S March, 1907.] 



Ducks for Export. 



159 



The accompanying illustration shows ducklings jjacked tor fXi)ort. 

 There are twelve birds packed in each crate. Six are- |)ackfd in each 

 half of the crate, which is then folded together and fastt-ned in the 

 middle. This allows all of the birds to be seen if occasion re<|uires. and 

 is specially suitable to the London markets. The liest months for export 

 are from December to March. All ducklings sent in for exj)ort should 

 not be less than 4^ lbs. each Jixe weight. Thev should be as uniform 

 in size and quality as possible. An Aylesbury and Pekin cross is jjrefer- 

 able, the Aylesbur\ drake and Pekin ducks being the most favorable way 

 of mating. 



A Successful Duck Farm. 



An instance of the success of rearing ducklings for table purposes is 

 to be found on the farm of Messrs. Goldsmith and Coleman, of Kvneton 



FATTENING .SHED OF MESSRS. GOLDSMITH AND COLEMAN, KYNETON. 



These breeders ha\e been engaged in the industr\ for se\eral years. The 

 success the\- ha\-e achie\ed is all the more creditable by the fact that they 

 are a long distance from market, and their district is not nearly so suitable 

 fo\ this purpose as in many other parts of the State. Their annual out- 

 put runs into several hundreds of ducklings. The breeding jwns are made 

 up of Aylesburv drakes and Pekin ducks ; one drake to three ducks. These 

 birds are housed in sheds specially adapted for warmth, rajiid growth, 

 and fattening. Thev are kept in lots of twenty ducklings in each pen. 

 These pens are built in a ver\ large sh«-d with a passage running right 

 down the centre of the building. The yards are made of closely-battened 

 hurdles 2 feet high. The feeding troughs, which are V-shaped, are 

 placed outside of the pens, and run down the whole length of the building 

 on either .side of the passage. The feeding is performed from three to 

 four times a dav ; for the first month thev are fed lour times daily, and 



