FOREST AND STREAM 
347 
Five Important Wild Duck Foods 
What to Plant and Where to Plant It—The Government Will Tell You All About It 
What is it that attracts large numbers of ducks, 
including the far-famed canvas-tack duck, to 
certain localities? This is a question which a 
specialist of the Department of Agriculture has 
been endeavoring to solve, and the results of his 
careful investigations are now being printed in a 
bulletin for free distribution entitled “Five Im¬ 
portant Wild Duck Foods.” 
The presence of certain plants near, or in cer¬ 
tain bodies of water, prove to be the cause of 
the popularity of those localities for the canvas- 
backs and other ducks. Among these the depart¬ 
ment’s investigator found five to be of great in¬ 
trinsic value. Though at present of local import¬ 
ance only, all of them could be grown in most 
parts of the United States, and there is no rea¬ 
son why they should not rank among the staple 
foods of wild ducks in many places where they 
are now unknown. 
Previously published information regarding 
wild duck foods has been of considerable value 
to game commissioners, game protective associa¬ 
tions, and individuals interested in the protection 
of our native species of wild fowl. The new 
data now being published for the benefit of those 
interested, concerns the “Delta duck potato,” 
“Wapato,” “Chufa,” “Wild Millet” and “Banana 
Water Lily.” 
While canvas-backs in the northern states seem 
to prefer deep water bodies, in sections around 
the southern half of the Mississippi river they 
frequent certain shallow ponds and lakes. The 
attraction of these regions has been found to 
consist in the presence of the Delta duck potato, 
popularly known as the wild potato or wild onion 
in Louisiana. This plant is found in southern 
Illinois, Missouri, western Kentucky, Tennessee, 
Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and 
Texas. The entire area over which it now grows 
was in ancient times a vast bay, extending as far 
north as Illinois, into which the Mississippi river 
emptied. From these times until the present the 
delta of this river has been growing because of 
the thick deposits of silt which have gradually 
filled up this bay. The limits of this one-time bay 
seem at present to mark the extent of the Delta 
duck potato. 
There seems no reason, however, why the 
Delta duck potato should not grow anywhere in 
the southern half of the United States and, per¬ 
haps, even further north. The tubers may be 
transplanted with a large percentage of success. 
The transplanted bulbs will produce other tubers 
the first year. The tubers should be embedded 
in mud bottom where the water is not more than 
a foot deep, preferably not more than six inches 
The plant will grow thriftily on soil never cov¬ 
ered by water, but which has plenty of moisture. 
Here, however, the tubers are not available to 
the ducks unless overflowed in winter. 
The Wapato is another tuber which has been 
known as an important wild duck food for more 
than one hundred years. The Wapato ranges 
over practically the whole United States, saving 
And How to Go About It. 
certain of the most southern ones. It is locally 
known as the swan potato, duck potato, swamp 
potato, muskrat potato, Chinese onion and water 
nut. The shape of its leaves, which is like an 
arrow-head, makes it easily distinguishable from 
the Delta duck potato, which has broad, elliptical 
leaves. 
Both seeds and tubers of the Wapato may be 
transplanted, but the tubers give quickest results 
and are the most reliable. The tubers retain their 
vitality when dry, but drying should not be car¬ 
ried to an extreme. It is recommended that the 
tubers be shipped promptly, after gathering, in 
well ventilated packages. They should be planted 
immediately upon receipt. They should be 
planted like the Delta duck potato and may be 
cultivated in practically all parts of the country. 
The Chufa is another very generally distributed 
plant which is valuable as wild duck food. Only 
in the higher parts of the Rocky Mountain region 
would there seem to be difficulty in cultivating it. 
It is widely distributed in warm climates over the 
whole world. The Chufa is a glass-like growth. 
It is extremely prolific, cultivated forms usually 
producing one hundred tubers to the plant. Chu- 
fas can be obtained from most seedsmen for so 
small a price that sportsmen could afford to buy 
a new stock every few years if necessary. Chufas 
do best on light or somewhat sandy but rich 
soils. They are only available for duck food, 
however, when planted on land dry in summer 
and overflowed in winter. In the open they 
should be planted thickly, but in timbered lands 
they will cfo well only in rather sparse growths 
where considerable light penetrates to the 
ground. When possible the land should be bro¬ 
ken and freed from weeds. The tubers should 
be planted just beneath the surface in spring. 
Wild millet is an easily cultivated plant most 
popular with ducks, which reseeds itself. It re¬ 
quires a moist and preferably a rich soil, such as 
the edge of a marsh, and will grow in water at 
least a foot deep. The soil should be broken up 
and the millet sown thickly in the spring. Once 
established, the plant will take care of itself. 
Wild millet se^ds are sold by most seedsmen 
as barnyard grass. A variety has been widely 
advertised as “Japanese Barnyard Millet,” qr 
“billion-dollar grass.” It may be cultivated in 
any part of the United States. It is a coarse, 
leafy grass, which grows from one to six feet 
in height. 
The Banana water lily is a name proposed fo r 
a plant which at present has no popular distinc¬ 
tive appellation. The hibernating tubers of the 
plant so nearly resemble in form a bunch of 
bananas as to seem to justify the name. At pres¬ 
ent it is known only along the southern border of 
our Gulf states. It can, however, be success¬ 
fully grown throughout most of the United 
States. The plant needs much sunlight, water 
from one to three feet deep and a muddy bot¬ 
tom. The root stocks may be planted by weight¬ 
ing them with stones and dropping where de¬ 
sired. They have great vitality. They may be 
transplanted at almost any time of the year. 
The new bulletin describing these plants which 
attract wild fowl is in a measure supplementary 
to Biological Survey Circular No. 81, previously 
issued by the department. The earlier publica¬ 
tion contained information on three other wild 
duck foods—wild rice, wild celery and pond 
weeds. 
OBSERVANCE OF LAW IN LOUISIANA. 
New Orleans,. March 3, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream-. 
We are in receipt of your favor of February 
27 in reference to reports which have reached 
you as to violations of the state and Federal laws 
regulating the killing and selling of game in Lou¬ 
isiana. 
In reply thereto we beg to advise that, whereas 
there have been undoubtedly many violations of 
the Federal law, the laws as a whole have been 
better observed than ever before in the history 
of the state, and a better co-operative spirit exist¬ 
ing between the hunters and the authorities as 
to the observance of these laws, and a broader 
appreciation of the necessity for game protec¬ 
tion. 
As to the observance of the Federal law we 
beg to advise that, owing to the fact that the 
state laws permitted the killing of ducks and 
other wild water fowl until March 1, that the 
state had issued its licenses to hunters before the 
passage of the Federal law, and that said licenses 
were bought in good faith by the hunters. The 
state authorities could not consistently take reg- 
ognition of violations of any laws other than its 
own. Also, owing to the fact that the Federal 
authorities have not as yet organized their forces 
in this territory, some game was allowed to be 
sold during the month of February as permitted 
by the state laws of Louisiana. Notwithstanding 
this fact, we would judge that 75 per cent, of the 
market hunters throughout the territory stopped 
shooting for the market February 1, as also did 
all of the hunting clubs of the state. 
As our legislature meets within a few months, 
we will no doubt be able to bring about a re¬ 
adjustment of our game laws so as to make them 
better conform with the Federal laws and 
thereby bring about a concert of action for their 
observance. 
We will be pleased to advise with you at all 
times. 
M. L. ALEXANDER, 
Conservation Commission of Louisiana. 
The thick ice in Berkshire county, Mass., is re¬ 
ported as preventing ice fishing in that region. 
A few courageous fishermen who succeeded in 
cutting through twenty-four inches of ice have 
been rewarded with good catches. 
