476 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Noy., 1901. 
Poultry. 
PRESERVING EGGS. 
Notwithstanding the frequency of our instructions as to the preservation 
of eggs, we constantly receive letters asking for information on the subject. 
We have at this moment several dozens of eggs we placed four months ago in a 
mixture of lime-water and table-salt in the proportions of 1 lb. of quicklime to 
= lb. of table-salt per gallon of water. The eggs are perfectly fresh. The 
table-salt is not absolutely necessary. For preservation in waterglass, sodium 
silicate is quite effective if a weak solution is made of one part of waterglass in 
a semi-fluid condition to twenty parts of water. 
The pickle is made as follows :—Boil 20 pints of water, and when cool pour 
in 1 pint of waterglass, stirring well. Place the eggs in the receptacle in aah 
they are to be kept, and pour the solution over them, covering them completely. 
Waterglass can be obtained at 3d. per lb. in large quantities in Brisbane from 
Messrs. Elliott Bros., so that the pickle should be both cheap and easy to prepare. 
Itjis of course essential that nothing but absolutely fresh eggs are pickled, and 
that before boiling them the shells should be punctured with a needle to 
prevent bursting. No cracked egg should be placed in. the solution. 
GEESE, TURKEYS, AND DUCKS FOR EXPORT. 
GEESE. 
Why do so few farmers keep geese? Whilst fowls, and often ducks and 
turkeys, may be seen on the farms of Queensland, everywhere there is a dearth 
of geese. Geese are not particularly troublesome to rear, not nearly so 
troublesome as turkeys. Once the goslings have learned to eat and drink 
without assistance from the owner there is no more difficulty. with them. 
Geese require grass, which constitutes a great part of their food, and this is 
perhaps one reason why farmers do not keep them in quantities. They taint 
the paddock in which they run to such an extent that cattle and sheep will not 
graze after them. But this trouble could easily be obviated by subdividing the 
paddock with a rolling fence. Breeding geese for export should prove a profit- 
able business, especially if they are shipped to reach England at Michaelmas, 
They should be bred from the largest birds obtainable from an Emden or 
Toulouse gander in his second season to ensure fertile eggs. The laying geese 
should be shut up at night and the eggs collected in the morning. Make the 
nests on the ground and use hens for hatching. A good hen will cover four 
goose eges. eed them well from the time of hatching, and by the time they 
are five months old they should weigh about 10 1b. Let the goslings have good 
grass runs for the first ten weeks and then shut them up in small fattening 
yards to prepare them for export. 
TURKEYS. 
Like geese, turkeys require plenty of grass land. ‘They thrive well on land 
open to standing scrub, where they find an abundance of animal food in the 
shape of snails, grubs, &. As they are great wanderers, it 1s advisable to 
accustom them to coming up for a feed once a day. For export purposes the 
bronzewing is the best. It matures quickly, and carries more breast flesh than 
any other. 
y Unlike fowls and ducks, turkeys can be made to sit at any time. Place 
the nests on the ground, and give the sitting hen a baker's dozen of eggs— 
thirteen—to hatch out. Whenhatched caremustbe taken about feeding the young 
birds. Hard-boiled eggs, onions, boiled rice, &¢., should be chopped up fine 
