The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-07-12
PATE De Poles GRAS.
WHY DON'T AMERICAN FARMERS
GO INTO IT'S PRODUCTION?


GO INTO ITS PRODUCTION?
They Raise Millions of Geese but They
Have Not Caught on to the Real
Golden Egg, Laid by This Blooming
Bird.
American poultry breeders, so far
concerned, are behind the times.
They indeed raise millions of geese
for market, they supply the demand
for roast goose, stuffed goose, goose
fricasee, with a valuable by-product
from feathers as side line, but still
they haven't caught on to the real
golden egg that can or should be laid
by this blooming bird. We hear OF
no establishment in the United States
devoted to raising geese, not for their
meat, not for their feathers, but for
their livers exclusively. Nowhere in
this broad land do they make goose
liver pie. But there's where the for
tune is; therein lies the secret OF
forcing the silly bird that saved Rome
by it's cackling and sets the farm crazy
by it's garrulous Cabling to give up
a stream of gold SURPRISING that which
rolls down from "Afric's sands" 1t
is marvellous that this millionaire
producing country, this money loving
land of ingenious devices, should
have let such chance as this go.
With it's boasts of being strictly up to
date and ahead Of all creation. this
glorious Yankee nation has evident
" let a bird go, the veritable bird
which sheds fortunes from that per
fidious entrail'' known as the liver.
The Old Country has been on to 1t
for ages. There, in abundance, is
concocted that delicious t!dbit called
pate de foies gras," but which in
plain English simply means goose
liver pie Every one of our poultry
raisers knows about, if he does not
own, the famous Toulouse geese, but
he is ignorant of the possibilities or
this bird in its native home in the
sunny land of France. When lMport.
ed over here the Toulouse goose IS
used for ordinary purposes or per-
hars for exhibition at shows. But
gee him on his native heath, where
his whole mission in life is 10 have
his liver stuffed up to enormous pro-
portions for pie making purposes.
Thrifty France exports enormous
quantities of this foie gras. 1t ap-
pears on the table of every ep1cure
in Europe. King Edward nibDles at
it, Emperor William does not disdain
it, while the lords and dukes and
ladies think no feast, complete with
out it's appetizing presence. France
worships it, Germany adores 1t and
John Bull regards it with the tenn
pered respect that is grudgingly CIV
en- to things continental.
The department, of which Toulouse
is the capital, is given over to this
variety of goose, which, when fat
tened, weighs from twenty-six to thlr-
ty-two pounds The ordinary goose
there and here seldom goes beyond
seven or eight pounds. The whole
section Is given up to geese. They
swarm all over the roads and accord
ing to the last census, the goose popu-
lation of this one department amount
ed to 100000. AS these birds, after
being fattened for the market, are
worth about 81 each, the average year.
ly income from the sale of geese alone
will reach $S,000,000. Now why can't
our American goose farmers get onto
this scheme and make the same kind
of money? The fattening of geese
whose livers are to be sacrificed for
pate de foie gras begins in the autumn.
They are cooped up in sheds and
fed on Indian corn, softened by being
mixed with -four and water. After a
month or two of this luxurious life,
the luckless bird is placed in a dark
and silent cell half filed with straw.
There is hardly room to move; not
chink for light, not a sound. Nothing
must distract the attention of Mother
Goose from the business OF diges-
ton while being stuffed. Over a
quart of corn day, sometimes with
milk and soup added, is given. The
more UP to date farmers have stuff
fing machine which feeds the birds
with rolls OF soft food-bran, wheat,
barley and potatoes. A funnel IS
placed in the birds beak and the
food forced down its throat. When
these fat geese are brought to the
market they sell for prices varying
from "a to So apiece. The livers are
of enormous size. Three pounds is
the average, but in Toulouse livers
weighing FIVE pounds are not at all
uncommon. Picturesque peasants with
baskets on their arms bring goose liv-
ers to the shops and markets. Very
fat livers are Shown in the shop win
dows for lay before they are cooked.
A good deal of prejudice exists in
this country against foie gras, owing
to a notion that the stuff is made of
l;.oocoI Iivarc bS,f tho French farm