet. They were larger than
at once took to the water, and MT.
Saxrud was again forced to provide
the hen with her rubber Socks" The
brood developed rapidly, and were 500
large, lusty fellows, nearly as large as
full-grown chickens. One day last
week George McTaggart, a member OF
the board Of aldermen Of the city OF
Bemidji, and Fred w. Rhoda, clerk OF
the district court, made a trip up in,
Maple Ridge township for an outing.
luey CudNCeO 10 camp neal SaXfOO' 3
place. and while out one afternoon es-
pied, at a distance, Saxrud's old hen,
and her brood, swimming along peace
fully in a little lake on the farm. The.
hunters could not exactly decide what
the fowl were, but finally decided they
were swans, and let loose two double
barreled charges OF shot in the punch.
They rowed out to get their haul, when,
they made the discovery that. there
was an old hen with rubber tied around
her feet and the h~alf-breed ducks. Just
then Saxrud happened along, and Il
o considerable promises Of refresh.
ments on the next trip to town befOror
the two shooters were allowed to CO.
But three Of the entire bunch of chick
en-ducks were saved from humiliation
but Mr.. Saxrud thinks he has enough
left to form a nucleus for a large dock
OF the new VARIETY. :.