DUCKS AND GEESE 



using no beef scrap. This is done where a plentiful 

 supply of fish can be secured by going out into the 

 bay after them. However, this is not very good 

 practice for a sufficient supply of fish may not 

 always be available and the ducks are so fond of 

 the fish that they will not eat well the beef scrap 

 used as a substitute for the fish, until they have be- 

 come used to it. Fish is prepared for feeding by 

 boiling it thoroughly in a feed cooker. 



The available land on the plant is used to grow 

 a supply of green feed. Rye is used for this purpose 

 early in the spring as soon as it is high enough to 

 mow. It is mowed the first time when it is like a 

 lawn. At this stage it does not have to be cut up. 

 Oats are used in the same way. During the summer 

 fodder corn is used. This is the poorest crop for the 

 purpose but is as a rule the only one available at 

 that time. Rape is sowed in August and its use be- 

 gun about the time of the first frost and kept up 

 until the hard freezes come or until it is buried un- 

 der the snow. Creek grass which is secured from 

 the fresh water streams on Long Island by going 

 out in a flat bottom boat and raking it off the creek 

 bottom with a wooden rake, is very much relished 

 by the ducks and is used whenever it is available. 

 However, the supply of this material is not as plenti- 

 ful as it was formerly and it is rather hard to get. 

 When it is available it can be used either in winter 

 or summer. 



Good field clover cut up and boiled with the pota- 



64 



