DUCKS AND GEESE 313 



linked to man through their apparent pleasure in living, 

 and their delight in companionship. There are several 

 places in this country where these, together with pheas- 

 ants, and other marvelous fancy fowl can be had. I 

 shall speak in detail of only a few admittedly profitable 

 varieties of ducks and geese. 



According to many writers, there is only one duck — 

 the imperial White Pekin, which is most regarded, not 

 for its dignity, not for the egg-laying capacity especially 

 in itself, but for the capacity to produce quickly a heavy 

 and fat quantity of "green duck" for a waiting market. 

 Hastings in 1909 gave one hundred thousand victims per 

 annum as the output of the largest duck plants. A 

 recent writer calls the duck a " machine-like " bird. The 

 places which grind out many thousands of green ducks, 

 chiefly Pekins, are quite numerous ; yet the margin 

 between cost and sale price is not large, and the large 

 incomes come to those who have the know how of the 

 business and who make a goodly amount through small 

 individual profits on very large numbers of birds. 



But because the losses are few and the chances for 

 using cheap feeds very good, there is an excellent open- 

 ing for a limited number of growers to grow ducks for 

 the later market, for the feathers, and, in one variety, 

 for the eggs ; also, in the case of Pekins, Indian Run- 

 ners, and perhaps Buff Orpingtons, for the sale of fancy 

 breeding stock. I do not mention Cayugas, Musco- 

 veys, Rouens, etc., in this connection because, though 

 Standard breeds, they are not popular and — although 

 this statement may seem amazing to the Beginner — 

 the popular breeds are the most profitable for the aver- 

 age fancier, This because only here and there a man 



