26 



PACIFIC TREE AND VINE 



Water Fowl 



By JAMES HAGUE 



Do not feed young ducklings un- 

 til 36 hours old. Let their first 

 nieRl consist of stale bread crumbs, 

 giving them water with their first 

 meal. A tomato can turned upside 

 down in a saucer makes a good 

 drinking fount. Do not let your 

 ducklings get wet or chilled, for it 

 means death. Clean water should 

 always be near for both duckling.s 

 and breeding ducks. In feeding, 

 start cautiou.sly. On third day feed 

 a mixture of bran and middlings. 

 On sixth day add a little sharp 

 sand, and blood or meat meal. Feed 

 just what they will eat up clean, 

 six times a day, until one week old. 

 Then four times a day until five 

 weeks old, then three times a day 

 (adding any kind of boiled vege- 

 tables) until ten weeks old. By 

 this time they should be ready for 

 market, .weighing twelve pounds 

 per pair. At two weeks old, start 

 and feed a little green food, but be 

 cautious at first. Whui they first 

 taste their food they pronounce if 

 you want size, etc. Ducks can be 

 raised successfully without a pond 

 of water to swim in. If yourducks, 

 young Or old, get restless at night, 

 hang a lighted lantern in tiieir pen. 

 They will settle down to test again 

 in three minutes. Vou must en- 

 deavor to keep ducks quiet if you 

 want good results. Ducks grow 

 very rapidly, and one engaged in 

 the business can turn his money 

 over quickly if he or she will go in- 

 to the business in a systematic 

 manntrr. Prepare to make it a 

 study and to take advantage of 

 every good point the duck has. It 

 is quite probable that the Pekin is 

 the best breed lor all purposes. The 

 feathers are white and will sell well 

 and it is said that the leathers alone 

 will pay for the feed of a flock. The 

 Pekin is a royal looking bird, near- 

 ing a goose in size. Ducks and 

 chickens should never be kept on 

 the same place, unless they can be 

 separately fenced off. To raise 

 ducks is no .secret; there is no ap- 



parent reason why ducks should 

 not be raised and kept on every 

 farm. The duck has iong been 

 traduced and disliked by persons 

 who know little about them. No 

 biid is more patient than the duck, 

 and none is more submissive and 

 quiet under abuse. A small run 

 and a low fence restrains them. 



Now that the Great Oakland Poul- 

 try Show has gone by for another 

 year, I thought it would be of inter- 

 est t) your readers to know some 

 thing about it. Well, it was a grand 

 show, having 1400 birds on exhibi- 

 tion, and the quality was good, 

 grand and pleasing. Chickens of 

 every variety and color were there, 

 and ducks were there, too, having 

 95 ducks and 15 geese on exhibi- 

 tion. Pekin ducks were a large 

 class, and of excellent quality. 



Indian Runners were a very 

 strong class, with quality to burn. 

 Many individual birds are from the 

 best blood in .\merica and Canada. 



Grey Calls, Black Cayugas, Blue 

 .Swedish and ."Xylesburys were a 

 grand lot — not a poor specimen in 

 the cla.sses. 



Roneus were a nice lot <il durks, 

 having good color, shape and car- 

 riage. 



The Tonlonse and Ktnbden geese 

 were an extra fine display, and a 

 credit to their owner. 



The Buff ducks on exhibition ex 

 cited much curiosity and should 

 bri'.ig in some returns for their 

 owner, l)eing docile, meaty and good 

 layers. 



I.TST OK ,\W.\KDS. 



Pekin Ducks— Fair Oaks Duck 

 I'arni: Pen isi, ( )1<1 drake, ist and 

 2d; ol 1 duck, I St and 2d, vouug 

 drake, ist and 2d; young duke, ist 



and 2d; Willis S. Rose, Pen 2d: 

 Young Drake, 3d and 4th; Miss A. 

 Shoricke, Pen 3d. 



Indian Runner Ducks — Mrs. 

 Plaw, Pen ist: Old drake, 2d; old 

 duck, ist: young duck, ist and 4th; 

 young drake, 3d; Fair Oaks Duck 

 Farm: Old drakes, ist atid 3d; 

 young drakes, ist and 2d; young 

 ducks, 2d and •^d. 



Colored Muscovy Ducks — W S. 

 Childs: Old drake, ist and 2d; old 

 duck, 1st and 2d; young drake, ist; 

 young duck, ist; Fair Oaks Duck 

 Farm: Old drake, 3d; old duck, 2d; 

 young duck, 3d; young drake, 2d. 



Black Cayuga Ducks — All to Fair 

 Oaks Duck Farm. 



Ronen Ducks- 

 Duck Farm. 



-All to Fair Oaks 



Aylesbury Ducks — All to Fair 

 Oaks Duck Farm. 



Blue Swedish— All to Fair Oaks 

 Duck Farm. 



Grey Calls— All to Fair Oaks 

 Duck Farm. 



,Mi;\ Kit, Wu.sciN i';: ('().,S:in l''r:UK'isco 

 Cal , ivrc Sdlc .V'iciits for I he I'iU-ilu' 

 Coiist. 



