1110 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



the Prairie Farmer) will be found useful : " The proper time for 

 picking ducks may be ascertained by catching two or three out 

 of your flock and pulling out a few feathers here and there ; if 

 they pull hard and the quills are filled with bloody fluid, the 

 feathers are not 'ripe,' and must be left awhile longer; but if 

 they come out easily, and the quills are clear, the feathers are 

 called ( ripe,' and the birds should be picked at once or they will 

 lose the greater part of their feathers. To pick a duck before 

 the feathers are fully ripe is to injure the fowl very much. 

 You will find a bunch of long, rather coarse feathers under each 

 wing ; do not pluck them, they support the wings. When pick- 

 ing, take but few feathers at a time between the thumb and 

 forefinger, and give a short, quick jerk downward ; with a little 

 practice you will soon get the ' knack ' of picking easily and rap- 

 idly. Before commencing tie the duck's legs together, not with 

 a cord that may cut into the flesh and lame the bird, but with 

 a tolerably wide strip of cloth ; and if the ducks are inclined to 

 pinch with their bills, draw an old cotton stocking over the 

 head ; but with the exception of now and then a vicious old 

 drake, our Pekins are as tame and peaceable as kittens, so we 

 never bother ourselves or the ducks with the 'night-caps/ 

 Handle laying ducks carefully, and sitting ducks and ducks that 

 you intend to set soon should not be picked. When handling 

 young ducks do not lift or carry them by the legs with the head 

 hanging downwards ; their bodies are heavy, bones tender and 

 easily broken, or joints may be dislocated. In hot weather a 

 great deal of the down may be taken from the drakes, but the 

 down should never be taken in cold weather. Ducks can usually 

 be picked from four to six times a year." 



Geese. No fowls can be so cheaply raised as geese, and 

 farmers who have a pasture containing a pond or stream of 

 water will find the rearing of geese very profitable. There is 

 always a demand, and at good prices too, for live geese feath- 

 ers, and prime geese, dressed or alive, will bring paying prices 

 in any city market throughout the late fall, winter, and early 

 spring months. In New York extra market geese can be sold 

 nearly the year round. The leading varieties of thorough-bred 



