Vol. VII. No. 160. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ls7 



DUCKS. 



Indian Runner Ducks. 



Inilirin Runner ducks have been introduced into 

 -the West Indies, iind wherever they are known, their 

 great laying [)owers and hardy constitution ciuse them 

 to be regarded with favour. Notes on the character- 

 istics of this breed nppeareci in the Ac/ ritjult and iV^'U'-s, 

 Vol. II, p. -218, and Vol. V, p. ]!)b. The following 

 particulars are taken from the Poultri/ Journal of 

 April last : — 



Indian Itunncrs have held their nwn as layers of the 

 'largest number of eggs of any breed for many years, and at 

 the present time many people keep diein simi)ly for the 

 4)roduetion of eggs on account of the fact tliat there is a ready 

 sale for duck eggs in nearly every town and vilbige— as the 

 jiopular taste is decidedly in favour of a freshly laid duck egg 

 for the br^akfa-^t table — this b^'ing consi.leied much richer 

 in flavour than those laid by fowls. 



As table birds the Indian Runners are not pvjfitable 

 for sale, as their habits are so active — being similar to the 

 Leghorn fowls in this particular — that' to put on flesh at 

 a satisfactory rate for marketing is out of the question. 



For home consumption their tlesh is acceptalde, as they 

 .are not troubles ))ne to rear, and since they commence to lay at 

 such an early age they can always be hatched in Decendjcr and 

 -January, so tliat the ducklings make a welcome diversion in 

 the«t'/u«for the fanuly, an 1 are invariably acce|itei by 

 the housewife as the finest ducks going, on account of being 

 available when other and larger ducks cannot be had. 



When kept on a free range they arc splendid foragers, 



;anJ during some parts of the year will get the wh<ile cif their 



living when allowed a good range, as they are very tnnd of 



slugs, worms, frogs, etc. They also do well in confined places, 



jind we have known uiany people who have keiit them in 



^small back yar Is, whjra the biris have laid over ten 



months out of the twelve. It W(julil, however, take up too 



much space ti> give the number of eggs an<l the various 



reports of those who have [irove.l the value of these birds. 



The ducks and drakes should be tightly feathered, very 

 ^•rect in their carriage, and have a long neck and beak, and 

 differ from all other breeds of ducks in their manner of 

 locomotion, for instead of waddling tla^y run straight off, 

 and no doulit that is one reason for their name, as they are 

 .always on the move. 



In good specimens the head shijuld be rtne and very 

 fiat, more so than that of any other duck,, and their eyes are 

 very near the top of the head. Their beaks are strong and 

 fairly broafl, condng straight down the skull, and they possess 

 a wedge-shaped head. 



Many cross-bred Indian I'unner dmks liavc been sold as 

 l)ure, because the drake, when u.sed for cnj.s.sing, stamps his 

 image u[)on the progeny .so plainly. When once tliese ducks 

 j\re seen their beautiful carriage and graceful movements are 

 ,never forgotten. 



Indian Itunner tlucks are a very good variety to use for 

 crossing jiurposes to improve the laying cjualities of other 

 breeds. As a rule, when the Indian liunner is crossed with 

 Aylesburies or Pekins, the half-bred ducks do not vary }, B). 

 in weight from the two latter breeds in their purb 

 state, and we have known the introduction of fresh blood to 

 cause the young ones to gfow even heavier. To some people 

 this would make '.'lO per cent, difference above what their 

 ordinary ducks have ever made. 



Although Indian Runners are small, it pays to keep 

 them only on account of f)ie number of eggs laid. When 

 they were introduced to the Mirlland Counties and the South 

 of England, the poulterers complained of their being so small, 

 but their flavour is excellent, and very nnich like that of the 

 wild duck. Indian Runner duckhngs are very hardy, and no 

 trouble at all to roar. 



It .seems a mysterious fact that such valuable ducks 

 have been in our country for almost a century and have not 

 spread before. No doubt they would not have done so now, 

 had it not been for [loultry literature. 



JAMAICA TEA. 



An acount of the methods of tya cultivation, 

 preparation of the leaves, etc., as practised on the 

 Ramble estate, Jamaica, was contained in a pai)er, 

 contributed by the Hon. H. E. (Jo.x, owner of the estate, 

 to the West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VIII, p. 254. 



The Ramble is the only estate in the West Indies on 

 which any attempt is made to pi-oduce tea on a commercial 

 scale. It is situated in iSt. Ann parish, at an elevation of 

 about 1,600 feet above .sea-level. That portion of the estate 

 on which the tea is cultivated, and does well, consists of 

 a deep red soil, resting on a basis of white limestone. Tlie 

 average rainfall of the district during the past ten years ha.s 

 been ti2"80 inches, while the average tenqierature through- 

 out the year varies between 8006" and 11 ib' V. for the 

 maximum, and 6688" and 63'2:?" F. for the minimum. 



A start in tlie cultivation of the ero[> was made several 

 years ag(j with 250 plants and a packet of seed from Cinchona, 

 and this strain has been adhered to down to the present time. 



At the beginning of 1906, about 100 acres were under 

 cultivation, (only a part being available for crop), and since 

 then 50 acres more have been planted with seed. 



The |)lants are propagated by means of seed. Cuttings 

 occasionally .strike, but not sufficiently well to be useful. 

 After-cultivation .simply consists in keeping the ground between 

 the plants as clean as [jo.ssible. The first return is obtained 

 when the plants are .slightly more than four years old. 



The ]ire[>aration of the leaves for market is a process 

 re(iuiring care and .skill. 



The ]Vi'!il India Coiiimitfei' (Jimilur of May 1 1' last, 

 contains a re]iort and analysis, reproduced from the L'liinl, 

 of a sample of tea from the Ramble estate. The following 

 is the composition : Moisture, 7 '50 ])er cent.; nnneral mat- 

 ter, 5'50 per cent.; tannin, 8'22 per cent.: and theine, TOO 

 per cent. • The report in the Lancet points out that the tanidn 

 is decidedly le.ss than tliat contained in either China or Indian 

 tea, the average amount being 10 per cent. The theine, how- 

 ever, occurs also in smaller (piantity in .lamaica tea, but this 

 may not be a disadvantage. The first sales of tea from the 

 liamble estate were made in 1903. The plantation suffered 

 considerably from the drought of last year, which destroyed 

 about 30 acres of young plants set out the previous year, 

 besides preventing seed from germinating. 



