one but Miss Pennington anyway. She kneiv, and had helped 

 many a man thousands of dollars worth, in his business, showing 

 him where to avoid mistakes. All honor to Miss Pennington, 

 whose worth the U. S. Government knows, for it keeps her at 

 work ! But 



As my unbelieving friend was unwilling to admit that any 

 new duck could lay better than older breeds had done, I tried a 

 new tack, asking him directly about game, etc. He affirmed 

 that no tame duck could compete with the wild duck as to real 

 gamy flavor, because the wild ducks were always killed so as to 

 retain the blood, which made the flesh very different. He also 

 stated that the Rouen duck was smothered to death in France, to 

 retain the blood in the carcass. I asked if the Runners could not 

 be killed without bleeding, if that were all that was needful. 

 Then he took a new tack : It could not compete with the canvas- 

 back because fed differently. "On what?" "The canvas-back 

 feeds naturally on celery." 



It is easy to see that this man, along with his knowledge and 

 experience, carried much prejudice and many theories. He was 

 evidently an uneducated man, and of foreign birth, rating himself 

 very high, and unwilling to yield his opinions in any way 



At another place I met a man of widely different type, cour- 

 teous, intelligent, fair-minded, and adding common-sense to his 

 evidently long experience. But even he told me that bakers did 

 not like duck eggs. When I brought out my inevitable "Why ?" he 

 replied: "Because the duck egg is too rich and heavy and it has a 

 deep red yolk." Of course this does not apply to Indian Runner 

 eggs. This merchant also said that the duck egg did not "stand 

 up" as well as the hens' eggs — a fact which must be admitted, and 

 which affects handlers, if they hold them in hot weather. Still 

 he stated willingly that they were fine from April up to the hot 

 weather period, and volunteered the information that they could 

 be held in storage for winter use, being put in before great heat 



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