Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-18
A CHAPTER ON GEESE.
STUPID BIRDS, BUT WITH MANY IN
TERES1lNG POINTS,.
Why tho New Jersey Farmer Keeps
Geesc-in Old Gander's Role of "Prob-
abilities"-Scene at Goose Plucking.



Geese-in Old Gander's Role of "Prof,-
abilities"-scene at a Goose PIuckins.
The Fowls Fortitude.
"May be YOU have often noticed said a
dealer in feathers, 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 swear
ing that they are the biggest nuisance that it
could be possible to have around. If you
have noticed that popularity in the daily
rounds of the husbandman, you have doubt
less also wondered why in blazes the farmer
kept such nuisances around his premises
used to wonder why it was myself, bat l
never found out the reason until one day last
summer. l was out on Jersey farm. spend
ing nv vacation The farmer had a big
flock Of geese, and be was eternally throwing
the most betty kind Of Jersey cuss words at
them. One day / sat on the farmers piazza
talking with him. The geese were placidly
cropping grass down along the road, great
big gander leading them on. Peace, tran
guilty and contentment spoke in every
movement the lawn destroying bipeds made
'There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The
apparent vim at raking and loading hay
down in meadow not far away. Suddenly
the old gander poked up his head, gave voice
to peculiar squawk, lifted his wings and
started off on run as fast as his big web
feet would let him 90. All the geese poked
up their necks at the sound of the ganders
voice, lifted their wings, and with a chorus
of noises that only flock of geese can pro-
duce, started after the gander as tight as
they could wabble. The gander ran may be
twenty yards, and then, with wild shrek,
he took wing and flew in the direction of a
pond short distance from the road. The
geese raised and dew after him. filling the
air with their discordant cries. Gander and
geese alighted in the pond, where they all
gathered in bunch, held consultation or
congratulatory confab in subdued chorus
Of cackles, and went through all sorts Of
maneuvers on the pond for a time, when
they separated and swan about as placidly
as they had been feeding few minutes be
fore.
At the first. movement of the gander
when he broke the tranquility of the feeding
flock, my friend, the farmer, arose quickly
to his feet, and as he turned toward the
meadow said
9 There's them dinged haydn hands work
in as if they had all the rest o. the year to
get that hay in, an here we're goin' to be
ketched in tearin' old shower in less'n an
hour, or else there hain't no use in keepin'
geese
"The farmer hurried down to the meadow.
spurred up the men, and lent hearty hand
himself at the hay. Before many minutes
had passed l saw clouds banking themselves
in the horizon, and presently the mutter of
distant thunder was heard among them.
The farmer was right. In an hours time
one OF the hardest thunder storms ever saw
was raging over that part of New Jersey,
and it caught the last load of the old mans
hay in transit. After supper that night l
questioned my host on the geese, and found
that the reason he kept them was to keep
him posted on the weather.
g They hain't never failed me yet, he said.
w hen git up in the mornin' an see them
geese out on the pond a-divin' an a-dressin'
down their feathers as if they was gettin'
ready to go to some party or other, know
that we're sure Of clear, warm, dry weather,
an l make my calculations cordinly. If
they haint a-dressin' Of themselves much,
but act kinder as if it wasn't o. much account
a-sprucin' up, then | keep my eye on EN-
That's warmth that we're in danger of a
spell o weather. II the geese quits the pond
an don't go back much through the day, I
know that the danger holds, an l git ready
for set rain Of day or so. If they feed
along awhile and waddle back to the pond
kinder clipper like, and go to dressin' them
selves and divin', then Pm pooty sartin' that
they won't be no set rain commencin' that
day. If the geese glts up all of a student
an tears around like We see 'em this after
noon, then there's a shower comm, an it's
a-comin' fast, We kin bet
$50 you need never wonder whv some
farmers keep geese around, and sill wish
they were in Halifax They are their
weather prognosticator, and they believe i'll
'en as firmly as they do in the making of APP
peiack. This farmer told me another funny
thing about these geese weather signals. He
said that when they prophesy a storm the
sounds they make are not like their cries a.
any other time. Consequently the farmers
ere never fooled by the cries of a flock of
geese that may rise in the air from place
where they were out of sight, if the rise has
been caused by any fright the geese may
have been subjected to. An expert reader Of
goose signals can tell the frightened cry
from the prophetic shrek as far as he can
hear it.
''Never saw goose plucking, hey' Well,
it isn't q sight that would give you much
pleasure. On the day set for stripping geese
of their feathers they are enticed into some
alright clubhouse The pickers. who are
always women, go among the geese with
their heads and faces entirely covered with
hoods fastened around the neck with a shirr
string. There are holes for the eyes. and
also little holes at the nose for fresh air
From the neck down the picker is covered
with a glazed muslin garment, to which no
feathers or down will adhere. The pickers
sit on low stools around a large and perfectly
dry tub There is generally man or boy in
the neighborhood who IS an expert at getting
the goose ready for picking. Everybody can't
10 that. The wings of the goose have to be
locked together by a peculiar arrangement
Of the two near the shoulders and while
thev are not tied or fastened in any
other way, the lock is such that no goose can
unlock it without aid. The feet are tied to-
yether with broad bands OF soft muslin
When a goose is thus made helpless it is
aiken on the pickers lap and she plucks the
feathers out rapidly but with such skill that
,he seldom breaks the skin or causes blood to
follow. The air is kept full of feathers dur
ng the process, all OF which settle in the big
ub at last. Before beginning on goose the
picker brushes the feathers back the wrong
way, so that she can see the skin An expert
AN tell at glance, by the color Of the skin,
whether she must exercise moro than ordi-
lary care in plucking it, or whether it is not
better TO let the goose so without plucking at
hat time In every case the picker must be |
,areful and not pluck the feathers too close in |
llder the wings If goose has been i'm |
properly picked in that respect the wings Will |