The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-25
II BEATS THE KLONDIKE
A New Industry for Northern
/. Montana.
THERE'S MILLIONS IN IT
A Goose Farm II . Mighty Profitable AZ
fair. Provided You Oar Get some
One to Steal the 0esss and
Then Catch Them at It.

Great Falls, Nov. 2l-The common.
everyday sort Of q goose that wades
around In the puddles In the barnyard
and chuckles In q maudlin fashion and
flaps its wings In q purposeless man.
ner from time to time. may be all right
In some communities and with some
people. but Its propagation In Northern
Montana has been productive OF an m
mense amount Of sheol. 1t was In 1858.
q time when this city looked more like
q handful OF walnut shells scattered
aimlessly on the prairie than anything
mile or two up the Missouri river.
which belonged to one "Old Man Lo-
berg" Two young men went hunting
one day and they shot some Of those
geese accidentally. or Intentionally. and
much grief arose from 1t. They were
tried for something or other. fratricide,
possibly. and they were fined. Then
their witnesses were taken before the
district court n they were sent to the
penitentiary for perjury. That was the
first goose case OF record in Northern
Montana. There have been other trou-
bles connected with the rearing of the
saviors of Rome. but as they have not
been brought into court IL Is not nec-
essary to give them In detail. The lat
est grief through geese comes from
Fort Benton, and the River Press has
the following account OF H.:
Harry Gould. whose residence and
farm Is at the upper end of Front
street, concluded to make a start In the
goose raising business this spring, and
secured a foundation flock by capturing
six goslings Of the wild species, which
were %disporting themselves in the Mis-
souri, river. The flock contained repre-
s~enstatives of each sex. and Mr.. Gould
..-- L. A. .l.-A a. ..ra N HnnaA Nn Ern
on which the number of birds would
increase from year to year.
The young geese received careful at
tention and liberal feed during the
summer months. and made such rapid
growth that they outclassed anything
of like species and age within the mem
DRY of local experts. They were the
admiration Of those who passed the
Gould farm, and comment was freely
made upon the exceptionally hne APP
pearance of the plump and saucy birds.
"All went well with this good enter
prise until about the middle of Sep
TENDER, when three OF h largest and
finest members OF the flock disappeared
during the midnight hours. There were
certain suspicious circumstances con-
nected with the disappearance which
pointed TO human appetite for goose as
the aus of Mr.. Gould's loss. He con-
cluded not to make any immediate fuss
DOu H Jul III ao -
tiently awaited developments.
NJ Gould's patience was rewarded
about W weeks ago, when a certain
indiscreet resident of this city made
some casual remarks about an elegant
goose dinner which he enjoyed last
September. The pleasures of that feast
could not be forgotten, and he declared
to several of his acquaintance that a
goose dinner like the one to which ref
erence was made was a banquet Mt Tor
a king.
THE news of that September goose
dinner reached Mr.. Gould. who imme-
diately resolved himself into a detective
agency, and after some clever work he
found hat the elegant repast was fur
nished from the foundation flock of his
goose farm. He farther discovered that
three midnight providers were implicat-
ed in the raid, and no time was lost in
filing legal complaint against them In
the court of Justice George w. Crane.
Trial Of the case was averted by a COM
promise agreement between the defend
ants and the complaining witness. Mr..
Gould receiving S35 for his three geese.
and the defendants also paying costs.
amounting to $3.50.
These were the returns of the first
genuine attempt to conduct a goose
farm in Northern Montana, and IL must
be confessed that they are attractive
enough to a continuation of
the enterprise. Disposing of geese at
nearly s12 apiece when six months old
Is a highly profitable occupation. II
beats ranching, stock raising or wool
growing. 1t beats the Klondike."