CHAPTER XL 

 DUCKS 



Popularity of Duck Meat. — Time was when the duck was not 

 considered sufficiently profitable to warrant the trouble in rais- 

 ing it. Its flesh was never keenly sought after by the masses, 

 consequently it returned low prices and farmers generally de- 

 clined to show any enthusiasm. In those days, however, ducks 

 were raised without constraint in waterways and made to forage 

 for their living, subsisting almost entirely upon fish and other 

 water foods, which naturally imparted a strong fishy flavor to 

 their flesh and made them undesired except by the few who 

 might be partial to that kind of diet. 



In the last twenty years breeders have awakened to the neces- 

 sity for improving the flavor of the flesh by feeding grain almost 

 exclusively, whereupon their efforts have been rewarded by a 

 steadily increasing demand, until to-day duck raising has devel- 

 oped into a flourishing industry, and on some of the well-known 

 plants, especially those on Long Island, a single farm will market 

 100,000 ducks a year. 



Standard Varieties. — ^There are numerous standard varieties 

 of ducks, among which are the following: Pekin, Muscovy, 

 Indian Runner, Aylesbury (see Fig. 322), Rouen (see Fig. 323), 

 Cayuga, Call and Swedish. Of these the Pekin, Muscovy and 

 Indian Runner are the most widely bred, and probably the best 

 suited to farm purposes. 



Pekins. — None stands higher in popular esteem than the White 

 Pekin, which was imported from China in the early seventies. 

 See Fig. 319. It is valuable for raising on a large scale, and while 

 naturally a very timid bird, it may be raised more easily, perhaps, 

 than any other. It has a distinct type of its own, and differs 



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