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 matter whether it is of so- 
called common birds or thoroughbreds, he must take 
his pick first of the very cream of tive 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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