616 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



When feeding approach them quietly, and do not irritate them in 

 the least or they will not fatten, but will "throw out" or grow an- 

 other crop of feathers. At 10 weeks of age, or when the tips of the 

 wings reach the tail, they are ready for market and should weigh 

 between 8 and 10 pounds. 



When young goslings are to be dressed for market, they are 

 killed by cutting them in the roof of the mouth, severing the artery, 

 or by stunning them by hitting them a sharp, quick blow on the 

 head. The picker uses a box in front of him about the height of the 

 knees, holding the bird with the left hand and clasping the feet and 

 wings together; he places the head of the bird against the box and 

 holds it in place with the knee. Pick the feathers from the body of 

 the bird, then dampen the right hand and brush the body to re- 

 move the down. Leave about two inches of feathers on the neck, 

 and also leave feathers on the wings at the first joint. Lay the 

 wings against the body of the birds and tie a string around to hold 

 in position. Place the birds, when picked, in cold water for an 

 hour or so to plump them ; if they are in the water too long they are 

 liable to bleach and become water-soaked. They are then iced up 

 in barrels ready to ship to market. Young geese should be marketed 

 in October. It is best to market all possible before cold weather seta 

 in. It is much harder to dress a gosling in cold weather. The 

 feathers set tighter, and in picking them! the flesh is torn. (Dep. 

 Agr. F. B. 64.) 



GUINEA FOWL. 



The guinea fowl, sometimes called guinea keets, as the name 

 implies, are probably natives of the west coast of Africa. They 

 were raised as table produce by the ancient Greeks and Romans. 

 They are also well known as game produce in England, where large 

 flocks are kept in game preserves. In the United States few breed- 

 ers raise them in large numbers, although a few are raised on each 

 of many farms where poultry is kept. Some people object to them 

 on account of their rather harsh cry, which sometimes may be an- 

 noying, and also to their wandering and somewhat quarrelsome hab- 

 its. Their pugnacious disposition sometimes leads them into trouble 

 with other poultry, but also causes them to resist attacks of hawks 

 and other natural enemies. 



The guinea fowl is % inclined to stray and to steal their nests in 

 out of the way places, and in this respect perhaps show their wild 

 instincts more than do other breeds of fowls. 



Varieties. Few varieties of the guinea fowl are raised ; the so- 

 called "pearl" variety is by far the most common. They have a 

 steel, purplish-gray plumage, regularly dotted over or "pearled" 

 with white. The sexes resemble each other very closely ; the males, 

 however, may generally be distinguished 'by their comb and wattles. 

 The cries of the two sexes differ ; that of the male is simply a shriek, 

 while the female has a peculiar call often thought to resemble 

 "buckwheat." 



Habits. These domesticated fowls retain many of their wild 

 traits. If permitted, they wander over long distances and flv almost 



