nder it is usual to lay the
head under the breast to prevent the latter from scalding. After
steaming the body feathers are removed and the bird is then singed over
a flame furnished by alcohol burned in shallow tin plates, in order to
remove the down. The down may also be removed by sprinkling powdered
rosin over the goose's body which is then dipped into hot water. The hot
water melts the rosin which sticks to the down and the down and rosin
can then be rubbed off together.
Geese may also be steamed by scalding slightly in hot water and then
wrapping tightly in burlap or some other cloth. They are kept wrapped
for about five minutes which allows the steam to work thoroughly through
the feathers which can then be plucked easily.
Exactly the same methods can and often are employed in dressing geese as
are used with ducks. The reader is therefore also referred to the
material in Chapter VII.
There seems to be no great insistence on the part of most markets for
dry picked geese. Some will pay slightly more for the dry picked birds
but others make no difference.
_Packing for Shipment._ After picking, the geese are washed and then
placed in cold water to cool. Ice water is best for this purpose and is
essential in warm weather. The carcasses must be allowed to remain in
the water until they are thoroughly cooled, which will take at least one
to two hours. If any animal heat is left in the bodies, they will spoil
very quickly. Often the carcasses are dipped in hot water, before being
thrown in the cold water, to plump them. After they are thoroughly
cooled, the geese are packed in barrels for shipping. If the weather is
cool they may be packed in well ventilated barrels without ice, but if
the weather is warm, cracked ice must be used in packing, proceeding in
the same way as when packing ducks as described on page 109. It is
always risky to pack without ice.
_Saving the Feathers._ Goose feathers are valuable and should therefore
be saved when the geese are plucked. The soft body feathers and the
coarser feathers should be kept separate. The feathers should be cured
by spreading them out in a thin layer on the floor of a loft or room,
stirring them up occasionally until they are thoroughly dried out, when
they can be sacked and sold. Failure to dry the feathers thoroughly will
result in their heating and molding with the result that they will
arrive at their destination in bad shape and will be worth less money.
The soft body feathers of geese are practica