770 -051 CEASE'S RECIPES. 



and the floor covering also renewed if the same room is continuously used. 

 Best to rake over the floor covering daily. 



Dressing Poultry for the Market, the Best Way.— There are 

 two ways of dressing poultry for market — dry picked and scalded. Fowls 

 dressed in the former way in all cases bring the his;hest prices. It should be 

 the aim of every farmer, in disposing of his poultry, to ship it in as good con- 

 dition as possible, in order to catch the eye of the butcher or grocer, and secure 

 a ready sale. Greater skill is required to dry -pick than most people imagine, 

 in order that the "bird "may look plump and handsome. To do this work 

 properly, or with any degree of satisfaction, the fowls should be plucked when 

 warm— that is, immediately after they are killed — as, if allowed to get cold be- 

 fore stripping, you are apt to tear the flesh. Commence by plucking the wing 

 and tail feathers, then the back, from head to tail. Pluck the feathers from 

 the "craw" crossways ; stomach and breast feathers should be plucked down- 

 ward—that is, from the legs to the head. In dressing poultry by this method 

 you get a double advantage of those dressed by the hot-water process, as you 

 can save all the feathers, being careful to keep separate all the tail and wing 

 feathers ; and where many are dressed, the sale of feathers amoimts to quite 

 an item of profit. Dressing poultry by the scalding process is by no means a 

 good and profitable one, as it depreciates the value of the birds, they looking 

 anything but dainty, and do what you will, they will never look enticing to the 

 buyer" ; moreover, you lose the value of the feathers. 



Remarks. — Allow me to say here, I think it best to wait long enough after 

 killing, to allow the fowl to become a little cooled, as if the feathers are 

 plucked too soon, as anyone can tell by trying, there will be a little blood set- 

 tle into the orifices, from which the feathers are pulled, and thus make them a 

 little spotted, if done too soon. This is of importance to observe. If they are 

 killed as the French do it, they having a knife much like a screw-driver, the 

 end being the sharpest, the legs held by another person, the mouth opened, the 

 fowl being on its back, the knife is put just back of the " roof of the mouth," 

 and pressed in to separate the vertebrae, or bones of the neck, which kills them 

 quickly ; and then hang up by the legs till done bleeding, the feathers may 

 then be removed at once ; and this hanging up by the legs, to bleed, sliould be 

 done, if the head is cut off in the old way. The fowl keep better for being 

 hung up to bleed ; but, if the head is cut off, the skin must be pulled over the 

 bone of the neck and tied, and all blood carefully removed from every part of 

 the fowl, before packing. The entrails are never to be removed, unless so un- 

 derstood before shipping. 



Packing Poultry for Market.— If poultry is killed in cold weather,, 

 for maiket, it ought to hang twenty-four hours before packing, to allow all 

 animal heat to pass off, and thus prevent its spoiling ; then pack in clean ry.i. 

 straw, if obtainable, but any straw, free from chaff and powdery dust, will dc 

 First an inch of straw, at least, and the fowls placed in with straw betweeq 

 each, so they do not touch each other, then straw again ; the top of the boa^ 



