Dear Brother Root.—I hope you will not take It amiss if I say that I feel that you have treated me about as you did the duck to which you gave "a bad name while she was quietly attending to business." My chief "business" In writing "The Indian Runner Duck Book" was to clear up the much muddled history of the Indian Runner, and to preserve the white-egg duck for the farmers. The American Standard. In affirming that the true duck is worthless, bade lair to push that duck entirely out of the country. All breeders know that changing the type of any bird Is likely to destroy its most valued points, and this is peculiarly true of the Indian Runner. The original heavy-laying Runner laid a white egg. Our markets often discriminate in favor of the white egg. even against the light brown one. Much more would this be the case against a green one: and as to taking too much space on this point, It was the one point where farmers needed warning. It was. In fact, the foundation of the whole matter; and I have had many letters from farmers telling me how long they had looked for just such a book, and how exactly It lust met their needs. If you will pardon me for so saying, it seems to me that you, who know so little about ducks—on your own showing—and who, on your own showing, believe the facts only when you have proven them (as to the good laying, for Instance), have hardly reached the point where you can logically set up your opinion or your experience against that of the men who raise perhaps 20.000 or 30,000 a season. These are the men who say ducklings should not get wet while downy. If you will look In the right place you will find that my book also says that they should have water so that they cannot get wet in it. Young ducklings chill very easily, and wet down adds greatly to the danger of such fatalities. Another point where it seems to me you fall to "play fair" is this: In the very number of your journal where my advertisement appears (a journal which has a good reputation), you charge me, who have also. I believe, a good reputation, with writing a book less valuable than It should be. You do this because you Ignore the point of view from which It was written—that of the farmer who must sell market eggs: and you do It In the very number wherein my advertisement of the book appears. We published this book ourselves, not offering It to any outside publisher at all. It cost quite a bit of money. We are paying you for advertising. We cannot tell all we know In a fifty-cent book. We hope to get out a larger edition late in the year, which will tell all the things you want to know. Finally. I feel that if you would be just, you will publish this letter in the same department wherein your comment appeared. C. S. Valentine. –Gleanings in Bee Culture, Vol. 39, Issue 5
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