5S6 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



hours old under a large crate, on dry ground, but 

 sufficiently shaded, as goslings cannot stand the 

 sun. No coop for them should have a wooden 

 floor, as their feet seem to slip about on this in a 

 strange way, and they may get their leg-joints 

 dislocated. For about a week it is well to keep 

 the goslings confined in a run; but after that 

 they begin to graze and forage, and may have 

 liberty, provided they are housed and well 

 bedded down at night. They need no brooding 

 after that age if properly sheltered, but the 

 natural parents take great interest for a long 

 time in the young family, which on a good 

 grazing ground will need scarcely any other 

 attention until nightfall. Incubator - hatched 

 goslings do quite well in an outdoor brooder, 

 cooled down as soon as possible. 



They may be fed the first day on chopped 

 egg and bread-crumb like ducklings, but mixed 

 with some chopped weed or greens, which they 

 need from the very first. After that there is no 

 better diet than barley-meal and wheat, scalding 

 the wheat with boiling water and mixing rather 

 dry meal with it : any boiled greens and 

 vegetables may be mixed with it, and minced 

 grass, or boiled potatoes. The drinking water 

 should be in a fountain into which they can only 

 get their bills. When strong, they need very 

 little food if there is good grazing, so that 

 formerly many were killed at Michaelmas just 

 as they came from the grass, as " green " geese. 

 When kept after that for greater size, they are 

 usually either turned into stubbles, or folded on 

 a piece of turnips to eat it off like sheep — eating 

 off the greens themselves, and having the roots 

 chopped in two for them, or put up to fatten in 

 sheds. During such fattening they are usually 

 led three times a day, having by them clean 

 water and a tub of coarse gravel. The finest 

 flesh is probably produced by whole or crushed 

 white oats in water ; but they will fatten more 

 quickly on a mixture of fresh brewers' grains 

 and barley-meal, or with some Indian meal. 

 They are more contented if some sweet hay 

 is fastened up so that they can nibble at it, 

 but not get it down under foot ; and so far as 

 possible, only the number should be penned 

 together which are likely to be killed together, 

 since they form strong companionships, and are 

 apt to fret and "go off" if a portion of the 

 flock are taken away. As a rule it pays best 

 either to keep them on till near Christmas, if 

 there are stubbles to run them on ; or else to 

 fatten them up as quickly as possible for 

 market ; or else, spending less upon them, to 

 sell them in good condition, but small, as 

 indicated later on. 



In regard to exhibition, nothinsr need be 



added to the articles which follow respecting the 

 chief varieties of geese. For practical purposes 

 these consist of the Embden, the Toulouse, the 

 Chinese or African, and the Canada goose; the 

 first three of which are descended from the wild 

 Grey-lag, while the Canada is distinct. The 

 ordinary domestic goose has also given rise to 

 one or two sub-varieties. 



The most valuable breed of geese at the 

 present day, for reasons stated presently, is 

 probably the Embden. The following article 

 on Embden geese was kindly con- 

 Tte tributed by the Hon. Sybil and 



Goose.^° Florence Amherst, who was until 



recently well known as a successful 

 breeder and e.xhibitor of this variety. 



" The development of the white domestic 

 goose can be traced from the earliest times. 

 Before show Standards required certain geese to 

 be ' spotless white throughout,' it had been the 

 study of breeders, from the remotest ages, for 

 utility purposes, to establish white varieties of 

 geese. An account is given on a papyrus* of an 

 Egyptian prince, who, in ordering ten geese to 

 be given as payment to his workmen, cautions 

 those who are to kill the geese not to touch ' the 

 white bird on the cool tank.' In much later 

 times, large flocks of white geese were driven 

 to Rome from north-western Europe for the 

 sake of their feathers. According to Lucretius, 

 the sacred geese that saved the Capitol were 

 white. Horace t describes a famous Roman 

 dish made of the liver of white geese fed on 

 fat figs. Varro, about 50 B.C., urges that geese 

 chosen for stock should be large and white, J 

 for the goslings are generally like them, and 

 points out the advantage of their ' domesticated, 

 placid nature.' Columella, in the beginning of 

 the Christian era, writing on the same subject, 

 remarks § that ' care must be taken that male 

 and female of the largest bodies and of a white 

 colour be chosen ' (avoiding the wilder grey 

 kinds). These scattered notes show that it 

 has been by careful selection that pure white 

 breeds of geese have been formed. 



" The work of generations is shown to per- 

 fection in the Embden goose as now bred and 

 exhibited in the United Kingdom. All nations 

 recognise the creation of this beautiful bird by 

 the English. In Germany, the original home 

 of the Embden, they say, ' Embdens were ex- 

 ported to England a long time ago, and how 

 admirably they have succeeded, and surpassed 



* Anastasi Papyrus, 

 t Sat. Lib. viii. 66. 

 X Lib. iii. cap. v. 

 § Lib. viii. cap. xiT. 



