The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-02-08
A CHAPTER ON GEESE.
STUPID BIRDS, BUT WITH MANY M
TERESTlNG POINTS.

dealer in feathers, chat some farmers keen
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 but
never found out the reason until one day last
summer. was out on Jersey farm, spend
ing my vacation. The farmer had a bic,
flock of geese, and he 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 plaeidlv
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 cloud in the sky. The
farmers men were working without much
apparent vim at raking and loading hay
down III a meadow not far away. Suddenly
the old gander poked up his head, gave voice
to peculiar squawk, lifted his wings and
started off ON a run as fast as his big web
feet would let him go, All the geese poked
up their necks at the sound of the gander's
voice, lifted their wings, and with a chorus
of noises that only flock OF geese can pro
duce, started after the gander us 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 a short distance from the road The
geese raised and flew after him, filling the
air with their discordant cries. Gander and
geese alighted in the pond, whore they all
/ gathered in bunch held a consultation or
congratulatory confab in subdued chorus
of caclSles, and went through all sorts of
maneuyers ON the pond for time, when
they separated and swan about as placitlly
IS they Ind been feeding II 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:
!" There's them dinged haydn hands work
in MS if they had all the rest o the year to
get that hay in, an here we're goin to be
ketched in a tearin' old shower in lessn an
hour, or else there haint no use in keepin,
geese
''The farmer hurried down to the meadow.
spurred up the men, and lent a hearty hand
himself at the hay. Before many minutes
had passed saw clouds banking themselves
in the horizon, and presently the mutter of
alse'lne thuhaef 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 tie 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 keen
MN posted on the weather.
-, lhey nam never tailed me yet, he said
" men gu up IN the mornin an see them
geese out on tlie poild a-alVln am a-fressm'
uo"n 'ncii iea'heIs US II they was gettini
realy 10 70 10 some purity OF other, Know
.iia' "ere SURE Vi cle'.i, warhl' uly weather,
ah : MINT my ealc ai.loiis eoidlh ". III
.ne hain A-oressii Oh themselves much,
pao ac1 kihueI as II 10 wasn't o mitch account
a-sprucih up tneh l Keep my eye ON EN-
lhat "afhin tna6 were III danger OF a
speii weather. IL the geese quits the pond
an doh go pack iiiucn through the day, 1
kio" Vhao inc aaiiser hoids' an GIT ready
Ior seo ram Oh aay or So II they feed
aioi,s aWi'iie "u' "'io.'ie Duck 10 the pohd
KINDER chlpper IKE, ana go TO dressin them
serves ana dlNih' theil m poorly sartln that
lhey wont be no set ram commencin that
day' IL the geese glts up all OF snddent
an Tears around IKE ye see em thls after
noon, theh lheres shower comm, an it's
a-cohilh iaSl, ye KIN net
30 you heed never wonder why some
FARMERS keep geese around, ana sui Wish
they were III haiiiax' lhey are their
weather proshosticator, and they believe III
EN- as irmiy as they 40 IN the making OF APP
pieJack ms farmer told me another funny
thng ABOUT these geese weather signals. He
SAID thaG wheh they prophesy a storm the
SOUNDS they make are not IKE their cries at
any other time consequently the farmers
are never iooled by the cries OIL a Hook OF
geese that may rise III the AR from u place
wherc they were OUT Oh signt, II the rise has
been caused py any iflght the geese may
nave been stDJeeted 10. An expert reader OF
goose signals can tell the frightened cry
from the prophetic shrlek us iar as he can
near IL.
Never saw q goose piucklhg, heys Wen,
IL ISM u slSht ti'a5 would give you much
pleasure. Oh the day SET Tor stripping geese
Oh thelr iealhers they are entlced INTO some
alrtight outhouse' Inc pickers, who are
Always women 20 aihong the geese WIN
their heads ana races entirely covered with
moods fastened around the neck Win u shllr
stflng. lhere are hoies Tor the eyes, ana
also NIUE hoies at the nose Tor fresh ar
FROM iie neck down the picker is covered
WIN glazed muslin garment, TO which no
! featherS OF down VIII adhefe' Inc plckers
SIT on low STOOLS around large ana perfectly
dry tub. Ihere Is generally man or boy in
the neighborhood VINO IS an expert at getting
the goose ready Tor picking. Everybody can't