218 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
WILD GOOSE— Anas canadensis —(Fig 1 . 73.) 
Naturalists have not entirely agreed in regard to the 
generic affinities of this bird. Buffon, and most others, 
call it a goose, but Cuvier calls it a swan. The charac¬ 
teristic differences between geese and swans, are in some 
cases, however, not easily discovered. The bird is strict¬ 
ly American, not being found, so far as we are informed, 
on the old continent.. From its peculiar habits, it is the 
most interesting of all the goose tribe. It is seen peri¬ 
odically all over North-America, from the equator to the 
highest habitable point towards the poles. Wilson says— 
“ it is highly probable that they extend their migrations 
under the very pole itself, amid the silent desolation of 
unknown countries, shut out from the eye of man by 
everlasting barriers of ice!” Twice a year, they tra¬ 
verse this vast extent, amounting to one-fourth of the 
cireumfrence of the globe! Their northern flight is the 
welcome harbinger of approaching spring; while their 
return from the boreal regions, on their southward jour¬ 
ney, is the sure precursor of winter's reign. 
Cuvier describes the plumage of this bird as—“ Dark- 
ash; head, neck, and tail, black-streaked, and throat 
white; bill and feet black; tail of eighteen feathers.” 
Within a few years, it has been stated that white wild 
geese have been discovered in this country. Whether 
these are the Snow geese , spoken of by some naturalists, 
or whether they are a species of swan, we are unable to 
decide. In their size and note, however, they are said to 
correspond with the ordinary wild goose. 
The wild goose breeds only at the north. Some of 
their favorite haunts are the shores of Labrador and 
Hudson’s Bay. We have been informed by fishermen 
and others who have visited those regions, that they are 
found on the banks of creeks and streams, during the 
breeding season, in immense numbers. The fishing ves¬ 
sels sometimes send boats and procure their eggs in large 
quantities. 
In becoming domesticated, the wild goose retains for 
a long time many of its original habits, and is much dis¬ 
posed to return to its natural state. An instance was re¬ 
lated to us of a wild gander having been wing-broken by 
a shot, ami caught. His wound healed, but he was so 
much disabled that he could never fly. He was kept 
with the domestic geese of the farm, with one of which 
he finally mated. He remained on the farm many years, 
and became very tame; yet as the migratory season re¬ 
turned, he always manifes'ed the greatest uneasiness. 
Inpetled by an instinctive desire to fly away, he would 
wander about, often stretching his wings and pluming his 
feathers; refusing food, and even leaving unnoticed his 
domestic mite, to which he generally seemed much 
attached. If a flock of his former associates chanced to 
fly over, salutes were quickly interchanged; but the 
thrilling note of the free ones in the air, in the language 
of our informant, “ seemed to set the poor capti vecrazy 
for a time, and for a day or two after he would be mute 
anil melancholy.” Except during the “flying 
season,” he was very contented. 
Wild geese are incapable of propagation till 
three years old, though the female is said some¬ 
times to lay eggs which will not hatch, at two 
years old. She seldom lays more than five eggs 
at a brood or in a season; but these are almost 
invariably hatched and the goslings all raised. 
Considerable advantage is thought to result from 
crossing the wild with domestic geese; but the 
progeny so produced are hybrids, and, we believe 
may be said, never to breed. This clearly estab¬ 
lishes (he distinction of species. The mongrels 
re hardy, grow quickly, get readily fat, and are 
highly esteemed for the table; at the same time 
producing a greater quantity and better quality of 
feathers than common geese. For these proper¬ 
ties, they are held in much favor by poultrymen 
who raise geese for market. We have seen 
crosses of the wild with the common grey goose, 
the Chinese, the Bremen, and the large African or 
Guinea goose. Some of the latter, raised in 
Rhode-Island, were as fine geese for market at six 
months old, as we ever saw. 
We are indebted to Mr. Bement, for use of the en¬ 
graving given above, from his Poulterer’s Companion. 
LEVEL CULTIVATION FOR CORN. 
For any ground that is sufficiently dry and warm to be 
suitable for Indian corn, we are confident a level cul¬ 
tivation is best. We do not like the common plow for 
working corn—it not only throws the ground too much 
into ridges, thereby exposing too much surface to be 
dried by the sun, but from its pressure on the ground it 
leaves that portion below the furrows, harder than it was 
before. On very light land, mere surface cultivation 
will answer for corn; but where the soil tends to pack 
too heavy, as it will if there is too much clay in it, we 
must use some tool that will loosen and pulverize it, or 
the roots of the corn will be cramped and the tops stunted. 
A narrow shovel plow, or a tool like a coulter, t;vo or 
three teeth, according to the strength of the team to use 
it and the state of the soil, to be set in a proper frame, 
are best for compact soils. A light harrow and cultiva¬ 
tor will be found sufficient on light soils. 
We noticed in the Sommerville Reporter , Tennessee, 
an essay on the cultivation of corn, read before the Ag¬ 
ricultural Society of Fayette county, by John Wary. 
Mr. Wray commenced the mode of level cultivation 
twenty-five years since, and and continues it to the pre¬ 
sent lime. He has found it to answer well. He does not 
use the plow at all—he simply works his ground over 
with what he calls a rake, which seemed only to mellow 
and clean the surface. He works the ground so often 
with this, that the weeds have no chance to get sarted, 
so that he keeps the crop clean. He does not particu¬ 
larly describe the rake, or tell how it is made. He stated 
that he has tried this mode of cultivation in comparison 
with the old mode of using the plow, and that the rake 
gave invariably the best crop. He does not state partic¬ 
ularly; we take it his land is of rather a light character. 
He plows his land in October and November, six to eight 
inches in depth, being careful to bury all the vegetation; 
and plants his corn from the tenth to the 25th of March, 
laying off the rows four and a half feet each way. and 
leaves three stalks to the hill. He says—“The reason 
why some farmers fail in the use of the rake is, that in¬ 
stead of plowing their land in the first place, they only 
scratch it, and then, instead of killing the grass in the 
germ, they wait until their fields get foul and then abuse 
the rake because it will not perform work it was never 
intended to do.” 
Windgall. —Windgalls are several little swellings 
just above the fetlock joints of all the four legs; they 
seem, when felt, to be full or wind or. jelly; but they 
never lame a horse; the splint and spavin always do. 
They all three proceed from one and the same cause, 
which is hard rilling, tiavelling too far in one day, or 
carrying too great a weight when young.— Ayrshire Ag¬ 
riculturist 
