296 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Rouen, as they are more hardy and mature with me sooner 
than the Aylesbury. Under different circumstances the case 
might be reversed. In plumage, the Aylesbury certainly has 
the advantage. Ducks should never be allowed to lodge in 
the same house with the chickens, but should have a separate 
apartment with a stone, brick or cement floor if possible, which 
should be frequently washed “down.” Ducks should always 
be shut in their house at night during the laying season, as 
they lay their eggs in the morning, and frequently drop them 
in the water while swimming, if this precaution is not taken. 
The Black Cayuga duck is considered by many equal to 
the above named varieties, but such has not been our ex¬ 
perience. 
Transportation of Eggs for Hatching is now attended 
with good success when properly packed, affording a cheap 
and convenient method for disseminating pure-bred and choice 
fowls to any part of the country. We have known hundreds 
of instances where eggs have been sent over a thousand miles 
by railroad, and hatched a large percentage. In fact, some of 
the best breeders of this country take this method to procure 
the best blood to be found in England, to improve their stock; 
eggs frequently hatching as high as seventy-five per cent, after 
crossing the ocean. Of course there is risk in it; so there is 
in hatching eggs procured on a farm; failures are of frequent 
occurrence there also. The outlay is however not a large one, 
and if you get eggs from a reliable breeder and from the same 
stock he breeds from himself, you stand an equal chance of 
getting the best birds. 
We look upon the improvement of our poultry stock as yet 
in its infancy, and hope to see an increase of interest in this 
department at the fairs of our agricultural societies. Whatever 
variety you breed, keep it pure and strive to excel; exhibit 
your birds, and compare notes with other breeders, thereby 
getting “posted” upon the points and requirements for a first 
class fowl. We trust too, our State Agricultural Society will 
