The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-18
West, YOUNG MAN
Untold Wealth TO Be Mado in the
Raising Of Geese for
Their Down.
A Capital Of $1,000 Required to
Start or With 1000
9oslings.
How They Arc Driven Overland From
Kansas tn Save the Expense Of
Transportation.

What will the men who run chicken
TO make money out OF tho feathered tribe
whom they read this? Tho figures show
that tho hen industry Ia mot In IT, Ono
thousand geese. according to the law of
progeny in the goose family, will each rear
six goslinRs = year. At the end of the first
year the goose farmer will hnd himself
tho lucky ownsr of 1900 geese; the second
year tho number will be increased to 1000
in the same ratio. At the end of the third
year he will have $4,000 geese; at the end
of the fourth year his flock will have in
creased to 1.5l2, 600; at the end of the fifth
year the lucky man will be the owner in fec
simple Of 9,072. 600; on New Years day Of
the sixth year there will be 81, ~, GOO geese
And at the close of the decade he
will find himself in possession of
a sufficient number of geese to save
Rome over and over again. Then
geese can b picked twice a year. A pound
Of down" sells for 81 and a pound OF
coarse feathers at s. cents. Each goose il
warranted to yield q half pound Of each an.
nually, netting thereby to it, owner in
round figures the sum Of q dollar. 1t would
take but q short time to reach the wealth
Of Croesus with a prosperous goose ranch al
ones back.
Goose farming is nov the popular fad in
Washington. Men are awakening from
their slunbers to realize that hsrdine
geese may b moro profitable than selling
liquor to Indians in some back county.
stalking out mining claims or raising No.
wheat. The only wonder 10 that men have
been SO long discovering the untold wealth
Of down" and goslinRs. This. the latest
of Washington's Industries, bids fair to
eclipse all efforts heretofore tried Of amass-
ing . fortune in 4 few years from q quar-.
ter section of land.
Among the frst to take advantage Of the
new discovery was honest EbeneZsr Parker
of that section. Ebenezer had listened to
the arguments Of lawyers and the decisions
Of courts all spring, for he has been Z
worthy juzyAan in the superior court
panel, but at last he has loft the jury box
behind and has betaken himself to the
green fields Of Northern Oregon to equir
and maintain a goose ranch preparatory to
establishing another Oh his Washington
ranch. According to the story Of the OK
pert whose mellow talk caught Fsrmsl
Parker, there's barrels Of money in keep.
ing . eooss ranch. Before a man makes
the venture, however, 4 capital Of $1,000 il
necessary. This being secured, the intend
ing goose farmer goes to Kansas Or sont
other state where goslinRs arc plentiful
For these he pays $4Oo. To save the trans
postation Of this number of fowls t.
be to a harness maker t.
nave the geese shod. The shosine of gees
is accomplished by placing miniature GOV
erinas of thin leather over the web feet o
the fowl; then the geese are prepared tt
stand the journey on foot. The shooting Of
1000 geese will cost 500, according to tn
expert. This would be an outlay OF $500 ii
all. Once on the ranch the feeding of thi!
small army would be but a baRatslle, TO;
goose are avarioious and live on green herb
Of every description.
Barney Quinn, court ballif, has demon.
1t atsd these theories to be facts by prao
tical experience, and had it not bssA TO-
circumstances over which he had NO con
troll, MIR. Quinn would to-day be owner .
myriads OF these feathersd treasures. but a
it was. they met with an accident and died
which Barney relates ~ follows:
Several years ago l ventursd into thu
goose raising business in Colorado. pur.
chased 1000 geese in Kansas. had then
shod md drove them all the wav to north
ern Colorado. I was happy with my 10
until the cold weather set in n one by on
my eoOselets faded. l had lest about fit
of them when q friend suggested that
blanket them. This l did. Each COOS
had a little ~covsrlet made for it which l en-
cnsed it in, just as yen sec poodle dog
nowadays. lll never forget what u beau
tiful sight it was to Razs from my oabil
window on q moonlight night and lool
upon my sea of eoosalets with their it'll,
rcd coverings. It was a grand sight. 81
but the cold weather was too much 70
Thorn. md l lost nearly three hundred
Then l made up my mind to co to New
Mexico with my flock, whore it was warmer
/ had their Shoes put on and off | started
III ough the entire length of tho state O
Colorado l trudRad. my feathered tribe ant
l. 1t was y tedius journey, but the sight o
my he'd usrved me. and l dreamed o
golden success when I reached New Mex
leo. Then l came to tho Rio Grande river
In plunged my flock of geese into tn
stream to MAKE for the opposite bunk. bu
alas! before ! realized it they were al
drowned. with the exception Of tive. which
l saved-I had forgotten to take off thei
shoes. and they couldn't SWIM"
Tho Linen s,le at the Bee Hive this week will