1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



37 



FEATHERS AND FOWLS. 



The sale of the meat of 

 fowls at this market during 

 the late Thanksgiving week 

 was not favorable to the in- 

 terests of dealers, though we 

 understand that farmers gen- 

 erally obtained fair prices for 

 those sold at home. The 

 weather was too warm and the 

 supply too large for the mid- 

 dle-men, speculators or huck- 

 sters — whatever may be the 

 name applied to those who 

 buy poultry to sell again — and 

 they will probably be a little 

 more cautious in their pur- 

 chases next season. But at 

 the present prices of feathers 

 is not the fleece of poultry 

 stock an item of profit of more 

 importance than it is gener- 

 ally considered to be by far- 

 mers ."* The other day we had 

 occasion to price feathers at 

 the upholstery stores in Bos- 

 ton, and found the retail price of the best 

 quality of "live geese feathers" to be one 

 dollar and ten cents a pound. The second 

 quality seventy-five to eighty cents, and a 

 pretty coarse article of mixed feathers fifty 

 cents. On referring to the quotations of 

 prices for geese feathers in the Nkw England 

 Farmer for 1833, we found the price was at 

 that time thirty-five to forty cents. At the 

 same time wool was quoted at thirty-two to 

 sixty cents a pound ; flour, $5 75 to $6.12, a 

 barrel ; corn, 65 to 74 cents a bushel. With 

 these remarks and the above illustration of 

 aq-iatic fowls, we leave the subject for the con- 

 sideration of those who raise poultry and pluck 

 feathers. 





%^'^ 





sumed to be evidence of the carelessness and 

 ignorance of western dairy women : — 



Several years ago we were applied to by a 

 large shipper of fat, lard and grease in Chica- 

 go, in relation to t)lea"hing and deodorizing 

 rancid butter, suet and tallow. The same in- 

 dividual wished also to become acquainted 

 with the best means of combining fats of dilFer- 

 ent degrees of consistency.' so that they would 

 have a uniform degree of hardness. Infor- 

 mation was also desired in relation to improved 

 methods of imparting fo this ma^s an artificial 

 color similar to that of grass-made butter. 



Co pressing our in(|uiries, we found that 

 this seeker after practical information was the 

 proprietor of a butter factory, and a very ex- 

 tensive one in its way. lie was undtr but 

 slight obligations to fat pastures or "kine 

 with distended udders" for his supplies of the 

 materials that were to be couvertfd into butter 

 balls. A very small amount of butler was 

 used, "just to give a .sli^'ht (lavor to the mass," 

 that was packed into tlrbins or bulter tubs and 

 sent to feed the epicures of Gotham. To the 

 best of our recollection, he statfd that his 

 usual shipment of this dainty amounted to two 

 car loads a week. It was sold, he ififormeU 

 us, in New York, as ^second grade cooking 

 or western butter. IMuch of it. was dit-posed 



WESTERN BUTTER. 

 Farmers and their wives, at the West and 

 elsewhere, are no doubt answerable for many 

 sins of otnission and commission ; but it is 

 evident, we think, that they are not answera- 

 ble for all that are laid to their charge. For 

 instance, the Prairie Farmer gives the fol- 

 lowing account of the way in which much of | ^f ^^ restaurants, where large quantities if 

 the poor butter is produced, that is often aa- [ oysters, beefatakes and uiut'<jnchop& weie 



