About Geese

Three geese can be niated to one gander, and the same breeding stock kept for several years. Keep breeding geese thin in flesh, they will lay better and their eggs will haten better than when kept on full feed of grain. The best breeders turn out to pasture as soon as the snow is gone, and after the grass is well up feed nothing. After the geese are turned out to pasture they can get along -without shelter, but it is a good plan to have a shed somewhere near the water. The time for hatching goslings is from the middle of April to the first of July. The eggs should be set under hens especiallyif you keep the Toulouse geese. The Embdens sit well and make good mothers. When practicable the nest should be made on the ground, otherwise the bottom of, the nest should be made of earth, and during the last two weeks of incubation the eggs should be sprinkled as of ten as every other day with tepid water, Keep the young goslings in a dry coop at night, and out of the dew and wet for the flrst few weeks. In France where the raising of geese is carried on to a great extent, whole flocks of goslings are frequently killed by being caught out in unexpected thunderstorms. Feed hard-boiled eggs, bread crumbs, scalded meal slightly settled, and, unless grass is plenty, onion tops and tender lettu,ce, "Feed a little at a time and feed of ten. AVhen six weeks old the goslings may be turned out to pasture, but for a few weeks after should te fed diminished rations of boiled turnips mixed with bran, corn, apple-parings, etc. When eight or ten weeks old they will, if on good pasture, do without any axtra food until cold weather. The very finest market geese are produced from a cross between the Toulouse and Embden. These crossbred birds grow larger thaa either of the throughbreds, and their ieshis ïemarkablyfine. All the geese should be pure Embdens and the gander a pure Toulouse. These cross-bred geese should never be kept for iuture breeders fer they produce young of inferior si$ and quality. Yes, geese can be kept without the advantagejof a pond or s, stream oí water, but we are not going to advice people who have only a "patch" of ground to go into the goose business. Of all the abominable nusances on top of the ground a flock of geese in a small-yard takes the palm. Where. one has plenty of land and can f eaee them away from the house and garden geese canbe raised. with only water to drink; b.ut, aiter all, geese are water íowls, and raising with only a tub of water is very much like keeping a ■whale in a tank - it can be done, but it is an awful bother.