MARKETING EGGS AND POULTRY 371 



Drawn and Undrawn Poultry. It is a much debated 

 point as to whether fowls should be drawn when killed. 

 In some markets the law requires poultry to be drawn be- 

 fore exposing for sale. In most markets, however, the prac- 

 tice is general to leave the drawing or dressing to the retail 

 dealer at the option of the purchaser. The evidence seems 

 to favor the view that undrawn poultry keeps better than 

 drawn. The theory is that in the drawn chicken the inside 

 of the intestinal walls are exposed to the invasion of bac- 

 teria which will hasten the process of decay. On the other 

 hand, it is claimed that the putrefactive bacteria of the in- 

 testines will infect the flesh of the fowl and cause more 

 rapid decomposition. Further investigations seem needed. 



Meantime there is no ground for wholesale condemnation 

 of undrawn poultry. "With proper bleeding and chilling 

 no danger may be feared from either drawn or undrawn 

 fowls. One important point in favor of the undrawn is 

 that the housekeeper could see evidence of unfitness for 

 eating if she drew the fowl or removed the viscera herself. 

 Most of the important diseases of fowls are often indicated 

 by the appearance of the liver and intestines. In the case 

 of tuberculosis the evidence, in a great majority of cases, is 

 found in the condition of those organs. 



Parcel Post Shipments. While the practicability of 

 parcel post for dressed poultry has not been demonstrated 

 in an extensive way, it affords a medium not heretofore 

 available for direct shipments to consumers. For a special 

 trade in fancy stock it offers an opportunity to the poultry- 

 man who can produce the proper grade of stock to do a 

 profitable business. Dressed chickens can be taken direct 

 from the farm to the door of the consumer in the city within 

 150 miles at a cost of from 1 to 2 cents a pound, depending 

 on the weight of chicken in package. The great waste of 

 marketing should be saved to both the consumer and to the 



