Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-05-31
A Chapter on Geese.

The Toulouse geese are the largest va
riety in the world, weighing at maturity
from thirty to forty pounds a pair.
| Goslings of this variety will weigh from
ten to thirteen pounds apiece at three
months, but they do not reach their full
weight until three years of age. They
are easy to raise, have fine feathers and
lots of them. Full grown Toulouse
geese will yield nearly half pound of
feathers at picking. lrs..r--
| The Embden. or Bremen geese as
they are sometimes called. do not grow
SO large as the Toulouse, but are quite
as hardy and easy to raise. In color
they are pure white, and in some mar
kets white geese feathers will bring
better price than the coiored. Good
judges pronounce the flesh of this va
| riety superior to that of the Toulouse.
The white China geese are, as their
| name indicates, pure white. They are
| not so large as the Toulouse and Emb-
| den varieties, but in other respects are
fully equal to the larger birds. The
| China geese are said to be better LAYERS
than any other variety.
Those who have tried it say that no
fowls can be SO cheaply raised as geese.
l am acquainted with several people who
raise large numbers of geese for mar
ket. and they all declare that they find
| the business very profitable. They live
/ N New York, New Jersey and Penn
| sylvania. and market their, geese in New
! York CITY: bat | see no reason WHY
raising geese should not be equally
| profitable in Ohio Two weeks AGO
/ western geese. dressed. sold in New
! York for thirteen cents pound. and
! had the quality been up to that of the
] Maryland. Delaware and New JerSevi
/ geese they would have sold readily at
fifteen cents. Live Jersey geese sold as
+ high * $40 per pair, but the Western
went at $500 pair. Now any one can
see that 4 young goose that would
weigh ten or fifteen pounds dressed. and
would sell for fifteen cents pound.
would pay. II some of the farmers
, daughters who have time would raise
a hundred or so of geese for market
every year. they would find it quite As
! profitable as school teaching and not
half aS wearing on the nerves. And if
some of the farmers wives would make
fewer cakes and pies. put few rules
less on the children's clothing. and de-
! vote the time thus gained to raising
/ geese. they would have a bigger supply
of pocket money and better beds and
| pillowS-to say nothing of the health
and strength gained by being out of
doors. Now mind you, l do not advise
| everybody to raise geese-only those
who have 2 pasture containing pond
or stream of water. Geese can be
raised with only plenty of water to
drink and trough or tub full for bath
ing, but those who know most about it
| say that it would not pay.
Breed IN o. geese ShOuIi not he KENT
fat, neither should they be half-starYed.
Turn out to pasture As soon as the snow
is gone. and after the grass is well up
they will need little or no grain. Geese
| commence laying anywhere from the
latter part of February to the middle of
March. aud lay from twenty to thirty
| eggs before offering to set. Three
geese can be mated to one gander.
Mr.. Nj. who raises large num-
bers of geese every year. raises all his
goslings with hen mothers. and matches
from the middle of April to the first of
June. Goose eggs need about the same
care during incubation as turkey and
duck eggs that is the bottom of the
nest should be of earth and the eggs
should be Sprinkled with water every
I-other day during the last two weeks.
When the goslings are out they should
be provided with warm, dry coop. and
for the first six weeks of their lives
they must be sheltered from dew and
rain. Goslings when young are subject
to cramp, ana one good drenching with
dew or rain will often kill off half u
brood at once. After the dew is gone
off the grass the mother hen and her
goslings may be allowed their liberty
until night but should sudden storm
I tIlrn ar
Your infant geese under shelter.
Should any get chilled take them to the
house and warm them thoroughly be-
fore returning to the mother hen.
Young goslings should be fed bread
crumbs. scalded corn and oatmeal
mixed with onion tops. or the leaves OF
early cabbage. turnips. etc. When six
i or eight weeks of age they may be
turned out to pasture and the rations
gradually reduced to one meal 4 day.
They will live and grow on grass alone
after the first two months. but if YOU
desire them to do their level best it will
pay YOU to give them scalded meal once
day.
In some localities there is demand
for green geese just as they come
! from the pasture !: but most geese are
sold in winter. and these should be fed
CATER the supply of grass is cut off by
frost) with boiled corn and potatoes.
| cooked oats and barley meal, with
rowen soaked in warm water and
sprinkled with meal. OF course they
must at all times have plenty of water
to drink. The geese that are to be
kept over for breeding stock-and the
same stock can be used for several
years-may be fed on corn and other
| itI IL af
food.-OhiO Farmer.
1t has not been supposed that sew
erage gas could exert any corroding in