lly all used in making beds
and pillows while the quills are sometimes utilized in making toothpicks
and cigarette holders. Prices for goose feathers in June 1921 were as
follows:
Pure White dry picked 75c per lb.
Good average white " " 65c " "
Largely gray " " 55c " "
Largely gray scalded 40c " "
Long goose quills 5c " "
These prices were for good dry feathers.

Plucking Live Geese for their Feathers
In the days of feather beds and home-made pillows the practice of
plucking live geese for their feathers was very common. Now, however,
with the demand for goose feathers less and with the opinion of some
breeders that plucking geese is both cruel and injurious, the practice
seems to be decreasing. Many goose raisers in the South and a less
number in the Middle West and North however still pluck the feathers
from the live geese prior to the time of moulting. The frequency with
which the picking is done varies greatly, some picking as often as every
six weeks during the spring, summer and early fall while others pick
twice, once in the spring and once in the fall, or once in the spring
only. Geese should never be picked during the late fall or winter when
the weather is cold or during the breeding season. Both young and old
geese are plucked and the average yearly production of feathers per
goose is about one pound. When the quills of the feathers are dry and do
not contain any blood, the feathers are ripe for picking. In plucking, a
stocking is placed over the head of the goose and the goose held on the
lap and between the legs during the process.
An assistant to hold the goose during the plucking simplifies the work
greatly. In plucking, part of the soft feathers of the breast, sides,
abdomen and back are taken but these sections should not be plucked
clean. It is especially important that enough short feathers be left to
support the wings.
After plucking, the feathers must be cured before they are shipped. This
may be done by spreading them out on a floor as described for the
feathers taken from slaughtered geese or they may be placed loosely in
burlap sacks and hung up in a garret or loft. Hanging in this way and in
the loosely woven sacks, they are subjected to a good circulation of air
and will dry out without heating. Sacks of feathers should not be piled
or packed closely together, on top of one another or even be allowed to
lie on the floor until they are thoroughly dry as o