120 POULTRY BREEDING 
the top of the mouth, the knife being twisted so as to 
sever the jugular vein. They are hung up by the feet to 
bleed, and picked as soon as they cease to struggle, the 
feathers coming off at that time very easily. The large 
duck-farms have regular pickers who make good wages 
picking ducks. As soon as the ducks are picked clean, 
they are put into very cold water (ice water usually) to 
plump them, and are then laid on racks to cool, after 
which they are placed in barrels or boxes with broken ice 
and sent to market. Old ducks from country places are 
often sent to market alive, as they are gathered up a few 
at a time. For any one who has even 50 to sell it will 
often pay to dress them before sending them to market. 
They may be scalded, but most markets prefer them 
dry-picked. The feathers will make quite an item, and 
dressed ducks usually bring enough more than live ones 
to pay for the trouble of dressing them. If they are 
dressed in cold weather, pack them in clean boxes or 
barrels, which have been lined with clean paper, packing 
them in so they will not be pressed out of shape, and put 
a layer of paper between each two layers of ducks. In 
sending anything to a commission merchant be certain 
that the merchant is reliable and will deal honestly. Un- 
fortunately the cities are infested with sharks who pose 
as commission merchants and defraud thousands of peo- 
ple every year. Having selected the merchant, simply 
mark the goods to him and write him, sending him a 
duplicate way bill. Tell him how many boxes or barrels 
you have sent him and what they contain and he will 
receive, sell and remit for them. 
EGGS, BAD-FLAVORED.—Not only will strongly- 
flavored vegetables, such as onions, garlic and heavy 
feeding with cabbage give a characteristic flavor to eggs 
