106 TO FORM A DUCK CLUB, OR SYNDICATE 



The game farmers who rear large numbers of wild 

 ducks and other game birds and sell the birds and eggs 

 to game preservers find the industry profitable, but an 

 individual shoot, where a sportsman pays all of the ex- 

 penses, including the salaries of gamekeepers, is too 

 costly for the average gun, and for this reason clubs, or 

 syndicates, as they are called in England, are formed in 

 order that the members may have good shooting and 

 divide the expenses. 



It is advantageous to have the cost of the shares and 

 the annual dues small, so that desirable members of small 

 means can be secured and practical game preserving can 

 be made popular. 



The cost of conducting a duck shoot varies according 

 to the location, and it would be impossible to give an es- 

 timate of the expenses which would be found accurate 

 everywhere. 



The best gamekeepers in America receive about $75 per 

 month and their house rent, which may be estimated 

 roughly at $200 to $300 per year. The cost of the food 

 for the ducks depends much upon the place selected, since 

 grain is cheaper in some localities than it is in others. 

 The cost of the food can be much reduced when the grain 

 is raised on the preserve. 



A New York syndicate will propagate both wild ducks 

 and upland game next season, and an accurate estimate 

 of its receipts and a rough estimate of its expenses will be 

 found in a note at the bottom of the following page. 



book can be procured from The Amateur Sportsman Co., Box 22, Grand 

 Central, New York. Price $1.50. 



In support of the above statement, Captain Oates prints some figures 

 based on the rearing of 250 ducks. The food for the ducklings is esti- 

 mated at £16, or about $80. 



