PREPARING FOR MARKET. 83 



shall be liable to a penalty of five dollars for each chicken 

 or turkey so exposed for sale." 



This ordinance took effect the first day of October, 

 1882. 



DRESSING POULTRY THE NEW ENGLAND METHOD. 



While poultry for some markets is rarely, if ever, 

 drawn, that for the Boston and other New England 

 markets at least that of the better class always has 

 the entrails drawn when the birds are killed. There is 

 something in favor of both methods. In the former, 

 no air being admitted into the cavity of the body, it 

 keeps in good condition much longer than it would if 

 opened. On the other hand, if the poultry is kept too 

 long there is danger that any food which may be in the 

 crop, etc., may ferment, even if nothing worse takes 

 place, and impregnate the flesh unpleasantly. A poul- 

 try-raiser of Ayer, Mass., gives the following direc- 

 tions: 



"First catch the chickens. Slide your hands care- 

 fully among their legs until you can grasp the desired 

 one; hold quite still until the neck is grasped. Cut the 

 throat near the under side of the bill quite deeply; then 

 with the right hand upon the legs hold the wings over 

 the back to avoid fluttering. Always drain the blood 

 into the chicken's pail. If the fowl is wanted for im- 

 mediate use, scald it for about half a minute, being care- 

 ful to get the tail and wings under. Take out and strip 

 the legs quickly from the feet towards the head. Hold 

 a handful of feathers in the hand, pushing the feathers 

 from tail to head. Scald three minutes in three quarts 

 of water. Make a small slit behind and on the side of 

 the crop, one chick after the other. Then take out en- 

 trails and crop and windpipe, carefully removing the 



