CHAPTER XX. 

 RAISING GEESE. 



With suitable facilities, breeding geese is profitable, 

 and many a farmer's wife has secured home comforts 

 from this source. It is useless to breed geese with too- 

 little room ; they must have their liberty to do well, and 

 be furnished with large grass runs, as they are great 

 graziers. Their weakness for fruit, and their ability to 

 trample down small fruits and vegetables, make them 

 undesirable where there are fruit and vegetable planta- 

 tions. They must be kept away from young chicks, or 

 they will soon destroy them, especially during the hatch- 

 ing season, when they are unusually cross and combat- 

 ive. 



Choose only those free from all defects, either indi- 

 vidual or hereditary. It is the rule with good breeders 

 to keep the same birds for years successively for breed- 

 ing, as the progeny is usually stronger and healthier 

 from such stock than from younger ones. The ganders, 

 however, rapidly depreciate with age, and also early pair 

 off with single females. In these cases, a young and 

 vigorous gander is substituted. It is best to make the 

 selection for breeding in autumn, just before culling out 

 for fattening, or selling stock to others. No amount of 

 persuasion, or tempting high price, should induce the 

 breeder to part with his best birds ; for if he desires to 

 steadily improve his flock, no mutter whether it is of so- 

 called common birds or thoroughbreds, he must take 

 his pick first of the very cream of the flock. 



If geese can be set early, two broods may be obtained 

 from each female, thus securing large flocks for each sea- 

 son's sales. The later-hatched birds, generally having 

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