?4-8 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



By putting on goslings in the way we have described, the 

 land is made profitable after the crops are gathered, and 

 they do it an immense amount of good. The birds pur- 

 chased are generally bred by those who live near commons 

 or waste land, and there is no need why this should not be 

 done in every district. If it were done, the benefit derived 

 would be great, and probably the farmers near small towns 

 who need it most, would reap the benefit, and would also 

 supply a demand which has generally to be met from a dis- 

 tance. 



Of the various breeds of geese the Toulouse and the Emb- 

 den are the chief, and, as a rule, for commercial purposes, it 

 will be found better to select one of these. The Toulouse 

 is commonly known as the grey goose, because its plumage 

 is of that colour; and the Embden is called the white goose, 

 its plumage being pure white throughout. The latter is said 

 to be the earliest and best layer, which is a very great recom- 

 mendation, and its feathers always bring a higher price, than 

 do those of the coloured variety. In some places, however, 

 pure white birds would not look at all well, because of the 

 presence of smoke ; but, these are considerations which must 

 be left to be decided individually, according to circumstances. 

 Both these varieties are about equal in point of size and 

 quality of flesh. At the Birmingham Show of 1882 the 

 weight of the winning pair of grey geese was 451b. 4oz., and 

 of the whites 4'51b. 12oz.; but generally at that exhibition 

 the Toulouse are heaviest. Of course these weights are 

 abnormal, and only obtained by a very careful and continued 

 system, which our readers will do well not to follow, but 

 be content if they get birds from 121b. to 181b. weight, 

 for the Christmas market. In addition to the varieties 

 named, there are the Sebastopol, the Chinese, the Canadian, 

 and the Egyptian, but we do not think that they will be found 

 so profitable as the Toulouse and the Embden. 



