The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-28

Why some Farmers Declare Their btocLs Nut
snnce. but Won't DO Niihont Them.

Maybe you have o'ten noticed tlat some
farmers keep geese year In AMI rear out. let
them have the run OF the farm. and seem to show
them all kinds OF ouslderatlOn." said an OBJ
servant sum ner boarder. vet are always
swearing that they are the biggest nuisance in
the world. II YOU have noticed that peculi.
ari,y Of the daily rounds OF the husban Imam.
you have doubtless many u time wondered
why In blh2cs the farmer kept such ruisauccs
on his premises. | used to wonder WHY Il
we-. but ! never bothered myself TO fnd out
the reason. AID one summer an explanation Of
the mystery cainc about In a funny way. l
was passing my va ,ati0n on u farm over IN
Jersey. The fnl mer had n big fosk of geese.
and he was e~ternallY throwing the weIyhtlest
Kind OF Jersey uu = words at them. One day
| sat on the front sioop TALKING with my host.
The geese were placidly cropping grass down
along the road, n hg gnnder leading the ~ on.
'eace, tranluillIty. AMI contentment spoke IN
every movement the fowls made. There
wasn't II cIOu IN the SKY that | could see.
The farmers men were working without much
apparent vim at raking and loading hay down
IN n meadow not a great way OF. Suddenly
the old gander pcRed up his head. gave voice
to n peculiar squawR. lifted his wings. and
started on on n run Ms fast a. his Ing webbed
feet would let lin 20, All the geese poked up
their aerks at the sound u the gnnder's voice,
liued tnelr wings. and with "a chorus OF noises
that only a Cock 81 gscsc can produce. started
after the gander as fast as they could wadule,
The gander ran perhaps twenty wards and
then. with a Wild shrek, he TOOK wing and
.lew In thr direction OF a pond a short distance
from the road. The geese few after Lin, NIL
Ink tie ar with their discordant cries. Gan.
der and geese alight"d IA the pond. where they
all gAthrrya IN u bunch, held ~ ruusul tAtiou IN
q sundued. chorus Of caCk!eS. and went through
nl sort ,f .Tratlp mann n NI.a far "a fa,,s, al,
as uln ,.fiy as they nnI been pssturiug b. tho
roa lsid- 81 i"V minutes before,
-. / the Erst movement Of the Rnnder, when
he disturbed he tranquility OF the feeding
ilOtA, m, hu,t rose quickly To his feet, and, as
he moved toward the meadow, exclaimed:
There's the ding haydn hands wnrkln' as
II th.I had all the rest o the year to git that
hNY Tn. and here we're goln' To be ketched in a
trarin' old shower In lesS than an hour, or 1lso
there amt no use IN kecpIn' geese
Then hc hurried down To the meadow,
spurrrd NJ the men, and took an active hand
himself ut the loading OF the hay. Before M
teen minutes had passed | saw clouds oank-
Ing In the horizon, and presently the mutter
OF thunder vas heard among them. The
farmer waJ right. In an hour one OF the hard
est thunder storms ! ever saw was raging over
that part OF New Jersey, and II caught the last
load OF the old mans hay In transit. After
supper that night | quest. onrd the farmer On
tho goo 81 question, and found that the reason
he Tolerated Il Hook OF geese on his farm was
that they Kept him posted on the wealth IT.
"'Tney l.a,n't never failed me yit.' he said.
When | Kit np In the mornin' an SEQ them