STUDIES OF POULTRY. 31 



resting on the floor of the room in long rows, boxes being pushed 

 alternately from side to side of a center line so that the maximum 

 portion of each is exposed freely to the cold air of the room, as shown 

 in figure 6. 



Since quick freezing is so important an item, it can be readily seen 

 that large containers, such as barrels, are undesirable for long 

 storage. It is advisable also to exclude air from the birds after they 

 are chilled; hence tight packages are coming more and more into 

 use. To protect the birds from rubbing against one another in the 

 box, or freezing into a solid mass, high-grade stock generally shows 

 each fowl wrapped separately in parchment paper. 



If the packer possesses a suitable freezer, he may prefer to freeze 

 his storage stocks, in which case, when shipping, he will find it neces- 

 sary to salt the ice for refrigerating the car very heavily and to see 

 that it is thoroughly chilled before loading. Boxes of frozen poultry 

 are packed tightly, and the load may, for additional safety, be cov- 

 ered with a heavy canvas to protect it from the warmer air of the 

 upper part of the car. Such a precaution is seldom necessary except 

 in very warm weather. 



The haul from the railroad car to the warehouse, if platform facili- 

 ties are not available, should be performed with all the expedition 

 possible and with as much insulation as the wagons permit. Much of 

 the poultry which lacks " bloom " that is, the clear, fresh, bright 

 quality of the skin does so because of the several superficial thaw- 

 ings and refreezings to which it is subjected during transportation 

 and marketing. 



It is a comparatively simple matter to keep birds in good condition 

 from one season of production to the next in a well-constructed cold- 

 storage warehouse, provided those birds are received at the ware- 

 house properly dressed, chilled, and packed, and with such prompt- 

 ness that decomposition has not obtained even a slight foothold. 

 Under such conditions the responsibility of the warehouse is the 

 maintenance of cleanliness and a constant temperature which is not 

 above 15 F. (9 C.), and which preferably should be nearer 10 F. 

 (12 C.). If, on the other hand, the poultry is not properly pre- 

 pared for storage, or if decomposition has begun (even though it 

 may be scarcely perceptible to any of the senses), it is impossible 

 with the lowest temperatures obtainable to prevent deterioration. 



Poultry, even in the best condition, is not improved by being kept 

 frozen for any length of time. About the sixth month of carrying a 

 careful observer, judging by the taste alone, can tell the difference 

 between frozen poultry and that which is freshly killed. Up to nine 

 months, however, this difference is so slight that it is of scarcely more 

 than scientific interest. But after nine months, though undoubtedly 



[Cir. 64] 



