EXTENT OF THE INDUSTRY 



with most other classes of poultry. For all of these 

 reasons, therefore, a small flock of geese will return 

 a good profit to the farmer without having to supply 

 any great amount of equipment or without having 

 to feed very much in the way of expensive feeds. In 

 addition to the geese which can be marketed, the 

 maintenance of a small flock also helps to provide a 

 variety in the farmer's diet by furnishing suitable 

 birds for the holiday seasons such as Thanksgiving 

 an4 Christmas. 



In addition to the opportunity for goose raising in 

 small flocks on general farms there likewise exists 

 a definite opportunity to specialize along this line 

 somewhat more extensively. In certain places, not- 

 ably the state of Wisconsin, goose raising becomes a 

 more important activity on some farms than merely 

 that of a by-product.. Larger numbers are reared 

 and special steps are taken in fattening and finish- 

 ing them for market either by means of pen fatten- 

 ing or by means of hand fattening or noodling the 

 geese. Geese so finished for market bring a special 

 price and allow a good profit to the raiser for the 

 time which he has put into them. 



An outgrowth of the goose raising industry which 

 has been worked to a limited extent consists of the 

 gathering together of the geese raised in any partic- 

 ular portion of the country on one farm and the 

 feeding of them there in large flocks in the fields so 

 as to fatten them for market. There are not many 

 of these special fattening farms but several persons 



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