408 FATTENING, KILLING, AND DRESSING 
Cramming means the introduction of feed into the bird’s 
crop by physical force, with no aid or desire on the part of the 
bird. There are three distinct methods of cramming,—namely, 
hand, funnel, and machine cramming. 
Hand cramming is rarely resorted to in this country, but is 
done quite extensively on small plants in England. The method 
is to place feed in the bird’s mouth in the form of a pellet, force 
it down with the finger, and then work it into the crop by pressing 
the hand downward on the outside of the gullet. It is occasionally 
After Edward Brown. 
Fia. 186.—Common type of 
funnel used in cramming. The Tic. 187.—Cramming machine 
point isrounded to prevent in- used extensively in Europe, but as 
jury to the bird’s throat. yet very little in America. 
done in this country in the fattening of geese, but is so laborious 
that it is impracticable. 
Funnel cramming is a method not extensively employed in 
America, but it is more effective and more rapid than hand cram- 
ming. In this process the feed is mixed into a thin paste of about 
the consistency of cream, and poured through a long-necked funnel 
sc shaped that it will not injure the bird when passed down the 
gullet until the lower end enters the crop (Fig. 186). On insert- 
ing it care must be taken not to choke the bird, and only enough 
feed should be introduced to fill the crop. 
Machine cramming is widely practised in Europe, but not to 
a great extent in this country as yet (Fig. 187). It consists in 
