382 



Cleanings in Bee Culture 



When you once get into the habit of using 

 them you will, as a matter of course, suffer 

 when you try to let them alone; and I for 

 one declare against any article of food or 

 drink that I can not cut olT at once without 

 suffering. 



INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS, BY A MAN WHO 

 HAS KEPT THEM FOR TWELVE YEARS. 



We have had Indian Knnner ducks twelve years 

 or longer, and think we have learned some of their 

 habits and good qualities. They are great layers, 

 and we have had some that laid every month in the 

 year; but they will not always do this, and I think 

 some breeders mislead their patrons by claiming 

 too much for their favorite breed. The simple 

 truth is good enough. 



A.s to eating ciualitles, they compare very favora- 

 bly with other ducks, but are smaller when grown, 

 but mature earlier. We have had ducks lay when 

 live m<intlis old, but not always; and while we have 

 raised liundreds of Indian Runner ducks we have 

 had but two to sit and hatch, and about six that 

 wanted to sit. They are non-sittei's, but will sonie- 

 thue.s lireak the rule. We have never had old ducks 

 or drakes that showed any inclination to abuse or 

 kill ducklings, and we never try to keep them sep- 

 arate. ^\'e keep ducklings from going into the wa- 

 ter till they are feathered. They are more sensitive 

 to a cold rain than little chicks. In a very warm 

 climate it might be different. It is not possible to 

 distinguish sex till they are several months old. 

 The young ducks have a coarse "quack" when 

 handled, while the drakes have a mellow liquid 

 voice. The curled feathers above the drake's tail 

 come later. We keep our old ducks in the '"corral" at 

 night, and till 9 or 10 a.m., to get their eggs, as they 

 lay in the morning; and if they are out in the fields 

 the crows get their eggs. They are great foragers, 

 and a pond is better for them than a stream or riv- 

 er, as then they are not so likely to stray away. 

 Your experience as to their being easy to raise, es- 

 pecially in sunny Florida, agrees with ours (out 

 here in sunny Kansas). We iisually set 15 eggs un- 

 der a Barred Rock hen, and they hatch well. Thir- 

 teen is enough under a small hen in cold weather. 

 The beaks of ducklings are yellow, but tvirn to a 

 dark green when they get older; a lew, however, 

 may retain the yellow color. 



The most amusing use 1 ever made of my ducks 

 was to catch grasshopijers — not the Kansas grass- 

 hoppers you read about, but the same as you have 

 in Ohio. Our alfalfa sown in late summer is fre- 

 quentl.v injured around the borders of the field by 

 the hoppers coming from other crops and eating 

 the young alfalfa. I just took the ducks out in the 

 morning as you would a flock of sheep, and started 

 them at one corner, and herded them around the 

 field. ,\fter the first few mornings it was an easy 

 job, and it was fun to see them catch the pests. 

 They saved the alfalfa. 



Meriden, Kan. O. ('. Sechrist. 



Many thanks, friend S. From the above 

 it would really appear that it is quite unu- 

 sual for an Indian Runner duck to waste any 

 time in sitting. I believe this is a big point 

 where they are kept for eggs alone. The 

 sitting can be easily managed with our large 

 breeds of sitting hens or with an incubator. 

 In regard to testing the sex, I suppose we 

 shall have to give it up until they are pretty 

 well grown. 



In regard to belligerent males, it would 

 seem as if my strain was peculiar in that 

 respect; or perhaps they hapjiened to learn 

 the trick by chasing the chickens. When I 

 left Florida my two drakes and two ducks 

 were turned over to neighbor Abbott, as you 

 may remember. Here is what he has to say 

 in regard to them: 



Mr. A. I. Bool: — I shipped the drake as you di- 

 rected. 1 sent the one with the dark head. He was 

 Vi lb. the heaviest; but do you know 1 was glad to 

 get rid of him? 1 think they are the "king of 

 fowls " the same <as the lion is the "king of beasts." 



They chewed off the head of a 2-lb. chick one da.v. I 

 began to wonder if they might not both take it into 

 their heads to take nie down some day when they 

 got pretty hungry for meat. We have 14 little fel- 

 lows from the eggs I got of you. I weighed one to- 

 night— 9 oz., two weeks old. Things are all moving 

 along in the same old groove, except that we are 

 now getting nice rains every day. 



The ducks have laid 45 eggs. They have been hav- 

 ing a rest, but are now starting again. 



Bradentown, Fla., May 19. 1). W. Abbott. 



The above indicates that ducks and chick- 

 ens should be in separate yards unless they 

 have a very broad range, say an ordinary 

 farm; and while it is a little unfortunate to 

 have a drake that will kill chickens, is it 

 not true that the most valuable males among 

 all our domestic animals are the ones that 

 are at times ferocious'? Please notice the 

 above reportof a duckling weighing 9 ounces 

 (a little over half a i)ound) when just two 

 weeks old. Is there any thing in the whole 

 round of domestic fowls that will equal the 

 above"? As this is an interesting matter I 

 give here a clipping from the Farm Neivs. 



Some years ago, A. .1. Hallock, of Long Island, 

 one of the most extensive duck-growers in the 

 country, kept a record of the growth in weight of 

 ducklings from shell to market. He found the fol- 

 lowing averages: Half out the shell, 2K oz.; all out 

 the shell. tVi. oz.; one week old, 3 oz.;two weeks old, 

 5% oz.; three weeks old, 754 oz.; four weeks old. 1 lb. 

 '3 oz.; five weeks old, 2 lbs. fi oz.: six weeks old, 8 lbs. 

 12 oz. ; seven weeks old, 4 lbs. 12 oz.; eight weeks old, 

 6 lbs. 2 oz.; nine weeks old, 7 lbs. 4 oz.; ten weeks old, 

 8 lbs.; eleven weeks old, 9 lbs. 3 oz. 



Please notice in the above clijiping that 

 the 1 lb. 3 oz., at the age of three weeks, was 

 exactly doubled in a week more. Possibly 

 the above is a misprint. I do know this, 

 however, that 1 once had an Indian Runner 

 duckling, when he was very small (weigh- 

 ing only a few ounces) , that actually trebUcl 

 his weight in just seven days. Where every 

 thing is favorable, and the ducks are strong 

 and healthy, their growth certainly is at 

 times almost incredible. 



One thing more: My two ducks were car- 

 ried over to neighbor Abb(itt's, just after one 

 of them had made the hundred-egg feat in 

 100 days. Well, after being moved two 

 miles, and jiut in a yard, in just 30 days 

 more the two ducks had laid 45 eggs. We 

 will try to keep tab and see how long this 

 wonderful egg-laying will continue. 



As you may like to know how the bellig- 

 erent drake stood his long tri)) from Braden- 

 town to West Palm Beach, Fla., I append a 

 report from his owner. . 



Mr. A.I. Hoot:— The drake came to hand all right, 

 and he is a fine bird. Thanks for him. 

 West Palm Beach, Fl.a., May 17. .1. N. Pakkek. 



"MARCHING ON." 



The St. Louis (twice a week) Bepublic 

 comes out with a proclamation, in big ty])e 

 right under the heading, clear across the 

 })age, as follows: 



No Whiskey Advertising will be Printed in 

 This Paper After This Issue. 



May (iod be i)raised, not only for this but 

 that many other great jieriodicals, one after 

 another, are coming out of darkness and 

 into the light of an awakened conscience 

 w\\QXQ principle counts more than ("dirty") 

 dollars. 



