CHAPTER XIV

Fattening and Marketing Geese

_Cla.s.ses of Geese Marketed._ The market geese consist princ.i.p.ally of the surplus young ganders not required for breeding purposes and such of the old geese of either s.e.x as it may be considered desirable to get rid of.

Some young females, when the number raised is in excess of the number required for breeders also find their way to market. While these geese are marketed in the largest numbers during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, particularly the latter, some geese of course find their way to market practically throughout the year. There is also a rather limited trade in "green geese" which corresponds to the trade in spring or "green" ducklings. Green geese are goslings about 12 to 16 weeks old, generally of the larger breeds, which are forced for rapid growth and are made to weigh in the neighborhood of 10 pounds at that age. These bring a good price and yield a good profit where there is demand for this cla.s.s of geese.

_Markets and Prices._ As with most cla.s.ses of poultry, the large cities offer the best market for geese. Especially the cities which have a large foreign population make good markets as many foreigners are more in the habit of using geese for a holiday dish than are native Americans. The most favorable market usually occurs at Christmas when roast goose and apple sauce is in considerable favor. Considerable numbers of geese are also used at Thanksgiving time and in recent years as the price of turkeys has steadily increased there has been an increasing tendency to subst.i.tute goose for turkey on that day.

Following are prices paid for various cla.s.ses of geese on the New York wholesale market from May 1920 to June 1921 as reported by the New York Produce Review. Quite a wide variation in price will be noted in many cases which reflects the difference in condition of the geese as received. In the case of express receipts of live geese where a wide variation in prices occurs the high quotations represent the receipt of especially fattened geese from nearby farms.

WESTERN GEESE, FROZEN

1920 May 5 25 @ 31c per lb.

12 25 @ 31c " "

19 25 @ 31c " "

26 25 @ 31c " "

June 2 25 @ 31c " "

9 25 @ 31c " "

16 25 @ 31c " "

23 25 @ 31c " "

30 23 @ 29c " "

July 7 23 @ 29c " "

14 21 @ 27c " "

21 21 @ 27c " "

28 21 @ 27c " "

Aug. 4 20 @ 25c " "

1921 Jan. 26 26 @ 34c " "

Feb. 2 26 @ 34c " "

9 26 @ 36c " "

16 26 @ 36c " "

23 26 @ 36c " "

Mar. 2 26 @ 36c " "

9 25 @ 35c " "

16 25 @ 35c " "

23 25 @ 35c " "

30 25 @ 35c " "

Apr. 6 25 @ 35c " "

13 25 @ 35c " "

20 25 @ 35c " "

27 25 @ 35c " "

May 4 25 @ 35c " "

11 25 @ 35c " "

FRESH DRESSED GEESE

1920 Nov. 17 34 @ 43c per lb.

24 30 @ 38c " "

Dec. 1 25 @ 36c " "

8 30 @ 36c " "

15 30 @ 39c " "

22 30 @ 40c " "

29 30 @ 40c " "

1921 Jan. 5 30 @ 37c " "

12 25 @ 35c " "

19 25 @ 34c " "

26 25 @ 34c " "

FRESH DRESSED GEESE

1921 Feb. 2 25 @ 34c per lb.

9 26 @ 36c " "

16 26 @ 36c " "

23 26 @ 36c " "

Mar. 2 26 @ 36c " "

9 25 @ 35c " "

16 25 @ 35c " "

23 25 @ 35c " "

LIVE GEESE--VIA FREIGHT

1920 May 5 18 @ 20c per lb.

12 22c " "

19 20 @ 22c " "

26 20 @ 22c " "

June 2 20 @ 22c " "

9 20 @ 22c " "

16 20 @ 22c " "

23 18 @ 20c " "

30 18 @ 20c " "

July 7 18 @ 20c " "

14 18 @ 20c " "

28 25c " "

Aug 4 25c " "

18 25c " "

25 25c " "

Sept. 1 25c " "

22 26c " "

29 26c " "

Oct. 20 25 @ 28c " "

27 27 @ 30c " "

Nov. 3 32c " "

10 32c " "

17 32c " "

24 28 @ 32c " "

Dec. 1 28 @ 30c " "

8 30 @ 34c " "