The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1888-03-24
A CHAPTER ON GEESE,
STUPID BIRDS, BUT WITH MANY IN.
TERESTlNG POINTS.

Why the New jersey Farmer keers
Geese-An Old Gander's Role of "Prob.
abilitics"-Scene at n Goose PluckinS.
Tho Fowls Fortitudc.
May be you have often noticed" said a
dealer i'll feathers, 'that some farmers keen
geese Year i'll 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 bc possible to have around. If YOU
have noticed that popularity in the daily
rounds OF the l'sban'lnan, you have doubt
less also wondered why in blazcs the farmer
Kept such nGi>lnces around his premises. l
used to woi'rr why it was myself, but
never found out the reason until one day last
Sliil'nci'. was out on IL Jersey farm. spend
m. ~ VACATION The farmer had a big
Hoy,i cf ;rc2'e. and he was etcrnally throwing
t:le i.i"st iieity kind of Jersey cuss words at
t.ie,!. ti3c day | sat on the farmers piazza
t.i..!s.I With him. The geese were placi,lly
cropping grass down along the road, Il great
ol; :s;!!.'cr leading them on. Peace, tram
luln;y and contentment spoke in every
movement the lawn destroying bpeds made.
"Ihere wasn't cloud i'll the sky. The
farmers men We're working without much
apparent vim at rakins and loading hay
down III Il meadow not far away. Suddenly
the o'l galder polcd up his head, gave voice
to a peculiar squawk lifted his wings and
started off on run as fast rs his big web
feet would let him CO. All the geese pokcd
up their necks ut the sound of the g;,ndcr's
voice, lifted their wings, and with chorus
Of noises that only ii flock of geese can pro-
luce, started after the gandcr as tight as
they could wabble. The gan,ler ran may be
twenty yards, and then, with wild shrek.
he took wing and flew i'll the direction of a
pond short distance from tile road The
geese raised and flew after him, filling the
air with their discordant cries Gaudcr and
geese allShted i'll the pond, where they all
gathered i'll bunch, held consultation or
congratulatory confab i'll n subluetl chorus
OF cacileS, and went through all sorts of
maneuvers on the pond for u time. when
they separated and swan about as placidly
as they had been feeding Il few minutes he
fore.
AT the first movement of the gantler
when he broke the tranquility of the feeding
hoch, my friend, the farmer, arose quickly
to his feet, and as he turned toward the
meadow, said:
:" There's them dingctl hayn' hands work
III as II they had all the rest o. the year to
set that hay in, am here we're goin' to be
ketched i'll a tearin old shower in less'n an
hour, or else there haint 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 minute,
m Y,occ 7
i'll the horizon, and presently the mltter 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 Jerse,
and it caught the last load of the old mans
hay in transit After supper that night |
questioned my host on the geese, and found
that the reason he kept them was to keep
him posted on the weather.
They haint never failed me YET he said.
wv hen git up in the mornn' an see them
geese out on the pond a-divin an a-drcssin'
down their feathers as if they was gct,iu'
ready to go to some party or other, know
that we're sure of clear, warm, dry weather,
an l make my calc'lations 'cor,lin'lv. If
they hain't a-drcssin' of themselves much,
but act kinder as if it wasn't o. much account
That's a warnin' that were in danger of "a
spell o weather. If the geese quits the pond
am don't go back much through the day. I
know that the danger holds, am git ready
for a 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 I'm pooty sartin' that
they won't he no set rain commcncin' that
| hp frItc n1l l,f,
an' tears around like ye see 'cln this after
noon, then there's shower comm, an it's
a-comin' fast, yc kin bet
$50 you need never wonder why some
farmers keep geese around, and still wish
they were in Halifax They arc their
weather prognosticator, aud they believe in
cm as firmly as they do in the making of ap-
plejack. This farmer told me another funny
thing about these geese weather signals. He
said that when they prophesy storm the
sounds they make are net like their cries at
any other time. Consequently the farmers
are never fooled by the cries of flock of
geese that may rise in the air from place
where they were out of sight, il 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.
"Sever saw goose pluciing, hcys Well,
it isn't a sight that would give you much
pleasure. On the day set for stripping geese
of their feathers they are cnticed 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 meek 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 glazed muslin garment, to which no
feathers or down will adhere The pclers
sit Oh low stools around large and perfectly
dry tub. There is generally man or boy in
the nei2h!"rhood who is an expert al getting
the goose ready for picking Everybody can't
do that. The wings of the goose have to be
locked together BY peculiar arrangement
OF the two near the shoulders, and while
they 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-
getlier with broad bands of soft muslin.
When goose is thus made helpless it is
taken on the l'!cker's lap, and she plucls the
feathers on. rapidly but with such skill that
She seldom breaks the skin OF causes blood to
follow. Tie air is kept full OF feathers dur
ing the process, all of which settle in the big
tub at last. Before hegilning Oh goose the
picker brushes the feathers bach: the wrong
way, so that she can see the skin. An expert
can yell at Il glance by the color of the skin,
whether she must exercise more than ordi-
nary care i'll l,luc!siny it, or whether it is not
better to let the goose 90 without plucking at
that lime In every case the picker must be
careful and not pluck the feathers too close in
unde: the Wings. Ii goose las been i'm
properly picked i'll that respect the Wigs will
lrop and drag on the ground. All through
this process of yankiny the feathers out of a
goost,'s body. not d sound of cn::!paiilt OF. cry
of lsl!l is heard from the COOS. il"v sub
init with 4 soeinHity which woull ~ lHu5 5l.-
adj. ii it w"vc not for tie :.i,ici. lo.;itudc
that goo with ii. New Ynrl; SUI.
t. r.l:::. :lcn in New York are said to
send lone over .la0,OC0 u yesi.