1881. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER 



9 



the picking of a duck or goose may aiipear 

 easv to the iiiiiiiitiate.l, wliil.' to >h, this nv.My 

 ami witli (lispat.-h, so tliat llu; f,.utli..i-s and 

 tlie carcass in:iv lirkd't in ^'ocd onhT, i-ciiunvs 

 some kiiowlfdKi' of the luisiiicss beforehand. 

 AVhile duck and ;,'iese IVai hers are of more 

 vahie tliiin lliose nl Ihe liirkey or lieii, it i.s a 

 liltle nion^ dillieult to (.btaiii tlicm from tlie 

 dead bodies in t;i"'d order. Ii> the llrsi place 

 the fowls should be shumldered in sneh a 

 manner llial llie phnMa;.-e is not soiled or 

 rulUta, and this is only done by lian>;in),' them 

 by the liecls. When dead, tlie bodies sliould 

 be carried and carefully laid on a clean table 

 in the picking room on the back, with the 

 heads dangling, that the blood may drip to 

 tlie floor. Tlieu before the animal heat es- 

 capes, pluck.all possible, thus preserving the 

 feathers, as it were, in a live state. Lay the 

 left hand (irmly on the breast, and with the 

 right, using the thumb and fore finger, taking 

 a grip of the feathers close to the warm body, 

 gathering only three or four at once, give a 

 sudden [luU and tliey will yield. Continue in 

 this manner as (piiekly as possible, and do the 

 work clean, until the whole breast, which un- 

 usually contains the finest and most valuable 

 feathers, is all pieked ; then proeeed with the 

 neck, legs aiul liack. Alter this is gone over 

 there will still remain on a full feathered fowl 

 a considerable light down. Tliis should all be 

 plucked away, or as much of it as is possible, 

 before the fowl is scalded. 



When the birds are plump and fat, which 

 every one should be before slaughtering, much 

 of this may be preserved in a natural state. 

 Before commencing operations, everything 

 should be in readiness. The feather bags 

 should be made, and of such material in which 

 the feathers are to remain, as by shifting 

 much of the valuable down and softer feathers 

 are lost. The tick may be covered with some 

 old or inexpensive material, so that it may be 

 preserved from being soiled in the process of 

 filling. Where there are large numbers to be 

 slaughtered, there should be plenty of help, 

 that all may proceed in regular order and 

 with dispatcli. After the fowls are all dry- 

 picked and clean as possible, remove to the 

 scalding room, and give a gentle dip in boiling 

 hot water, and take out the quill feathers, 

 and the other feathers that remain, care being 

 taken that the skin is not rubbed up, as it 

 gives it a bruised look. When putting away 

 to cool, fold the wings under and lock them 

 together on the back, and place the fowl on a 

 board or shelf, in a cool room or cellar, on the 

 back, tlius preserving the smooth plumpness 

 of the breast. Before packing to send to 

 market, remove the head and about an inch 

 of the neck, and make the place where it is 

 severed as neat as possible, bi this manner 

 any one may have attractive poultry, while 

 tae extra care in saving the feathers will 

 more than compensate by their value either 

 in sale or for home use. Many have large 

 flocks to slaughter, and a little care and fore- 

 thought will save much labor and disappoint- 

 ment in the future. 



OUR GRAIN TRADE. 



Colonel John W. Foster, American Minis- 

 ter to St. Petersburg, has written a letter to 

 the State Department, which, in view of the 

 interest felt by the people of this country in 

 our foreign grain trade, will be considered 

 significant and well worthy of studious con- 

 sideration. Col. Foster .says: 



The important part which the United States 

 is now taking in the commerce of Europe in 

 its enormous shipment of grain, is nowhere 

 attracting greater interest than in Russia, 

 where it attracts the deepest concern. This 

 country has been onr chief competitor in 

 European markets lor breadstuffs, and there 

 are various reasons why our rapidly growing 

 predominance should cause alarm. The im- 

 ports into Russia are largely in excess of the 

 exports, and while the former are increasing 

 the latter are annually decreasing. The gov- 

 ernment finances are by no means in a satis- 

 factory condition ; a deficit is annually re- 

 ported in the receipts, compared with the 



e.\peiulituies, and the country labors under ' 



more than :'.ii per ciiit. briow par, with a 

 lenileiiey to liivater depn-eiat ion. 



Cereals have been the eliiet'article of export 

 whereby to keep down. the balance of trade 

 setting in so heavily against her, to meet the 

 heavy demand for gold invoices in imports 

 and maintain the paper currency and fifovern- 



shipnii-nts of Ainerieaii grain (o ICnrope, to 

 increase the alarm comes the otlieial publica- 

 tion of the exports for the six months of the 

 current year, showing a heavy falling off, {es- 

 pecially in wheat and rye, the most important 

 items of export. From this publication I ex- 

 tract ibe follow inu. >lio\viiiLj tbe <'omparative 

 exports of tlic le;i(liim cereals for the first six 

 months of the yi'ar> IST'.t and 1S80 : 



Wbcftt, bush 



Kvc, bush 31,781,486 19,9S1,622 



Barley, bush 6,113.892 4,679,694 



Corn, bush ; 2,224.874 S,5,54,22.1 



Oats, bush 23,483,370 23,201,124 



Totiil 104,723.818 72,5.')8,09O 



The effect of this heavy decrease in the most 

 important of the country's resources is notice- 

 able in other directions' than the government 

 finances. The business stateinentOf Russian 

 railways for the six months of the present 

 year, compared with the corresponding period 

 of 187!), shows a tailing of .$4,0110,(100, or 13 

 per cent, and $7,O0O,0tJO less than for the first 

 half of 1S7H ; and this decline is almost en- 

 tirely attributed to the decrease of the ex- 

 portation of grain. A depression is also felt 

 in almost all industries and interests. 



It is- true that various natural causes, as 

 the devastation of insects, the unseasonable 

 winter, etc., have this year greatly operated 

 through the failure of crops to produce this 

 falling off in the exports of wheat and rye; 

 but it is becoming apparent that unless some 

 radical improvements are made, both in the 

 methods of cultivation and transportation, 

 the grain growers of Russia cannot compete 

 with those of the United States in the markets 

 of Europe. The report of the British Com- 

 missioners, Messrs. Read and Pell, giving 

 the result of their investigations in the wheat- 

 growing districts of the United States, has 

 been published here, and has attracted much 

 attention. An intelligent writer in the Jour- 

 nal of St. Petersburg, in an exhaustive exami- 

 nation of this report, points out the absorbing 

 interest which it has for his country. ''If," 

 he says, ''we do nothing, as has unfortunately 

 been the case for the two years i)ast— that is 

 since we felt for the first time in a serious 

 manner the effects of American rivalry — if we 

 remain with folded arms as passive spectators 

 while the grain of America and Australia 

 overrun Europe, then we will have nothing to 

 do but to contemplate not only the ruin of 

 our commerce but that of our great land- 

 holders." He concluded as follows: 



"The situation is too grave, the interests 

 involved too important, not only to appeal 

 to the individual attention of the state but 

 also to all the elements of the country, to the 

 end that measures may be taken against 

 American competition. Importation alone is 

 increasing in Russia, while exportation is de- 

 creasing on a Very alarming scale. We have 

 suffered enough that three articles which liad 

 already reached a considerable Hgure in our 

 exports — tallow, wool and copper — should lose 

 a great part of llieii importance ; but we will 

 not know how to endure it if we see wheat 

 and rye disappear from our exterior com- 

 merce. 



The recent arrival at Revel, near Peters- 

 burg, of a few cargoes of Indian corn from 

 the United States, has also contributed lo the 

 alavm, and it is even predicted that before the 

 next year's crop can he harvested American 

 wheat will be imported at St. Petersburg. 



CLOTHING OF GLASS. 



The ingenuity that led to the m.anufaotiire 

 of articles of clothing from paper has teen 

 eclipsed, as similar articles are now made 

 from glass. An uptown dry goods house has 



on exhibition a glass table cloth several feet 

 sipiaie of vai'i('j.'ate(l colors, with ornamental 

 border ami liiii|;ed edges. Tbe fabric is flexi- 

 ble, and only a liltle heavier (ban those woven 

 of (lax, while it is claimed that it can be 

 washed and ironed like the ordinary table 

 cloth. Glass has been spun and woven in 

 Austria for some years, but it is a new under- 

 taking in this eountry. \ prominent glass- 

 niannt'ac-tuiiiig lirm of riilsburu'. I'a., recently 

 engaged in the inannfaclnre ot tins brittle 

 substance into I'abiies, wliieb (hey claim are 

 as perfect, delicate and durable as the finest 

 silk. A representative of this firm said yes- 

 terday that they can spin 2.'>0 fine threads, 

 each ten miles in length, in one minute. The 

 weaving is done with an ordinary loom, but 

 the process is more ditlicult and much more 

 interesting than the si)inning of cotton or 

 other threads. 



" We can duplicate in gla.s8 any costume," 

 said this gentleman, "and can make it just 

 as brilliant in color, elaborate in Hnish, per- 

 fect in fit, and equal in its smallest details, 

 even to the buttons on the original. The 

 fabric is very strong, cannot be ripped or 

 torn, and can be sold at a less price than 

 linen, cotton, or silk, or other fabric imitated. 

 It is also very warm, easy fitting, and com- 

 fortable, whether worn as dress, shawl, or 

 other garment in ordinary clothing." 



Among the articles already manufactured 

 of glass are beautiful feathers, which resemble 

 those of the ostrich, towels, napkins and table 

 cloths. 



THE OYSTER. 

 Dr. William Roberts, in his interesting lec- 

 tures on the digestive ferments, writes : Our 

 practice in regard to the oyster is quite excep- 

 tional, and furnishes a striking example of 

 the general correctness of the jiopular judg- 

 ment on dietetic questions. The oyster is 

 almost the only animal substance which we 

 eat habitually, and by preference, in the raw 

 or uncooked state ; and it is interesting to 

 know that there is a sound physiological rea- 

 son at the bottom of this preference. The 

 fawn-colored mass which constitutes the 

 dainty of the oyster is its liver, and this is 

 little less than a heap of glycogen. Associ- 

 ated with the glycogen, but withheld from 

 actual contact with it during life is its ap- 

 propriate digestive ferment — the heptic dias- 

 tase. The mere crushing of the dainty be- 

 tween the teeth brings those two bodies 

 together, and the glycogen is at once digested 

 without other help by its own diastase. The 

 oyster in the uncooked state, or merely 

 warmed, is in fact, sel (-digestive. But the 

 advantage of this provision is wholly lost by 

 cooking ; for the heat employed immediately 

 destroys the associated ferment, and a cooked 

 oyster has to he digested, hke any other food, 

 by the eater's own digestive powers. 



TAKING COLD. 



There isan old saying, "When the air comes 

 through a hole, say your prayers to save your 

 soul ;" and I should think almost anyone 

 could get a "cold" with a spoonful of water, 

 or the wrist held to a key hole. Singular as 

 it may seem, sudden warming when cold is 

 more dangerous than the reverse ; everyone 

 has noticed how soon tlie handkerchief is re- 

 quired on entering a heated room on a cold 

 day. Frost bile is an extreme illustration of 

 this. As the Irishman said, on picking him- 

 self up, it was not the fall, but stopping so 

 suddenly that hurt him. It is not the lower- 

 ing of the temperature to the freezing point, 

 but its subsequent elevation, that devitalizes 

 the tissue. This is why rubbing with snow, 

 or bathing in cold water, is re(iuired to restore 

 safely a frozen part ; the arrested circulation 

 must be very gradually re-established, or in- 

 flammation, perhaps mortification ensues. 

 General precautions against taking cold are 

 almost self-evident in this light. There is 

 ordinarily little, if any, danger to be appre- 

 hended from wet clothes, so long a.s exercise 

 is kept up, for the "glow" about compensates 

 for the extra cooling by evaporation. Nor is 



