PRESENT EXTENT OF THE INDUSTRY 



for the purpose of putting on the market spring or 

 green ducklings. Where these are in demand they 

 bring a good price and since the output per farm is 

 large they pay a good return even with a small mar- 

 gin of profit per pound. 



The second greatest opportunity undoubtedly 

 consists of duck raising as a by-product of the gen- 

 eral farm. Where conditions are suitable, that is to 

 say, where there is a considerable amount of pasture 

 land easily accessible, and particularly where there 

 is a stream or pond to which the ducks can have ac- 

 cess, a small flock of ducks, say 10 or 12 females, 

 can be kept to excellent advantage on the farm. The 

 cost of maintaining them will not be great and they 

 will not only provide a most acceptable variety in 

 the form of duck meat and duck eggs for the farm- 

 ers' table but they will also produce a surplus which 

 can be sold at a profit. It must be remembered, 

 however, that where only a small flock is kept it is 

 generally impracticable for the farmer to give his 

 ducks the attention necessary to cater to the market 

 for green ducklings. As a result he usually keeps 

 them until fall and sells them on the market at a 

 considerably lower price than is obtained by the 

 commercial duck grower. 



There also exists an opportunity which has not 

 been developed to any great extent to keep some one 

 of the egg producing breeds of ducks such as the In- 

 dian Runner for the primary purpose of egg produc- 

 tion. A few ventures of this sort seem to have been 



