CHINESE GEESE 



531 



throat, which is of a gray color. The knob of the African goose 

 is black, and in the White Chinese it is orange colored. 



The Chinese geese (see Fig. 327), of which there are two 

 varieties. Brown and White, have never become extensively 

 bred in this country, probably because of their small size. What 

 they lack in size, however, they endeavor to make up in egg 

 production, for they are the most prolific of all breeds of geese, 

 averaging about sixty eggs a year. Their flesh has a superior 



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Fig. 327. — White China geese. 



flavor and texture, and they are easy to fatten and manage. 

 The standard weight of the adult gander is 12 pounds, and the 

 adult goose 10 pounds, as against 20 pounds and 18 pounds for 

 the other three varieties. 



Gray wild geese, or Canadian geese, as they are also called, 

 are about the same weight as the Chinese. Recently they seem 

 to have come to the fore, and are prized very highly for table 

 purposes. They are frequently crossed with African ganders. 



