vol. XIV. NO. I. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



l.e 



)\ving piir|)ort, viz : The lower portion of kcr- 

 els put out the silk first, and the higher ones, 



I succession — a new circle of them i)resentln!r 

 icrnsilvcs contiiuially until they are all out and 



II iuiprcgnateil. Now the male blossoms, on 

 :ie spindle, do not remain in vigor n)ore than six 

 ays, and if the weather be hot and dry not so 



There is danger therefore, that all the ker- 

 cls will not become fertilized by the main stalks, 

 ut the suckers coming after in succession, will 

 (ford suflicient for the purpose, and the ears be- 

 onie fdled. There is not the least doubt on the 

 core of the necessity of the pollen of the sj)in- 

 le for rendering the kernel of the ear plump and 

 ood ; but the question to be decided is — docs 

 le spindle of the. main stalk ever fail of doing 

 lis ? If it is common for them to do this, then 

 le suckers, if they grow up and spindle in sea- 

 on, are absolutely necessary, and should never 

 e cut down. It is a subject worth examining, 

 nd we hope our farmers will watch narrowly 

 lis simimer and test the truth of it. — Maine 



PICKING GEESE ALIVE. 



Pennant, an English writer, says that geese arc 

 ducked five times in the year in Lincolnshire, 

 •nee for the qui'.ls, and four times for the feathers, 

 hat he saw the goslings six weeks old deprived of 

 heir feathers and tails. Many of them perished 

 inder the operation. Picking geese alive is how- 

 ver a cruel practice; but doubtless, there is one 

 leriod of the year in which the feathers come off 

 vith less pain than at others. Moubray liolds the 

 bllowing language: 



A writer in the Monthly Magazine, December, 

 823, remarks humanely on the cruelty of pluck- 

 ing the living goose, proposing a remedy, which I 

 ihould rejoice exceedingly to find practicable and 

 jfFective. He remarks on the additional torture 

 jxperieiiced by the poor fowl, from the too fre- 

 juent unskilfulness and want of dexterity of the 

 jperator — generally a woman. The skin and 

 flesh are sometimes so torn as to occasion the 

 Jeatli of the victim ; and even when the fowls are 

 plucked in the most careful manner, they lose 

 their fiesh and appetite ; their eyes become dull, 

 and they languish in a most pitiable state, during 

 a longer or a shorter period. Mortality also has 

 been periodically very extensive in the fiocks of 

 geese, from sudden and imprudent exposure of 

 them to the cold, after being stripped, and more 

 especially during severe seasons and sudden at- 

 mosperic vicissitudes. There are many instances 

 in bleak and cold situations, of hundreds being 

 lost in a single night, from neglect of the due pre- 

 caution of comfortable shelter for as long a time 

 as it may appear to be required. The remedy 

 proposed, on the above authority, is as follows ; 

 Feathers are but of a year's growth, and in the 

 moulting season they spontaneously fall off and 

 are supplied by a fresh fleece. When, howsver, 

 the geese are in full feather, let the plumage be 

 removed, close to the skin, by sharp scissors. 

 Tne produce would not be much reduced in 

 quantity, whilst the quality would be greatly im- 

 proved, and an indemnification be experienced, in 

 the uninjured health of the fowl, and the benefit 

 obtained to the succeeding crop. Labor also 

 wouhl he saved in dressing, since the quilly por- 

 tion of the feathers, when forcibly detached from 

 the skin, is generally in such a state, as, after all 

 to require the employment of scissors. After 



this op(M"Uion shall have been performed, the 

 down from the breast may bo removed by the 

 same means. 



The time has arrived, I trust, for successful ex- 

 ertions in the cause of compassion towards tortur- 

 ed and helpless animals ; and I presume to make 

 a serious call on the clergy and leading aristocracy 

 of the districts implicated, for the exercise of their 

 influence in this case, granting the reform to be 

 practicable. 



We fully believe that feather beds are worse 

 tKfrl useless — that they have debilitated and se- 

 riously injured many a constitution. The follow- 

 ing is from the Long Island Star: 



Sir, — Believing as I do, that the cause of hu- 

 manity is much neglected, and that there is still 

 room for improvement, and aniongst the various 

 species of cruelty, practised by thoge who profess 

 to be conscientious of inflicting unnecessary pain 

 either upon the human or animal creation, I con- 

 sider that picking geese alive is one that might 

 he ranked among the greatest. 



Many are conscientious respecting nicking hor- 

 ses, and making use of slaves' produce, and hold 

 it cruel and inhuman ; I would ask a reflecting 

 community, is it more so than picking geese alive ? 

 I answer no ! I am well aware that it is almost 

 heresy to advance such ideas to many, especiallv 

 those whose minds are shackled with the tradi- 

 tions of their forefathers. I have of late made 

 mention of this subject, and have freely ex- 

 pressed my views, and am hap[iy to say that many 

 entertain views which accord with my own ; yet 

 there are many who stand strongly opposed. In 

 a late conversation with some of those who are in 

 this practice, I was told unhesitatingly that if 

 geese were picked in the right time, it caused no 

 l)ain, which assertion I hold entirely erroneous, 

 and will pledge myself to give one dollar per 

 head for all geese that can be brought to me in a 

 state that the feathers can be picked without i)ain. 

 They may tell this to one who has never had ex- 

 perience and who has never witnessed the cruel 

 scene of picking gecso alho. The usual prac- 

 tice wliere I am acquainted is to draw a stocking 

 over the head, in order to prevent the goose biting 

 the one who picks it. I would ask those who ad- 

 vocate this inhuman practice, why does the goose 

 bite? The answer will be, because it is hurt by 

 forcing or extricating the feathers from their sock- 

 ets of flesh, and for the better information of those 

 who never witnessed the picking of geese, I will 

 give a faint idea of such a scene and its effects. 

 I have seen a flock of geese which apparently 

 were healthy, full of animation, which would not 

 suffer any one to apjjroach them, driven into apen 

 caught and stripped of their coat of feathers, till 

 they were almost naked. I have seen them lie 

 panting and struggling under the most excruciating 

 pain, whilst under this cruel operation. I have 

 seen the blood flow from their veins — I have seen 

 the flesh torn from the body, because the feathers 

 were set strongly in the body. I have seen the 

 same flock, wlio but a few hours ago would not 

 suffer you to approach them, stand by the way- 

 side in a dull, stupid, and inanimate state, with 

 their wings droojiing to the ground, suffering ine 

 to approach thfcm and take them in my hands. I 

 would ask what has caused this great change? — 

 Certainly nothing but the cruel oiieratiou which 

 has been inflicted on them. And for what ? Why, 

 for the sake of gain, as it will he told you ; and to 

 justify tliis cruel practice, it is argued that it is 



necessary, so as to make the raising of geeso lu- 

 crative business, and it is necessary to have beds. 

 To the first, I will projiosn to those who entertain 

 such views, to take a flock of geese and divido 

 them equal, and give them equal chance aliko as 

 to pasture or range, and pick onc(|of the flocks, 

 and then make sale of the feathers, and then 

 purchase any kind of grain with the proceeds 

 of such feathers, and fi;ed it to the flock so 

 picked, and they will find in the fall of the 

 year that the geese which have not been pick- 

 ed will be earlier fit for market, and far heav- 

 ier, and will make better returns ; so, instead 

 of its being advantageous to pick, it is an actual 

 loss. This idea is supported by actual expe- 

 rience, and as to its being necessary to have 

 beds, that we can have from the picking when 

 sent to market. But I would suggest the pro- 

 priety of sleeping on mattresses or beds cf straw 

 in warm weather, to promote health ; and it is 

 further argued, that if you do not pick them they 

 will shed their feathers, and then it is time to 

 pick them so as to cause no pain. In answer 

 to this, I will advise those who so argue, to 

 try the experiment on themselves. Say, (to 

 wit,) there are often times when the hairs of 

 their lieads or a part will come out without 

 pain — let them suflisr some one to snatch the 

 hairs from their heads until it is as bare as 

 the body of the goose, and see if it will ereato 

 pain or not. Who can, afler being acquainted 

 with the reality of this species of cruelty, lay 

 his head on a pil'.ow of feathers with a clear con- 

 science knowingthat the pillow is composed of ma- 

 terials which have caused severe painsand shedding 

 of blood on a poor lielpiess animal, which might 

 be obtained without pain. Much more might 

 be said on this inhuman jractice, but 1 am 

 well aware that I have encroached on your 

 columns by the length of this article ; the ob- 

 ject of my placing my views in your columns, 

 is to give them a more wide circulation than 

 1 could otherv/ise do, hoping that a word to 

 the wise is sufficient. — JV. Y. Farmer. 



iiTowiNG Machine. — We have seen at the shop 

 of Mr Johnson, in Cheri-y street, a mowing ma- 

 chine, whidi we are told is the first of the kind 

 built in this country. The cutting operation is 

 performed by circular knives fastened upon the 

 periphery of a horizontal wheel five feet in diam- 

 eter. This wheel is suspended upon a perpendicu- 

 lar iron shaft, which hangs upon a lever, by which 

 the knives are raised or lowered at the pleasure of 

 the driver to suit any unevenness in the ground. 

 The motion is given by jeering, connected with 

 the wjieels, on which the whole machine rests. 

 1 he machine will weigh a ton, and is moved by 

 two horsfe. Upon the horizontal wheel, and just 

 within the edge of the knives is a tub of light 

 wood, which has the effect of carrying the mown 

 grass into a swath. We see not hut that the 

 thing will work well on smooth land, but where 

 there are rocks of much unevenness it cannot. Jt 

 is said to be capable of mowing ten acres a day, 

 and certainly, for the mower, it is much easier to 

 ride on this machine, than to swing a common 

 scythe. The machine was invented in Eng- 

 land, but the laborers there, jirobably under the 

 guide of some philanthropic leader, made war 

 upon it, and would never permit it to be used in 

 peace. — .V. Y. Jour, of Com. 



