FARM ANIMALS 341 



GEESE 



The profitable breeds of geese in this country 

 are six in number while some other fancy breeds, 

 like the Colored Egyptian geese, have been intro- 

 duced and are raised to a small extent for orna- 

 mental purposes. The Toulouse geese come from 

 France, are gray in color and are quite generally 

 popular as farm birds. They lay about forty eggs 

 per season. The meat, however, is a trifle coarse. 

 The average weight for an adult bird is about 

 twenty pounds. Embden geese come from West- 

 phalia, are pure white in color, somewhat more 

 erect in carriage than the Toulouse and are some- 

 what smaller. The African geese are gray in color 

 with a knob at the base of the bill on the top of the 

 head. The knob is black and the prominent dew- 

 lap under the throat is gray. The African geese 

 are the most profitable of all breeds of geese to 

 raise for meat. They mature most rapidly and 

 are ready for market at the age of ten weeks when 

 they weigh from eight to ten pounds. The Colored 

 and White China geese are lighter than the breeds 

 already mentioned, weighing about seven pounds 

 less per bird. They lay more eggs than the other 

 breeds, however, averaging fifty or sixty per year. 

 Both of these breeds have a knob on the top of the 

 head at the base of the bill but are distinguished 

 from other geese in their erect carriage. Wild 

 geese are widely domesticated and raised in nearly 

 every state in the country. These birds are some- 

 times considered rather difficult to raise, but fine 

 success has been had by most individuals who have 

 attended to the business. They have a long slender 

 neck with a small head and a white stripe behind 

 the eyes. The adult birds weigh from fourteen to 



