1010. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
616 
THE GREEN-EGG INDIAN RUNNER DUCK. 
Every fancy fowl may be looked at 
from two viewpoints—as a fancy bird 
and as a producer of income from the 
utility standpoint But the great effort 
which human nature urges us toward is 
that of combining the two points of view, 
so as, somehow, to make the standard- 
bred fowl fill all the requirements of the 
best utility stock as well. But what are 
breeders to do when one of these re¬ 
quirements nullifies the other, when 
standard demands cannot by any meth¬ 
od be made to conform with utility re¬ 
quirements? Just as soon as a breed 
becomes well advertised, and standard 
demands become well known, all the call 
from any who expect to breed to stand¬ 
ard is for standard-bred (and one might 
just about as well say exhibition) stock, 
and eggs from such. Only farmers and 
those who care only for the utility qual¬ 
ities, will buy from stock that does not 
conform well to the standard, or that 
cannot be advertised as stock of blood 
that will win in the largest shows. The 
farming contingent is, of course, a large 
and an important one, but it tends to 
insist that, since the stock which it buys 
does not, in the main, conform to stand¬ 
ard shape and feathering, it shall, there¬ 
fore, be sold at prices little above that 
of mongrel blood, and on trade of this 
character no breeder can grow standard- 
bred stock of good quality, advertise it, 
and thrive. 
It becomes, then, almost a matter of 
necessity to any who would sell stock 
of the lesser grades from standard-bred 
ancestors, to have birds which can be 
relied upon for utility qualities. The 
stock must be of the class of stuff that 
will produce more money for its owners 
than will mongrel stock, from the utility 
point of view. The editor of one of 
the most prominent of our poultry pub¬ 
lications has said, recently, that the real, 
rock-bottom foundation for the success 
of any breed lies, not in its fancy quali¬ 
ties, but in its utility qualities. It may 
be a beauty of beauties, and that is well, 
if it be also more. But if beauty is its 
principal claim to notice, it will fail to 
become a widely popular variety. 
I have often wondered what propor¬ 
tion of the readers of a strictly farm 
paper are strongly interested in the fancy 
end of the poultry business. The most 
progressive are so interested, of course; 
but, unless they have been accustomed to 
consider these things with a good writer 
on all-round points, a test will show a 
very large proportion to prefer the in¬ 
struction along utility lines. At least, I 
tried such a test recently before an 
audience, with this result, and anyone 
with half an eye can see that the utility 
line must come first, when it comes to 
the buyers at large. When it comes to 
a breed like the Leghorn, which has not 
heavy weight as one important utility 
quality, we see at once that its strong 
point will be its value as a layer of eggs. 
Everyone who knows the Leghorn, in 
its many varieties, knows that the facts 
agree with this expectation. 
The point which I am working toward 
is the utility value of the new claimant 
upon public interest, the Indian Runner 
duck, and I have taken pains to use the 
Leghorn as an advance illustration, be¬ 
cause this duck has so often been called' 
“the Leghorn of the duck family.” Some 
years ago I took up the Indian Runner 
duck, thinking its advocates to be over¬ 
stating its value very decidedly. It was 
then practically unknown in this country, 
though well known in England and 
possibly Ireland. (Countries surrounded 
by water are not usually, I think, slow to 
try out the value of good water fowl.) 
I found the Runners to bear out what 
was claimed for them better than any 
fowl I had ever seen up to that time. 
I wrote quite a little about them, and 
interest in the breed has spread like wild¬ 
fire over the country, and very largely 
among farming people. The reason for 
this is that the great emphasis has been 
put upon its utility value, as a really 
tremendous layer of eggs three ounces 
in weight, which it produces during 
nearly all the year. These eggs are as 
sweet as any eggs from the best hens 
ever known, and in the true Runners, 
they are nearly all white. The flesh, 
while not many pounds to a bird, as they 
weigh only up to 4% pounds, is ex¬ 
ceedingly sweet, and a little gamy as 
they attain maturity. All these points 
have caught the fancy of farm growers, 
who see in them an opportunity for a 
steady income during the better part of 
ihe year. Probably they will not dis¬ 
tance that wonderful “334-egg hen” 
which the locality about old Plymouth 
Rock is claiming; but they will average 
up considerably higher than will the 
average hen in average hands, while 
those who are sufficiently enterprising 
have been able to sell all they could 
spare at five to 10 cents above the going 
price for the eggs from their hens. Some 
cannot do it; but some struggle always 
under the inability to become good sales¬ 
men. The salesman’s talent seems to 
be a gift. In New York, and, I pre¬ 
sume, in other large cities, eggs from 
ducks are quoted, at regular market 
rates, several cents higher a dozen than 
those from hens. But the season for 
duck egg quotations has hitherto been 
restricted to the Spring months. An 
interested raiser sought the reason from 
a New York commission merchant. He 
replied that there was but one reason, 
viz.: that the duck eggs were not pro¬ 
duced in other months in sufficient quan¬ 
tity to warrant quotations. This means 
that when the eggs are offered such mar¬ 
kets in sufficient quantity, the quotations 
will continue into later months. 
But now look at the irony of the 
present situation.' A few of the breed¬ 
ers of the Indian Runner duck as a 
fancy fowl have decided that this duck 
must have, in America, a feathering dif¬ 
ferent from that which belongs to the 
true type. In order -to get this feather¬ 
ing, they have crossed the birds with 
other breeds, until the fine, white egg 
has become green. I have the direct 
testimony from those who have bought 
eggs of the breeders claiming to have 
the “light fawn and white” (mongrel) 
kind, that nearly all the ducks lay green 
eggs. I heard a man who for years 
was in close touch with New York mar¬ 
kets talking on this point, but a few 
days ago. He said that this feature 
would kill the usefulness of the Indian 
Runner, if persisted in. I think nearly 
everyone who reads knows by this time 
the penchant of New York market— 
our great clearing house for country 
produce—for a pure white egg. It takes’ 
yellow eggs when it cannot get white 
ones, because the majority of eggs pro¬ 
duced in the country at large are yellow 
or “brown.” Possibly you could work 
off a green egg on it in large numbers, 
at Easter, when colored eggs are at a 
premium; but the great advantage of the 
true Indian Runner is that it produces 
an egg of pearly whiteness—just what 
the finicky ones want and are willing to 
pay extra for. 
There are comparatively few of the 
breeders of Runners who have as yet 
the light fawn and white kind. Some 
who have recently acquired them are 
coming to the conclusion that they have 
made a bad mistake on account of the 
green eggs. They report also that the 
light fawn type lays fewer eggs and 
smaller eggs. I saw them at the New 
York show, and they were smaller in 
body than the -.English type. The large 
majority of present raisers of Runners 
have the darker type, and they are up 
in arms about the threatened “spoiling” 
of their goods; that is, their Runners. 
I think, from present indications, that a 
good fight is on, and it is my desire that 
people at large shall know the facts; 
that the story shall be spread -as widely 
as possible. It would be easy enough 
for me to get eggs now of .the solid 
fawn and white type, and go in and 
win with the fanciers next Fall. But I 
see in the darker, pencilled type a bird 
by which the farmers of our entire land 
may become improved in circumstances. 
PI.ence, I say to all, if you want the 
distinctive bird, the heavier bird, the 
heavier layer, the bird that will give 
eggs to suit the market, beware of the 
green eggs! 
There is more reason for this advice 
than has, as yet, been here given. For 
England, years ago, made the same mis¬ 
take which American breeders of the 
fancy type of Runners are now so anx¬ 
ious to make, and was obliged to work 
years to overcome her blunder, by re¬ 
tracing her steps. Breeders here who 
have added the light fawn blood to their 
flocks, hoping to grade up, are already 
tearing their hair over the tendency to 
green eggs which they have introduced. 
For—as fate will have it—besides the 
fault from the utility worker’s point of 
view, buyers generally are asking them 
for the light fawn bird that lays a 
white egg! The light fawn bird does not 
do it; so those who have been familiar 
with both declare. To all, then, who are 
interested, or who may become interested 
in Indian Runner ducks, I emphasize 
the warning: Beware of green eggs. If 
you want to breed to American exhibi¬ 
tion standard, you cannot, apparently, 
avoid them, unless we can make our 
protest effective before July. But every 
customer who knows the ropes will then 
demand that you do the impossible, viz.: 
furnish white eggs from ducks with 
“green blood.” The English type, lightly 
pencilled or barred, and with males a 
little darker than the American type, but 
virtually solid in color, is the type that 
lays “better than anything else in feath¬ 
ers” and lays the white eggs almost 
altogether. If you want to raise eggs 
for market, get the English type. 
C. S. VALENTINE. 
TORNADO FEED AND ENSILAGE 
CUTTER 
DON’T buy an ENSILAGE CUTTER or 
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TORNADO 
They are not equalled by any other make. 
We use only the very best material the 
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Cataloo And Full Particulars Mailed Upon Request. 
W. It. IIARItlSOiN & CO. Massillon, Ohio. 
SQUAfff 
3* 
DI 
In 
in 
With Our 
FLEXIBLE 
RIBUTER 
you use the force of 
wind from the blower to 
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THE BETTER WAY 
is indorsed by the best institutions. 
Departmknt or Animal Husbandry, 
University ok Georgia, 
Athens, Ga., Sept. 3, 1909. 
The W. W. Bateman Co., Boonville, Ind. 
Gentlemen:—We have just finished cut¬ 
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and the ensilage was packed in firmer. 
Yours very truly, 
Milton P. Jakxaoin, Animal Husbandman. 
BATEMAN COMPANY 
SOLE MANUFACTURERS 
BOONVILLE. INDIANA 
JL GREEN MOUNTAIN 
1 L O S 
F 
nn ssi 
Stronger hoops than 
.. TH “ 
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I 
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B 
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tH door. Staves soaked in 
“IWlllll creosote preservative if 
det 
C 
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REAMERY PACKAGE MFG. CO. 
338 WEST STREET RUTLAND VT 
W. 
Perfection Water Basin, 
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Superior to all others, with 
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Swing Stanchions, Steel Stall 
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LET ME START YOU IN BUSINESS! 
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COMMERCIAL DEMOCRACY, Dept. 0-35, Elyria, Ohio. 
THRIFTY 
STOCK 
REQUIRED WITH ORDER. 
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MACHINERY 
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E. W. ROSS CO.Box 13 Springfield, Ohio 
r 
SILOS 
The kind you would buy 
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Ask the man who uses one. 
Only Silos used by U. S. 
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Catalogs free. 
a HARDER MFG. CO.. BOX 11, COBLESKILL, N. 
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COMPANY 
145 Turner St., AUBURN, Me. 
ECONOMY SILO 
Our simple yet perfect-fitting doors, 
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s» 
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k DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL 
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v DETR0IT,MICH 
U.S.A. 
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