180 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



HOW TO CAPONIZE FOWLS. 



TnE practice of the French country-women is to 

 pclect the close of the spring, or the beginning of 

 autumn, as well as fine weather, for the performance 

 of their work. The parts necessary to be removed, 

 being fixed in the abdomen, and attached to the spine 

 at the region of the loins, it is absolutely necessary 

 to open the abdominal cavity for the purpose of their 

 extraction. The biril should be healthy, fasting, and 

 about three months old. He is then to be secured 

 by an assistant, upon his back, his belly upwards, and 

 his head down, that the intestines, &c., may fall up 

 toward the bretist ; the tail is to be towards the ope- 

 rator. The right leg is then carried along the body, 

 and the left brought backward and held in this posi- 

 tion, so as to leave the left flank perfectly bare, for it 

 is there that the incision is to be made. The said 

 incision is to be directed from before to backwards, 

 travcrsely to the length of the body, at the middle of 

 the flank, and slightly to the side, between the ends of 

 the breast-bone and the vent. Having plucked away 

 the feathers from the space where it is intended to 

 make the incision, you take a bistoury or a razor, and 

 cut through this skin, abdominal muscles and perito- 

 neum ; it is better to do this at two or more cuts, in 

 order to avoid the possibility of wounding the intes- 

 tines — a casualty that would, in most cases, be at- 

 tended with fatal results. The intestines present 

 themselves at the orifice, but you must not suffer them 

 to come out ; on the contrary, you press them gently 

 aside, so as to have room for action. I may observe, 

 that the incision should have been sufficiently large 

 to admit of the fore-finger previously well oiled, be- 

 ing passed into the abdomen, and carried carefully 

 towards the lumbar region of the spine ; you will 

 there find what you are in search of. You first reach 

 the left substance, which you detach with your nail, 

 or with your finger bent hook-fashion ; you then 

 arrive at the right, which you treat similarly ; bring 

 both substances forth ; you finally return the intes- 

 tines, sow up the wound with a silk thread — a very 

 few stitches will suffice — and smear the place vrith a 

 little fresh butter. Some persons recommend the 

 amputation of the comb, close to the skull of the 

 newly-made capon ; but this is surely an unnecessary 

 piece of torture — a useless addition to the sufferings 

 of the poor bird. The proposed object of this am- 

 putation is to insure the recognition of the capon 

 amongst his co-mates of the poultry-yard. Were 

 such a distinctive mark necessary, it strikes us that the 

 operation must have been, so to speak, thrown away; 

 inasmuch as the superior size and bulk of the capon 

 should, of themselves, be sufficiently indicative of his 

 identity ; but independent of these, I may observe 

 that the comb of the capon does not grow to any size, 

 and always retains a pallid color. Should it be pro- 

 posed to caponize cocks belonging to varieties not 

 natnrally^posscssing combs, it wfU surely be found, at 

 the very most, sufficient to cut the tail feathers down 

 to a stump. In some parts of the continent, the 

 caponizers resort to still more unnecessary brutality. 

 They cut oft the spurs of the poor caponized bird, 

 and making an incision in its comb, as it were plant 

 them in it ; they are so held for about twenty minutes 

 — ^in short, just until the bl©od coagulates ; they then 



become not merely permanently adherent, but actually 

 grow. The less, however, said about these very, and 

 needlessly inhuman practices, the l>ettcr. 



To return to our more immediate subject: The 

 process having been performed as above described, 

 the bird is placed in a Avarm house, u-hei-e there are 

 no perches, as, if such appliances v.ere present, the 

 newly-made capon might very probably injure himself 

 in his attempts to perch, and perhaps even tear open 

 the sutures, and possibly occasion the operation, 

 usually simple and free from danger, to terminate fa- 

 tally. For about a week, the food of the bird should 

 be soft oatmeal porridge, and that in small quantities, 

 alternated with l^read steeped in milk; he may be 

 given as much pure water as he will drink, but I re- 

 commend that it be tepid, or at least, that the chill 

 be taken off" it. At the end of a week, or, at the 

 farthest, ten days, the bird, if he has been previously 

 of a sound, vigorous constitution, will be all right, 

 and may be turned out into the walk common to all 

 your fowla — Richardson. 



DENWOOD, 



THE RESIDENCE OF JOHN J. SMITH, ESQ., OERMAXTOWN, 

 PA., NEAR PHILADELPHIA. 



The private residence of which we give a drawing, 

 presents some peculiarities of construction and inte- 

 rior division, which we have thought might prove a 

 useful study to those who are about to build. 



It is a complete 7-vs in vrbe; the kitchen being in 

 the Aillage, and the opposite or piazza side, facing the 

 northeast, for summer afternoon shade, overlooks the 

 country, with a fine belt of trees within a suitable 

 distance. The amount of gi'ouud attached is two 

 acres, but we observed that it is filled with the most 

 valuable hardy trees and shrubs, imported and domes- 

 tic. Among the former will be found a collection of 

 Hollies and Rhododendrons — two important but 

 much neglected families of plants. 



The fii-st thing that strikes the eye in looking at 

 this house, is the circular hoods in the attic story — 

 a contrivance which gives height to a considerable 

 portion of the rooms, and has externally a good ef- 

 fect. The attics are in fact as good rooms as need be 

 asked — superior to any we have seen in dwellings of 

 the same elevation. A front portico, and two pro- 

 jecting bay windows, make not only a cheerful en- 

 trance, but add materially to the size of the drawing 

 and dining rooms. The portico, as well as the inte- 

 rior hall, are paved with tesselated tiles, made by 

 MiNTON & Co., Stoke-upon-Trent, England, which are 

 now becoming so much apjjreciated, and which can- 

 not be too much known. 



The interior of the house is divided in a diffbrent 

 manner from most dwellings, as will be seen by a 

 glance at the ground plan. The hall is carried only 

 to the depth of the drawing room, where, by an or- 

 namental ground glass door, it opens upon a neat li- 

 brary having a bay window slightly enriched at the 

 top with colored glass, so that the view through the 

 library door and the bay window beyond, produces an 

 effect like that of an oratory. The book-cases on one 

 side are recessed out of the butler's pantry, so as to 

 occupy no space from the room. The two doors 



