MAKING A DOLLAR DUCK. 
A FEEK-INTO THE PEKIN BUSINESS. 
[EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.] 
A Locality Where Ducks and Boarders Thrive. 
From an agricultural standpoint, the country around 
Stroudsburg, Pa., is about as unpromising as one 
would care to see. It is but a few miles from the 
famous Delaware Water Gap, where that rirer, a 
small stream on ordinary occasions, breaks through 
the Blue Mountains, a range of the great Alleghany 
system. The towering mountains, the rock-ribbed 
chasms, the almost vertical walls of rock, bear mute 
witness to the great convulsion of Nature which some 
time formed these rocky barriers and hollowed out 
the valleys between. In natural scenery, this whole 
country is worthy the attention it receives from tour¬ 
ists and travelers. But the most profitable crop are 
the summer boarders scattered in every available 
lodging place, and waxing fat on the ozone of this 
elevated region. 
Hidden away in a sheltered nook a mile or two back 
from Strouds¬ 
burg, is the 
duck ranch of 
Wm. H. Trus- 
low & Co. In a 
place difficult 
of accesses con¬ 
ducted one of 
the most suc¬ 
cessful duck es¬ 
tablishments in 
the country. In 
some respects, 
its location and 
surroun dings 
are unfavorable 
apparently, but 
on the whole, 
the location is 
a good one. The 
climate here is 
cold in winter, 
sometimes 
dropping to 25 
degrees below 
zero; the warm 
season is much 
shorter than 
on Long Island, 
and spring 
opens much 
later. This pre¬ 
cludes the securing of eggs so early in spring, and 
the first hatches are, therefore, later ; but as prices 
obtained are uniformly good, this is not so much of a 
disadvantage as might at first appear. The advant¬ 
ages are cheap land, abundance of pure spring water, 
two competing railroads and express companies, in¬ 
suring cheap transportation and coal, nearby mills 
which furnish feed at reasonable rates, and an unex¬ 
ceptionable climate. 
The Farm and Buildings. 
The farm contains about a dozen acres, and lies on 
two levels. On the upper level, which is a gentle 
slope at the foot of a range of hills, are the dwelling, 
barn, incubator and brooder houses. On the lower 
level, are the yards and houses in which the breeders 
are kept, the ponds to which the young ducks are 
transferred after the feathers begin to grow, the kill¬ 
ing and picking houses, etc. A larger part of this 
level is shown at Fig. 212, which is reproduced from 
a photograph taken from the railroad embankment 
which forms the back boundary. The view is toward 
the dwelling and other buildings on the higher level, 
but these are all hidden by the trees growing along 
the lower edge of the declivity. The building far¬ 
thest back at the extreme left, is the feed, killing 
and picking house, the small extension on the rear 
being the ice house where the ice is kept for packing 
the ducks when they are sent to maidcet. But little 
ice is stored, as it can be purchased very cheaply as 
needed. The left end of the building is the feed room. 
The platform which terminates in the front of the 
picture, is a railroad track over which the feed car is 
run, and the other end of this track is under the 
feed room. The feed for these thousands of ducks 
is put into this car, one man pushes it slowly along 
the track over the different yards, while the other 
shovels the feed into the flat troughs, some of which 
are shown on the ground at the end of the railroad. 
These ponds are fed by springs in a ravine extending 
back in the rear of the killing house. 
The building in front and to the right of the latter, 
is one in which breeders are kept. Each side was 
built lower, as shown, with the idea that it would be 
warmer. Mr. Truslow, however, says that he thinks 
no advantage was gained in this respect, and as the 
same amount of timber, and a greater amount of labor 
were required to build in this way, he would not fol¬ 
low this plan again. The windows shown are so ar¬ 
ranged that they may be opened for ventilation when 
needed ; they are closed in cold weather. The house 
is double boarded, with tarred paper between. The 
floor is covered with turners’ shavings, and these are 
used in large quantities in all the houses. Mr. Trus¬ 
low says that they are the most satisfactory and 
cleanly of anything he has tried for litter. The ducks 
are fastened in these houses at night, and lay very 
early in the morning, before they are let out. Seldom 
are any eggs found outside. They seem inclined to 
lay in nests, though some scatter their eggs indis¬ 
criminately. About 500 or 600 breeders are kept on 
the place, as many more being kept by farmers in the 
vicinity from whom the eggs are received, besides 
which some eggs are purchased. The breed is our old 
friend, the Pekin. An occasional duck of some other 
breed is seen from the purchased eggs. 
On the left of the railroad track, will be seen picket 
fences separating-the differentjyards. On the oppos¬ 
ite side, are noticed rows of stakes ; but there are 
fences here also—of wire netting. The picket fence 
is the Styron wire and picket, one of the makes of 
fence now becoming so common. Mr. Truslow says 
that he will use no more of the wire netting. It rusts 
out rapidly under water, where it must be placed to 
stop the ducks. He says, also, that the ducks soon 
learn to climb over this, but will not climb over the 
picket fence. The latter is more expensive. 
At intervals along the left of the railroad track, may 
be noticed tall stakes. On each of these is hung at 
night, a lantern, to light the yards and keep the 
ducks quiet. Mr. Truslow says that ducks, especially 
the Pekins, are very easily alarmed in the dark, 
and that so little a thing as a bat flying over them, 
will stampede them, and that many are liable to be 
trodden down and killed. But with a light, all is 
different. 
To the tree just at the curve of the track, is fastened 
a watchman’s clock, and here the watchman who 
patrols the yards at night, must press the button as 
he passes, thus"registering the fact that he is awake 
and doing his 
duty. The 
watchman was 
secured after 
a lot of ducks 
were stolen. 
Besides patrol¬ 
ling the yards,' 
he prepares the 
feed for the 
morning meal, 
and inspects the 
incubators 
a couple of 
times during 
the night. His 
presence gives 
a feeling of 
security not 
possible were 
the yards left 
unguarded dur¬ 
ing the night. 
The rails on 
this track once 
did duty on a 
street railroad, 
but having 
served their 
turn, were pur¬ 
chased at the 
price of old 
iron. In the pond, are a considerable number of 
carp, while below the spring is a box in which trout 
are hatched, and lower down a small trout pond. A 
light canoe facilitates getting about on the pond to 
catch ducks or for any other purpose. 
The water supply for the buildings on the higher 
level is obtained from unfailing springs in the ravine 
before mentioned. Better and purer water cannot be 
found. It is forced up by means of a hydraulic ram 
which does its work unceasingly, and seldom needs 
any attention. When an extra amount of water is 
needed, another ram is started, and there is never any 
lack of an abundant supply for all needs. 
Ducks and Ducks Only Here. 
This is primarily a duck farm. The reason is that, 
besides being well adapted to ducks, there is more 
profit in them than in chickens. Almost no hens are 
kept, although the addition of some purebred fowls 
has been contemplated. Some broilers are raised, for 
the purpose of keeping the incubators and brooders 
filled when not needed for ducks. As stated before, 
the breed .used is the Pekin. This breed is found 
