tage.
[Illustration: FIG. 55. Large flock of geese fattening in an orchard.
(_Photograph from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of
Agriculture._)]
_Fatteners._ In previous years these fatteners depended largely upon the
geese produced on the Rhode Island farms for their supply. In the past
few years, however, the supply from this source has dwindled greatly and
the bulk of the geese for fattening are now shipped from Prince Edward
Island, Canada, in carload lots. Such summer geese as are now fattened
still come from Rhode Island and are brought in by truck. The fattening
season begins in September and lasts until Christmas. Some early
goslings are bought in June but there is not as good a profit from the
summer geese, the demand and prices being adversely affected by the
supply of spring ducklings available at that time.
Experience and good judgment will benefit the goose fattener greatly
when purchasing his supply of geese for fattening. What he wants are
goslings, not older geese, which have made a good growth and which have
a large frame but which are in poor flesh rather than fat. Such geese
will make more rapid and more profitable gains. When geese are bought
for shipment by the carload from Prince Edward Island, they should be
penned and fed at the point of shipment for 3 or 4 days before they are
loaded in the cars, so as to put them in shape to stand the journey
well. On the farms from which they come, the goslings are not fed much
and in consequence are not in shape to stand shipment.
_The Goslings_ which are secured from the farms for fattening are mainly
common geese of no particular breed. Some pure bred geese are also
obtained as are some first crosses between the pure breeds. A class of
geese which is obtained in some numbers from Prince Edward Island and
which is much desired is the so-called "Mongrel" goose. These are
obtained by breeding a Wild or Canadian gander to geese of dark plumage
similar to the Toulouse or African. The mongrel geese much resemble the
wild gander in type and color and are in demand on the market because of
their wild or gamy flavor. They bring about 10 cents per pound more than
common geese. The market, however, is somewhat limited. These geese will
not breed although the females will lay eggs. Where the wild gander is
mated with light colored or white geese the offspring will have more or
less light colored feathers and will not as closely resemble the wild
parent and for this reason are not as de