736 Journal of the Department op Agriculture. 



properly the operator sliould sit upon a low stool or box with the goose 

 across his knees, the head beino;' towards the back of the body, and 

 the legs firmly held in the left hand. Two baskets are required, the 

 coarser down being placed in one and the finer in the other; in this 

 way the down is graded at the time of plucking. Only the down from 

 the breast, thighs, and paunch, should be removed ; all top feathers, 

 such as wings and back, should be left. Geese are susceptible to colds, 

 and the removel of these feathers may lead to the loss of geese from 

 cold or pneumonia. 



Se.xes.— When just hatched goslings of the Embden breed are 

 bright yellow on the back; the others are grey, and the latter are 

 generally females and the former males. It is fairly easy to tell the 

 sex in an adult bird : the male is larger than the female and his cry 

 is shrill, while that of a female is harsh ; the neck is a little longer 

 and a little thinner in the male. The cheeks are less prominent, but 

 the posterior part of the upper mandible, which is generally of orange 

 colour up to the skull, is more prominent in the female. As two 

 indications are better than one it is best to inspect the sexual organ, 

 which furnishes absolute proof. In the female the sphincter, or 

 muscular tissue closing the anus, is folded and sinuous when stretched 

 with the fingers. In the male, on exerting a light pressure on the 

 same place, the sphincter soon appears; it protrudes more quickly in 

 warm weather and also in a mature male. 



The New Apple-box. 



The attention of apple growers is called to Clause 5, Section (h), 

 of the Regulations (Government Notice No. 260 of 6tli February, 1920) 

 under the Fruit Export Act, No. 17 of 1914, which reads: — 



" The following fruits shall be packed in boxes the sizes of which 

 shall be : — 



Inside Measurement. 



(h) For apples, 18 in. by lU in. by 10 in." 



This box has been substituted for the one 20 in. by 10 in. by 11 in. 

 previously in use for export. All growers catering for local trade 

 should adopt this size of box. It is a convenient packag-e, holding 

 just under one bushel, and, if generally used, will be far more satis- 

 factory both to seller and purchaser than the different sized boxes 

 now found on the various local markets. 



In order to allow growers to dispose of their stocks of the old 

 size apple-box, the regulations respecting the new box will not be 

 vigorously enforced this season, but its use will be compulsory next 

 season. 



