there would never be any market for the Indian Runner. Fortu- 

 nately growers of Indian Runners are disproving this to some 

 extent, although at the present writing, these ducks are unknown 

 to the majority, probably, of city commission men. Indeed, in 

 New York City itself, I have found few firms familiar with the 

 Indian Runner by name. The author of "Poultry Craft" says 

 that exclusive duck farming can be made profitable only near a 

 large city, where there is a good demand for ducks ; a few ducks, 

 he admits, can be grown profitably almost anywhere. The same 

 author says that, on large plants, the estimated cost of growing 

 is up to eight cents a pound, and that special duck farmers would 

 soon have to go out of business through the very fouling of the 

 soil, and its consequent unhealthfulness, did they not use the lat- 

 ter part of the summer season in making it sanitary through the 

 use of growing crops. 



Fortunately, the Indian Runner can make good so fully in a 

 single, special line, — that of egg production the year around, — 

 that we scarcely need to listen to the market men, no matter what 

 they have to say about real, market ducks. The Runner breed- 

 ers will have only to dispose of their worn-out layers. And, the 

 Runners lay well until several years old, according to testimony. 



The feed, then, will not usually be that of the market duck, 

 but that of the breeder and layer. One part green food to two 

 parts grain mixture largely in mash is the general rule to pro- 

 duce a well-framed duck. All will be fed on this basis till, pos- 

 sibly eight weeks old. After this, the market duck needs more 

 corn in some form. The stock to be grown on is kept on about 

 the same ration right along till it is time for laying to begin. It 

 is understood that meat is always fed after the ducklings are a 

 few days or a week old, the amount being increased as the birds 

 get larger. Ten per cent is about the average given to the ducks 

 well started, which is sometimes increased to twelve per cent just 

 before fattening time, if they are to go to market. 



83 



