Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-02

| No student of economics Will deny
that the bird that grows twice as fast
ms all others In making for first place as
a business proposition. Money thus In
vested can be turned over twice as fnSt'
Then, too, the everyday layer outdis-
tnnces the alternating layer. The every
day layer Is the duck.
The deeply -indented coast lines OF
New England seem to indicate that
nature fitted this locality for duck
raising. Yet, strangely enough, this en-
tire section is reported to produce little
more than one-fifth as many ducks as
Indiana alone. The latter Is little
larger than Maine, and is almost with
out water border. The New England
States produce less than half as many
ducks as Arkansas. State entirely IN
land and having 1000 square miles less
territory than New England.
One reason for this may lie in the
fact that waterfowl have been given
very little publicity in this section.
The New England Experiment Stations
have made no speciality of ducks that
can be recalled; though Rhode Island
did important comparative work with
geese and tried some crosses. why
natural speciality of a coast like that
of Rhode Island should be so neglected
is puzzle.
Apathy Toward Waterfowl Broken
The apathy toward domesticated wa
terfowl, extending over much of the
country. included the growers. exhibit
tions and the stations. This has now
been broken, by two events: (a) the
well-nurtured growth of the green
duck industry; (b) the advent of the
Indian Runner Duck. Green ducks
(meaning immature) have been grown
for some time in large numbers, and
| 4 .-,t. eli nd a -
have opend commission house of their
own in New York City, handling their
own products and those of other grow
ers.
The indian Runner is pretty thor
oughly established in the United States
and Canada. Mexico sends many in
quries, and the largest order reported
by the Cumberland Penctled Runner
Club in 1915 came from Alaska.
1t is also reported from Hawaii that
the duck industry there had taken a
new lease on life, having passed out of
the hands of the Chinese. The present
demand is for Muscovles; while a large
demand has sprung up for duck eggs
especially those from the Indian Runner
breed.
The Certain Egg Demand
Wherever the attention of consumers
Is called to duck eggs and to young
duck meat in the right way, brisk de-
mand soon follows. The meat of the
ten to -twelve-week- -old duckling is eX-
cellent. Some claim the young Runner
duck is the best poultry meat to be had
When the layers are properly handled,
duck eggs are so sweet and rich that
they equal hens eggs. No market in
formed as to the quality and value of
duck eggs, will neglect them, especially
those of the Indian Runner. The eggs
of the Pekin and Aylesbury crowd the
large goose eggs for size. The Runner
egg sometimes reaches four ounces,
averaging nearly three ounces; while
the Pekin eggs average four to Ave
ounces.
Add to this three other facts, viz,
(a) that ducks thrive on a goodly pro-
portion of cheap. food; (b) that the
skillful grower seldom loses duckling;
(c) that there Is now a steady demand
for these products, and 1t will be seen
the duck industry holds favorable
place with the heretofore popular hen.
Producing Market DuckIings
Many growers who raise green ducks
for market look askance at the Runner,
or at any of the small breeds of ducks.
They want Pekins, which weigh ten
pounds or more to the pair when ready
for market. Pekins. Aylesburys and
Rouens. with a standard weight of nine
pounds for adult males. are probably
make an average of half a pound
week of growth for the first ten weeks.
Producers of green ducks want bird
that grows rapidly, fattens easily, has
white pins" and of which the male
and female are nearly equal in size.
Even these meat producers demand
breed that lays WELL else they cannot
get enough young stock.
Despite their size, Runners lead all
other ducks, even for meat. Some have
said, the smaller the Runner the better.
For instance. grower of Runners for
high-class hotel or restaurant trade
may be found urging that round bodied
birds smaller than standard should be
selected as breeders. There are several
reasons for this. One Is that the wild
birds for which they are sometimes sub
stituted are usually of a small, round
bodied type. Another reason is, IL there
is too much weight, the charge per por
tion must be increased to the customer.