68 w. cook's turkey, goose, and pheasant book. 



young geese are supplied with sharp grit, to masticate or 

 grind their food, they grow to a much heavier weight in 

 a shorter time than when they are kept without sharp 

 grit. 



It must be remembered geese do not chew their food, 

 but swallow it just as they take it into their mouth. As 

 I have mentioned before, if there is a possibility of them 

 finding any grit they will do so, as they know by instinct 

 they require it. 



When young or old geese are penned off, as they are 

 occasionally in grass fields, they are deprived of this 

 necessity. I always consider grit to the feathered tribes is 

 the mainspring of life. 



If a number of geese were penned in a lovely meadow, 

 -vvith good grass to peck at, and another batch were let 

 run on a common, not more than half-a-mile away, 

 -where there was but very litde grass, the latter would do 

 better than the former, which had the good pasture. 



Some of my readers may ask the question, " Why is 

 this?" Simply because those which run on the common 

 have a good supply of grit from the roads or pathways, 

 whilst those in the grass-field do not get an opportunity 

 •of supplying themselves with this necessary material. 



\Vhere a number of geese are kept and they have no 

 opportunity of getting on the roads where waggons or 

 •carts pass along, they should have some flint grit put 

 •at the bottom of a trough with water in it, a little grain, 

 viz : — barley, buckwheat, oats, or something of that kind 

 should also be put in the trough. The geese will put 

 itheir bill into the water and forage after the grain, then 



