Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-20
Equality makes for

ganders at once. Equality makes for
peace.
The family life of geese abounds
with interest. The gander chooses
one mate to whom he devotes himself
assiduously. He is jealousy suspic-
ious, whence many bloody battles with
other ganders. lie accompanies her
faithfully. When they walk together,
he stalks ahead. He has been seen
to block her way deliberately when
she evinced an intention to choose
her own direction.
During the winter-the season OF
courtship-geese begin to need more
oversight. Most growers agree that
over-fat geese produce the greater
number of infertile eggs, and guard
against such conditions accordingly.
Thin geese, on the other hand, defer
laying which makes late broods. This
in turn curtails weight at shipping
time. The profitable medium is the
goose of average weight laying early
in February. Such eggs may be set
in March. The goslings break the
shell in time for the earliest tender
'grass. From this Matching come the
best breeders.
Care of the Eggs
The goose-house, in Difference to
that fowls strong attachment for its
quarters should always have the same
location. Any style of architecture
suits the goose. The nest is the i'm
portant feature. BoX-like nests, 15X22
inches, built side by side on the earth
en- floor. with a liberal filing of hay,
straw, dead pine leaves or other lit
ter are an excellent accommodation
The eggs should be collected daily, and
marked with ink or indelible pencil
with the date of laying This en-
ables the raiser always to set oldest
eggs first. for in this business as with
all poultry, the older the egg for in
cubation, the weaker the youngster
In saving the eggs till brooding time,
certain safeguards are needfuI. Eggs
should be set on end turned often and
protected from drying and sudden ex-
tremes of temperature. 4 flannel
lined box. or old feather bed in an un-
heated room is often favored, the eggs
being covered with pillows.
Natural incubation is to be prefer
red to artificial. For the purpose of
getting more eggs from the flock, at
least two hens should be set coinci-
dent with each goose Each may
cover five or six, depending upon size
of hens and eggs. One goose can
hover the resultant Matching of her
own and of the hens For every
dozen set, one goose may be broken
from sitting TO resume her second
ldylHs. IHese laSL eSBS, la1d In warm
weather, unsupervised, usually hatch
phenomenally well. Though the gos-
lings face life to be supported on the
tough grass of June, they grow rapidly
with supplemental feeding and become
worthy, if belated, members of the
seasons flock.
Normally, a goose egg matches in 2S
days but it may be prolonged. Tardy
goslings may require aid to emerge
from the shell, but it must be eau
uous, else permanent injury results.
These unfortunates lack stamina, but
may outgrow the discrepancy
Management of GoSlings
Goslings are removed from the nest
lest they be crushed. The second day
restores them to the mother, who is
given a roomy coop with sod floor.
For food they like liquid mixture
of meal and bran in a pieplate. often
replenished. Coarse sand is acces-
sible. Hard-boiled egg, chopped
grass, bread crumbs in milk, etc, are
not needed by Emdens.
Goslings revel in sunshine and grass
flanked with water. A wire-topped
coop with slat sides, Sx6X2 feet, which
is easily moved is efficient in confin-