be present on farms. Neither the
Canadian nor the Egyptians are to be found in any great numbers, the
latter in particular being very rare.

Egg Production
It must always be remembered in speaking of the egg production of any
breed of poultry that there will be a considerable variation in
individuals within a breed and that egg production will also be affected
very largely by the conditions under which the birds are kept. For this
reason any attempt to give an average egg production for a breed is at
best only an approximation. These approximations often serve, however,
to show some well established contrast between the different breeds with
respect to their egg laying ability. The Toulouse is a fairly prolific
breed of geese and individuals should average from 12 to 36 eggs, the
majority laying about 20 eggs. The Embden is very similar to the
Toulouse in laying ability although probably on the whole not quite so
good a layer. The African is generally considered a good layer and is
said to average from 20 to 40 eggs. Some breeders state that the pure
African are not as good layers as this, being about equal to the Embden
and that the better laying Africans really have some Brown Chinese blood
in them which has been introduced to increase prolificacy. The Chinese
is the most prolific breed. The birds of either the White or Brown
variety should average from 60 to 100 eggs. The eggs laid by the Chinese
are smaller than those of the Toulouse, Embden or African. The Wild or
Canadian and the Egyptian geese are small layers. They rarely lay more
than one sitting during a season and the eggs will as a rule range from
4 to 8 in number.
_Size of Goose Eggs._ Goose eggs are decidedly larger than duck eggs.
There is a considerable variation in size, depending upon the breed. The
eggs of the Toulouse, African and Embden are of about the same size and
will vary from 6-1/2 to 8 ounces each. The eggs of the Chinese are smaller
and will weigh from 5-1/2 to 6 ounces each, while eggs of the Canadian and
Egyptian are the smallest of the standard breeds, running from 5 to 5-1/2
ounces each.
_Color of Goose Eggs._ In general goose eggs are whitish in color but
may shade to a gray or buff tinge. The Wild or Canadian sometimes lay
eggs which are off the white, showing a considerable green tinge.

About Geese and Matings
_Broodiness._ All of the breeds of geese with the exception of the
Toulouse may be classed as broody breeds, that is to say, they will make
their nests and