156 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS 



When the growing of green ducks for market began to be 

 developed upon a large scale, many of those engaged in this 

 line exhibited stock and sold birds for breeding and eggs for 

 hatching. They soon found that while the Pekin Duck was 

 unrivaled as a market duck, it was not of sufficient interest to 

 fanciers to excite the competition that creates high prices for 

 the finest specimens, and that it paid them better to devote 

 themselves exclusively to the production of market ducks. At 

 the present time only a few market duck growers make a busi- 

 ness of selling breeding and exhibition stock. Most of them 

 will not take small orders, but will fill large orders when they 

 have a surplus of breeding stock and can get a good price 

 for it. On almost every large commercial duck farm there are 

 hundreds of birds much better than most of the Pekin Ducks 

 seen at poultry shows, and many better than the best exhibited. 

 There is probably no other kind of poultry in which so large a 

 proportion of the finest specimens are found on the plants of 

 those producing for market. 



The ornamental varieties of ducks are given much less at- 

 tention in America than they deserve. Few are seen except in 

 large collections of fancy waterfowl, and sales from these col- 

 lections are principally for special displays at shows. On many 

 farms the Mallard, Call, and East Indian Ducks might be es- 

 tablished and left to themselves, to increase in a natural way, 

 only enough being sold or killed to keep them from becoming 

 too numerous. If located in a suitable place, such a flock makes 

 a very attractive feature on a farm. The highly ornamental Man- 

 darin and Carolina Ducks, being able to fly quite as well as 

 pigeons, must be kept in covered runs. They will breed and 

 rear their young in a very small space. A covered run 6 ft. 

 wide, 6 ft. high, and from 20 to 30 ft. long, built in a secluded 

 place and having a small shelter at one end, makes a very satis- 

 factory place for a pair of ducks of any of the small breeds to 

 live and rear their young. 



