AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
THE YOUNG 
[COPYRIGHT SECUBEB.] 
PHOTOGRAPHER. 
-Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
Master Frank has been to the photographer to have 
his picture taken. He was much interested in the whole 
operation. The artist took great trouble to get the active 
little fellow in the right position, then he pointed a cu- 
rious machine of wood and brass, which he called a cam- 
era, directly at him. The camera had a black cloth un- 
der which, he hid his head while he was "taking aim," 
as Frank said, but he was really adjusting the focus, or get- 
ting the glass in the right position. When all was ready, 
Frank was told to look at a particular spot and not move 
until he had permission. The man took out his watch 
and Frank sat as quietly as so fidgety a little fellow 
could. How long the time seemed ! He thought of his 
schoolmates, wondered if he would get a pair of skates 
on Christmas, counted the panes of glass in the "window, 
and when he thought he could bear it no longer, the oper- 
ator said " that will do ; just a minute." A minute ! It 
seemed to Frank as if a good part of his existence was 
being passed in that chair, and it was only 60 seconds. 
Frank was so much interested in his experience at the 
photographer's that when he went home he must show 
his sisters how it was done. He has very ingeniously 
fitted up a camera with the aid of the piano stool, some 
books and a table cover, and having the girls in position 
is pretending to arrange his instrument. The girls are 
doing their part well, for they have just the resigned look 
that most people put on when they have their pictures 
taken. Frank is just such a boy as we like, he puts some 
imagination into his amusement and no doubt gets more 
fun out cf his make-believe camera, with his sisters 
for Bitters, than some boys would from a costly toy. 
A little girl was one evening watching an approach- 
ing storm, when she saw a bright flash of lightning. 
"Oh, mamma!" she cried, "see the dark open." 
Artificial E>n<\2i 9 la. telling; iudiiaia* 
The Agriculturist goes all over the world, and we some- 
times get very interesting letters from friends who live 
in far-away places. Most of our Boys and Girls have 
read about the Chinese, and what numbers of ducks they 
raise, which they keep in boats. We do not recollect to 
have before seen an account of the way the Chinese hatch 
their ducks, but our correspondent, " J. D.," at Foochow, 
in China, tells how it is done. 
"Immense numbers of duck eggs are annually hatched 
at this and many other places in Southern China. The 
season for hatching usually closes here in September, 
after having lasted about six months. Hens eggs can be 
readily hatched by artificial heat, but the young thus 
hatched do not thrive without naternal care, and soon 
die or are sickly. Young ducklings flourish amazingly 
without the care of a mother duck. In the summer time, 
in the adjacent country, one sees many companies of 
juvenile ducks, amounting oftentimes to hundreds in a 
flock, feeding by the river-side, and on the low rice lands. 
They are transported from place to place by means of 
boats. They are easily collected together by their keep- 
er, and are taught to embark or disembark by means of 
a plank. Some keepers are in the habit of whipping 
gently the ducklings who are the last in marching into 
the boat when called. This they learn to be the penalty 
of being late aboard, and consequently there is consider- 
able strife and hurrying to get on board. Near Canton, 
five or six years ago, I saw 5,000 ducklings in one pen. 
Each establishment here for hatching duck eggs, is fitted 
up with some eighteen or twenty large tub-like vessels. 
Nets resembling small fish net^, are used, into each of 
which are put eighty duck eggs, with the date of com- 
mencing written upon each egg. The net is then drawn 
loosely together by a small cord passing through the 
meshes on the edge. The operator by taking hold of the 
top of the net-like bag, lifts the eggs and arranges them in 
the tub, the centre of the bottom being raised a few inches 
higher than the sides. One set of eighty is arranged 
around the outside of the bottom, and another set is 
placed in the middle of the bottom, viz.: the space not 
occupied by the first set, two sets exactly filling up one 
layer on the bottom. Another net of eighty eggs is 
placed on the top of the first set, and a fourth set is put 
on the top of the second, and so on. Sometimes as many 
as seven layers of eggs are put iu a tub. The tubs being 
covered with old cotton, are first arranged in one or two 
rows, a short distance from the floor, those in the same 
row being as close to each other as possible. Along the 
sides of these rows, straw mats are used so as to retain 
the heat which is generated beneath the tubs. The ma- 
terial burned to produce artificial warmth is usually char- 
coal, placed beneath some of the tubs. The tubs gradu- 
ally become warm, as do the eggs within them. The 
operator has no instrument by which to judge of the degree 
of heat required. Experience is his criterion. Every 
three days the eggs are examined, and at each time some 
new sets are added, so at the end of thirty days from the 
commencement of this artificial incubation, several sets 
of eggs are ready to hatch. On the third day from the 
time that new sets are put into the tubs, they are care- 
fully examined by the operator, to see whether any arc 
not likely to hatch. This is ascertained by holding each 
between the eye and the sun. A skillful operator can 
generally tell in this way which eggs will produce duck- 
lings and which not. These latter are laid aside for sale, 
as food, while the former are retained and treated in the 
way described, for 27 days longer. Each establishment has 
ducklings for sale, every three days after the first month. 
