May 1, 1907 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
9 
ticularly wild or restless, she should be 
taken off and fed late inthe evening. All 
the hens should be powdered once or 
twice during the sitting. 
Testing the Eggs.—Eygs should be 
tested on the fifth day for fertility. This 
‘can be done by holding the egg up te a 
atrong light, when the chick can be plainly 
seen if the egg’is fertile, 1f infertile, the 
egg will show aclear pink color all over, 
and must be rejected. A yood tester can 
‘be made outof a piece of cardboard. Cut 
a hole a little smaller than an egg, place 
the egg against the hole in |frout of a 
strony light. Then the small body with 
blood veins spreading all around the egg 
will be plainly visible. A good tester can 
be made ont of a bicycle lamp by tying a 
piece of dark cloth across the glass and 
cutting a small hole in the cloth. The 
egg is then held up to the hole.. Testing 
should be done in a dark room. 
Moisture—If the weather is very dry» 
and hot westerly winds prevail, the eggs 
may be sprinkled, but, as a general rule, 
it is not necessary. 
Chilled Eggs—If, after the first week, a 
hen should leave the nest for any length 
of time and the eggs become chilled the 
attendant need not give up hope. Another 
hen should be found to place the eggs 
under, and even if the eggs have been left 
for a day and gone stone cold, a fair hatch 
may be still brought off. There is enough 
life in the eggs after the first week to 
stand a lot of chilling in ordinary weather. 
By this it is not intended to permit care- 
lessness on the part of the breeder, but 
only to point out to the beginner that he 
need not destroy eggs that have been 
deserted for a reasonable time. 
When Hatching —When the. chickens 
begin to chip the egg, it, is generally a 
safe rule to leave the hen to herself : don’t 
go fussing and counting the chickens, 
unless the hen is a particularly restless. 
one, or in the case of the chickens being 
overdue—she willdo much better if lett 
alone. If some of the eggs seem to be 
behind time remove the chickens that 
have hatched, place them under another 
hen, and alow the late eggs a chance of 
hatching. 
Notes on Stock Ducks 
The demand for early ducklings on the 
London and other first-class markets in- 
creases. says the “London Agricultural 
Gazette,’ year by year, and excellent 
prices are always procurable during the 
spring months. Until recently the sup- 
ply has been in the hands of specialists 
who devoted their whole time to the pro- 
duction of this class of poultry, but 
farmers are now beginning to realise what 
excellent opportunities they have in this 
direction, and how profitable a trade it is. 
Thus we find that many are turning their 
attention to this branch of poultry keep- 
ing, and certainly it is one that can ke 
confidently recommended. The great 
difficulty, of course is to procure a regular 
supply of ezgs durins the winter mouths, 
because, unless this can be accomplished, 
failure is bound to ensue. There area good 
mnany points that have a very material 
effect upon the egg supply, chief among 
which is the time of year the stock ducks 
are hatched. Marly virds have to be de- 
pended upon, because ducks do not 
generally commence to lay until they are 
aoout six to seven months old. The 
present is not time, however, to discuss 
this point, but it should be borne in mind 
next spring. 
The feeding of the stock ducks plays 
a very important part in determininy the 
supply of eggs, as unless suitable food ‘is 
given to the birds they will not obtain the 
ingredients for the forination of eggs. 
When the weavher is at all cold, the first 
food of the day should consist of mash 
with the chill taken otf; on no account 
should it be supplied cold, because if a 
quantity of cold water is taken into the 
system 1t represents a considerable wasto 
of animal heat, which has the effect of 
reducing the yield of eggs. The imash 
should Consist. of meals, together with 
household seraps or a little farm or garden 
refuse, Cooked or well soaked. For winter 
use, barley meal is perhps the most suit- 
anle; put itis advisable, in order to re- 
tain a faitly well-balanced ration, to use a 
mixture, A little maize meal may. be 
employed with good results, as, alt ough 
a bad food alone, when used in conjunction 
with others its effect is beneficial, ‘The 
following is a good preparation and can 
be recommended:—Three parts barley 
meal. two middlings, one maize meal ; and 
during fine open weather one part bran. 
together with what scraps there may 
happen to be. If the latter are ‘unob- 
taniable hali-part of granulated or lean 
meat should be substituted. Some breed- 
ers use grain for the afternoon feeding, 
but I have always had better results by 
repeating the morning’s preparation of 
mash, If grains are used, tho most sui- 
table are vats, wheat, and a little maize 
Ducks are hardy birds and do not re- 
quire elaborate houses. but they must be 
kept warm, dry, and freo from draughts. 
It stands to reason that if the food his to 
be utilised for maintaining the tempera- 
ture of the body there will be a correspon- 
uingly smaller amount for the production 
of eggs. Upon many farms there is a 
shed which inakes an excellent sleeping 
place for ducks; ifit has a cement fluor, 
as frequently happens, it requires to be 
thickly covered with litter, in order to 
overcome the coldness ‘The best floor is 
the ground itself, well littered with straw 
or dried leaves or bracken. If no shed is 
available, then a wooden structure should 
be erected, made of inch boarding, which 
should fit together well, in order to ex- 
clude draughts. It does not require to be 
more than three feet six inches to four 
feet high, as ducks sleep on the ground. 
If placed near a stream or pond, great 
care must be exercised that itis built wel] 
(Moss’ Corner). 
above the level of the water, as nothing 
proves more fatal to the health and well- 
being of the duck3than.dampness in their 
sleeping quarters 
Undertakers. 
ADDY, J. C., & SON, Funeral Direc- 
‘tors and Oarriage Proprietors. 
All Funerals conducted under persona? 
supervision. . 113 Flinders St., Adelaide 
Phones—Adelaide 1977, Port 110, and 
Semaphore 245. and Jetty Road, Glenelg. 
Phone 78 
Music Sellers. 
OPP’S Arcade Music Stores, Adelaide 
Cheapest place for Sheet Music 
sond for Catalogues of our Sixpeny Music 
Free. 
Locksmith. Ete. 
GEBHARD (August J. Gebhardt) 
e Locksmith, Gunsmith and Machi- 
nist, Grenfell Street (Rear of No. 70, 
right opposite Bible House) Adelaide. 
Repairs to Saddlers’ Llronmongery a 
speciality, Keys fitted to any lock or 
any given sample. 
Tailors. 
SAK, F., Sen., Cash Tailor, Clothier 
and General Outfitter, 284 Rundle 
Street Hast, Adelaide. Suits to order on 
the shortest notice, and at Lowest Prices 
he) J 
FOR UP-TO-DATE FOOTWEAR 
And DOWN-TO-DATE PRICES Try 
E. C. JARMAN, 
101 Hindley Street (next Grant’s Dining 
Rooms), and 2494 King William Street 
Repairs neatly and 
promptly executed. Measures a speciality 
NOTICE OF FRREMOVAL. 
The Office of ‘* The Australian Gardener’, 
has been removed from Genders’ Build- 
ing, to premises situated at the corner of 
Pirie and Wyatt Streets, Adelaide, and 
next door to Brown’s Livery and Letting 
Stables. 
The paper is published monthly, and 
is only 3s 6d per annum posted to any 
address in the Commonwealth, 
