KILLING 409 
forcing feed into the crop with a specially constructed machine. 
The feed is placed in a metallic vessel or cylinder, and then by a 
plunger, operated by foot power, is forced into a tube which is 
passed down the bird’s gullet and into the crop. With practice 
this can be done very rapidly, and, when done by skilful operators, 
tends to produce the choicest quality of flesh. The development 
of artificial feeding in this country will depend upon an increased 
demand for a superior quality of meat. The profits from machine- 
fed poultry are large, even counting the increased cost of labor, 
because of the great gain in weight and improved quality of meat. 
Regardless of the method practised, the following points 
should be borne in mind: The object is constant growth; restricted 
exercise; no overfeeding; birds allowed to become hungry be- 
tween feedings; period not too long, or loss will follow. 
Killing.—If dressed poultry is to reach the consumer in the 
best possible condition as regards flavor, wholesomeness, appear- 
ance, and perfect state of preservation, it must be properly killed. 
Much of the loss resulting from the shipping and storage of dressed 
poultry that soon spoils is due to improper sticking and bleeding 
and to neglect before killing. 
Preparation for Kzlling—tIn the preservation of good market 
qualities in a well-fed fowl or chicken, it is well to starve it for 
twenty-four hours before killing, supplying it, however, during 
this time with fresh, clean water. This period of fasting empties 
the crop, and partially the intestines also. A distended crop 
makes the bird look unattractive, and the contents will discolor 
the flesh during storage. The same is true of the intestines; if 
full, a discoloration soon appears, and the contents offer a fertile 
field in which putrefactive bacteria may grow and multiply when 
taken from storage, or even during display. 
Methods of Killing~—The essential point in slaughtering is 
to empty the blood-vessels, and to do this in such a way as to 
facilitate the plucking of the feathers. With dry picking this 
is of special importance. It is estimated that fully thirty per 
cent of all poultry shipped into the larger cities is improperly 
bled, and much of it in such poor condition as to be retailed at 
a loss ranging from two to five cents a pound, when compared with 
similar birds which had been well bled and are in good order. 
Insufficient bleeding not only gives to the carcass a bad appear- 
ance, but makes it spoil quickly, the flesh loses its firmness sooner, 
and its flavor is not.so good. The common odor of stale flesh, and 
