110 POULTRY FATTENING. 



or Aylesbury breed, require constant care and atten- 

 tion all through the spring months, and no one who 

 rears a large number would, during that period, have 

 time to engage in any other work. But where a com- 

 paratively small number is reared, the female portion 

 of the household perform most of the necessary labour. 

 Many of those engaged in rearing are said to find 

 time to carry on some other occupation, such as shoe- 

 making, in the autumn months, or, at any rate, to 

 earn a little extra money by harvesting and occasional 

 agricultural work. Mr. Spencer was told that in the 

 village of Weston Turville about eleven men fattened 

 1,000 ducks apiece annually, and that about 16,000. 

 or 17,000 were sent from there to London in a year. 

 As mentioned already, the duck fatteners do not them- 

 selves keep stock ducks, but buy eggs from farmers or 

 others who keep breeding ducks, so that the breeding 

 and rearing are in different hands. 



It is a main object of the duck fattener to bring out 

 as many young ducks as he can ready for the market 

 in February or early in March, when the game season 

 is over, and the highest prices are obtainable for 

 duckhngs. The season for ducklings commences in 

 February, and continues till about the end of August, 

 the prices falling as the year advances. In February 

 or March, as much as £1 Is. a couple is occasionally 

 obtained for duckhngs, and one fattener at Weston Tur- 

 ville informed Mr. Spencer that in 1894 he had obtained 

 the very exceptional price of £1 4s. for a couple, which 

 was the highest figure he had ever reached. The 

 average price in March is stated to be more usually 

 about 12s. or 14s. a couple. The carriage and sales- 



