The spectator., 1922-02-24

tPrepared by the United States Department
 of AgricuItureD
 During the holiday season. when the uuctuous goose graces the largest available platter. is the time 10 think of the adVisabiltty of growing q bunch of these profitable birds for the tables that will be spread for hungry fam flies another year. The goose pop ulatiou in the United States has been on the decline in recent years. but the United States Department of Az riculture expresses the opinion that there are many farms on which q few can be raised on pasture and other feed that will scarcely be missed. Al- though the demand for feathers k not what il once WIS. and the eggs are not In demand for cooking. these birds are worth while as producers of de licious meat. The objection has been raised that the meat iS too oily. but this condition is largely due to i'm proper cooking, to failure to remove the surplus fat of the abdominal cav ity. and to not skimming off the grease while cooking
 Grass Furnishes Bulk of Feed.
 Where there is low. rough pasture land with a natural supply of water geese can be raised at d profit. They are generally quite free from disease and all insect pests, but they are oc- casioually affected by the diseases common to poultry. Grass makes up the bulk of the feed and it is doubt ful whether it pays to raise them if good grass range is not available. body of water where they can swim is considered essential during the breeding season and iS a good thing during the rest of the year.
 The market Is not so general as for chickens. but the demand and the price are unusually good in localities where goose fattening is conducted nn large scale. However. few geese are desirable on many farms where there Is no such market. EX- ccpt in winter and during stormy weather, mature geese have little need for d house. Breeders in the North. and some in the South, use shed open to the south as q protection in winter. CoopS. barrels or other Shel- ter are needed by gosingS. The houses may be kept clean by supply ing plenty of straw f6r bedding.
 From to 25 geese may be pastured i on an acre of land, the number depend ing upon the quality of the pasture. i Ten geese to the acre is a fair aver 1 Sh hn wherever possible In the South many i people use geese to help in keeping l down the weeds in the cotton fields. 1 Along about the first of February geese should get ration suitable l for egg production so that goSlingS 1 may he matched at about the time the l first pasture is available. Nests may 1 he made on the floor of the house. or i in large boxes, barrels or other shel- i ters II iS desirable to collect the eggs daily and to keep them in a cool l place where the contents will not l evnporate too rapidly; if kept for some time they may be stored in loose bran.
 The first eggs are usually set un- der hens. while the last ones the goose lays may he matched either un- i der hens or under the goose if she l goes broody. If the eggs are not re ] moved from the nest where she is i laying she will usually stop laying sooner than if they are taken away ] daily. The sitters may be broken up i if they are confined to a Slat-bottom 1 coop. with water to drink but no feed l for two to four days.
 Some breeders prefer to raise all the i gosings with hens, as geese sometimes i become difficult to manage when al- l lowed to hatch and rear their young Hens used for matching goose eggs must be duSted with insect powder and have good attention as the period of incubation for goose eggs Is longer than for chicken eggs. Goose eggs may Se matched in incubaturS and the gosing raised in breeders, but this is not common practice.
 From 2S to 30 days are required to hatch goose eggs. Moisture should he added after the first week if the eggs are set under hens or in incubatorS. warm water being sprnkled on the eggs or the nest Incubators should be run at temperature of l01.5 to 1925 degrees Fahrenheit, or about l F degrees lower than for hens eggs. and the eggs should be cooled longer. Four to six eggs are put under hen and 10 to 13 under goose. They may be tested about the tenth day, and those that are infertlle or con- tain dead germs should be removed. Goose eggs hatch slowly, especially under hens, and the goslings are re moved as soon as matched and kept in a warm place until the matching is over, when they are put back under the hen or goose.
 After the eggs are all matched some breeders give all the goslings to the geese Hens with goslings may be kept in coops and their charges al- 1 lowed to range but they are not Al.