48 



THE GAME BREEDER 



fies anybody to tell the difference when 

 the waiter brings them in. 



Just because a wild duck is wild is 

 no reason, Professor Pearson says, why 

 it should taste any better than a tame 

 "wild duck" which has abandoned his 

 wild ways and settled down into a plain 

 garden variety, businesslike duck. He 

 says men are making money raising 

 "wild ducks" and that the National As- 

 sociation of Audubon Societies is en- 

 couraging the industry as a means of 

 preserving the game. 



The Feeding Important. 



Professor Pearson is right in saying 

 there is no reason why a wild duck 

 should taste better than a "tame wild 

 duck." It is all a question of feeding. 

 Some "tame wild ducks" taste better 

 than some "wild ducks" and there is a 

 great difference in the taste of wild 

 ducks of the same species taken in dif- 

 ferent localities. The mallard in some 

 places on the Pacific Coast when it has 

 been feeding' on shell fish and other fish 

 is said not to be very palatable. The 

 mallard fed on wild rice and acorns 

 and cereals in the Mississippi Valley is 

 one of the best table birds in the world. 

 The canvasback when feeding on wild 

 celery, wapato and other desirable foods 

 is a famous delicacy but the canvasback 

 when feeding on fish and other undesir- 

 able foods is practically worthless on the 

 table. 



We once reared some mallards on 

 corn and later removed them to a pond 

 in the woods where they found acorns, 

 water lilies and other wild foods. The 

 birds were excellent food, of course. 

 Mallards reared in a barnyard on corn 

 should be no better food birds than the 

 common barnyard ducks are. Wild 

 foods of the right kind undoubtedly 

 make the best meat in the opinion of 

 those fond of game. It is an advantage, 

 therefore, to have the birds strong on 

 the wing so they can fly about and pro- 

 cure many desirable wild foods in addi- 

 tion to the grain ration given them to 

 attach them to the home pond. The 

 wilder the birds the better they are, not 

 only for food but for sport. The laws 



should contain no "in captivity" non- 

 sense. 



Wild Duck Distinguished. 



An epicure will have little difficulty in 

 distinguishing a canvasback from a 

 mallard on the table. The redhead duck 

 more often is served as a canvasback 

 and is not as easily distinguished. We 

 believe the blue-winged teal when feed- 

 ing right is a better food bird than any 

 of those just named. The teal is easily 

 distinguished by its size and does not 

 breed readily in confinement or in small 

 enclosures. It should be bred wild be- 

 side a marshy pond protected from ver- 

 min. 



Worth Seeing. 



The Madison Square Garden Poultry 

 Show will have its 27th annual exhibi- 

 tion December 31 to January 5, inclu- 

 sive, and if the expectations of Mr. 

 Charles D. Cleveland, Secretary-Superin- 

 tendent, are realized, it will be the big- 

 gest and highest class show in the his- 

 tory of this premier annual convention 

 'of American poultrydom. The Garden 

 Show includes in its range of exhibitions 

 not only domesticated poultry, but rare 

 wild birds, and game birds of many spec- 

 ies. The practice of the poultry breed- 

 ers as well as the game breeders of the 

 future, promises to be a combination of 

 producing domesticated poultry as well 

 as game birds and the great American 

 ben will hereafter have a new province, 

 that of being a foster mother to all of 

 our feathered game. 



Poison for Gophers. 



The North Dakota Experiment Station 

 advises a poison for gophers. Complaint 

 was made that this poison killed prairie 

 chickens. The station offers $10 to any- 

 one who can produce evidence that a 

 single prairie chicken has been killed by 

 this poison when made as directed. — 

 Rural New Yorker. 



Our readers should go to the Poultry 

 Show, December 31-January 5, Madison 

 Square Garden, N. Y. 



