The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-01-15
A CHAPTER ON GEESE.
sTUPID BIRDS. nut WITH MANY IN.
TERESTING POINTS,

Thoy Den't Knew Enough 20 Cry When
They're Hurt-Thry Knew when Its
eeinr t. Rsin, 1hsush-Hew IN Expert
Gees to Work to Pluck Live Geese.
mo, the feathers amt alive, but the geese
they were plucked from were." said q Bowery
dealer In live geese feathers. in response to n
Sun reporters query. And tho geese they
were plucked from never once squawked, or
saueaked. or had a word to say during the OPP
Grafton. either" continued the tradesmap.
MOT because It didn't hurt 'em, though. "a
any one who says It doesn't hurt a goose to
yank the feathers by the handful out OF the
tenderest spots q goose has about its person
might as we'll say that 1t don't hurt a
man to have his whiskers extracted
while he waits. I've heard folks say that
geese rather enjoy being plucked. tho
sensation being to them something similar to
the blissful feeling that ovartakes Q pig when
you scratch his back. l don't go In for slang.
but II any ono ever tells you that, you will be
excusable II you exclaim Ratsv in n very loud
voice. 1t hurts q goose like the mischief to
pull Its feathers out. but the reason the goose
don't holler and make o fuss Is that Il don't
seem to know enough. A goose will squawk
and chatter and cackls as II it was suffering
more agony than a horse with tho collie Just Mt
the sight OF you, but II you corner It IN and
pelt 1t with stones It seems to forget that 1t has
. voice. and will take oil the punishment you
give 1t without saying q word. There Is much
to study about a goose. Just get on to q flock
some day when you're out visiting on a farm.
They'll give you amusement by the hour.
Everybody knows that a goose hasn't the
slightest idea Of It's height. breadth, or depth.
The statement that every goose that passes
through an open barn door, no matter II the
door Is twenty feet high. ducks its head is az
true as true can be. And. while a goose can't
be made to believe that there is no danger to
Its head as It passes over the sill of a barn
door, 1t is equally positive that it can creep
through a two-inch augsr hole or q knothols
In a fence Just as easy as it can 20 through tho
door. ana with more safety to its person. I
have laughed myself sore moro times than
once at the persistence OF some old goose In
trying to enter an enclosure through O hole in
the fence hardly big enough for her to get her
head through. while q gate big enough for q
team OF horses to pass through was wide open
within three feet Of tho hole.
Maybe you have often noticed that some
farmers keep geese year in and year out, let
them have the run Of the farm, and seem to
show them all kinds of consideration. yet are
always swearing that they are the biggest null
sance that 1t could be possible to have around.
II you have noticed that popularity in the
daily rounds Of the husbandman. you have
oOuuIieSS dlSO WOuNeTeu WHY Ill DlHZeS tu6 lHrm>
or Kept such ,nuisances around his promises. I
used to wonder why 1t was myself, but l never
i @erl 9u WAS .h ont te an d Je en.ai f 2ne day n lasI sum mn
vacation. The farmer had a big flock Of geese.
and ne vas eternally throwing the most betty
sat on the farmers. piazza talking with hin.
The geese were plaeidly cropping grass down
them on. Peace. tranduiliity. and contensment
spoke in every movement the Misunderstanding
bipedS made.
There wasn't q cloud in the sky. The farm
eTs m a were working 1Gi without IT, much u apparent
der poked up his head, gave voice to a peculiar
sauawk, lifted his wings and started Of on a
Of the e%ander's voice, lifted their wings. and
tight as they could, wabIie.' The gaader ran
shryas. h sw sosE y yfPss sn aGd fs sae n G tSe ai4 e Mt5a
Of a pond a short distance from the road. The
geese raised and flew after bin, filling the air
in a bunch, held a consultation or consratuia-
went through, ali sorts Of manGuvres on the
pond pond s Tor 2 I'll time nisc %h e. a. they hey fSe apd p1am ,a and
ing a few minutes before.
A tho first movement of the .gander when
ne broke broke the tranGuiility OF the feeding heck.
THERE'S them dinged layin' hands workin'
so IA Luu al tI0 - II ySui ~ eOt tltLt
t nax IN o cd s sSc w ssi in F fsss'n "a an % h ssasne or q, eis g
'n sTh ea farm or Hurled Rss IL fVds own s so sle meadow.
spurred up the, men. end lent a hearty hand
p PASSED. / f. s saS 1 Clouds 'f bsnki msn th mlaaise hf IN
the horizon. and presently the mutter Of dis
tant thunder Was heard among them. The
over that part OF New Jersey, and it caught the
supper that night | questioned my host on the
geese, and found that the reason he kept them
"a"S' They Il esf hSai nj never peSesa failed fail ais m se yet. he said.
When I git Up in the mornin.' an see them
Goese t 3sf 9 Psst the p Ss 4 t T Siy xas an rst z d dr rssdv
to go to some party or other. l know that we're
sure s Of clear, warm Iaa;.d dry weather, oan an make
dressin' Of themselves much. but act kinder as
az wasn't o much account q sprucin' up; then
we're in danger Of a spell o weather. II the
geese quits the pond an don't 60 back much
s AM I sit r sns ga for a k sss rain .ha Of fh q daHs Sr no. Reld II
they feed along q while and waddle back to the
pond kinder clipper like, and go todressin them.
they won't be no set rain commencin' that day.
If the geese gifts up all of q student an tears
there's a shower comm. an it's q comm fast,
$50 YOU need never wonder why, some farm
ers keep geese around, and still wish they wcro
in Halifax. They are their wcather prognosti.
Sst9 r. and ,Ra t hski Ssiis Of a in lem e ilrTnbI is "a isr 1hsy
NV as Nav NJ hs' A"t tAi'h
told mo another funny thing about these geese
weather signals. He said that when they
p~rophesy a storm the sounds they make arc not
like their cries mt any other time. Consequently
the farmers are never fooled by tho cries OF u
flock Of geese that may rise In the air from a
place whore they were out of sight. II tho rise
has beeen caused by any fright tho goose may
have been subjected to. An expert reader OF
geese signals can tell the frightened cry from
the prophetic Shrek as Tar as ne can, hear 4.
Newer saw q goose plucking, hey? Well. IL
isn't a sight that would give you much pleas.
ure: On, the day SGT for stripping geese OF
their feathers they arc cnticed into some air
tight clubhouse. The pickers. who are always
women, go among the geese with their heads
around the neck by IL shirr string, There nre
holes for tho eyes and also little holes at "
picker is covered with o glazed muslin sd,
ment. to- f. which no teathers or down Will %
large and perfectly dry tub, There is generally
a man or boy in the neigh6orhoood who a;ot y an
Everybody can't do that. The wings Of the
goose have to be locked together by . peculiar