190 POULTRI-CRAFT. 
to a particular market, he would, of course, have produced as nearly as he 
could to meet the demand in that market. When it is a question of one 
already located finding the best market, he needs to study markets thoroughly, 
and, perhaps, send trial shipments to several different places before he decides 
where to sell. Transportation facilities decide the shipping question for many 
producers. 
In shipping to commission houses,-in the smaller cities, which do not 
furnish instructions to shippers; and to provision dealers; and in preparing 
poultry for special family or hotel trade, the ZocaZ requirements of the leading 
markets in the vicinity should be observed. It is especially for this class of 
shippers that complete instructions for marketing are given here. 
279. Shipping Live Poultry. — Poultry of all kinds can be shipped 
-alive during about half the year, from April to October, and, for short distance 
shipments, will net the shipper quite as much as if dressed. In fact, if he is 
inexpert in preparing fowls for market, good live fowls would bring him more 
than he would get for the same fowls, poorly dressed. Through the late fali 
and winter months, when dressed poultry is easily kept, live fowls are not 
much in demand. Commission men strictly warn their shippers against send- 
ing live fowls at winter holiday seasons, as at such times they have to be sold 
on the market for whatever they will bring, and may not realize enough to 
pay expenses of transportation and sale. 
Live fowls are shipped mostly by-express, 
in slatted coops, each holding from one to 
two dozen grown fowls, and of chickens a 
sylarger number, according to size. Over- 
crowding is to be avoided, both because of 
its inhumanity, and for economical reasons; 
it is not right, and it does not pay. Crowded 
Fig. 80. Slatted Coop for Shipping Live fowls lose in weight, and also in quality of 
Poultry to Market. flesh 
280. Dressing Poultry.— There are two methods of dressing poultry: 
dry picking, and scalding. The first is used generally in the east, and used 
everywhere in dressing poultry specially for the best trade in the eastern 
markets ; the second is used generally throughout the west and south, in prepar- 
ing poultry for the markets of those sections. A few dealers in some of the 
eastern cities will not receive scalded poultry at all. In some places it is hard to 
sell, but in most places, even when the dry picked stock is given preference, 
scalded stock of good quality finds ready sale at satisfactory prices. In western 
markets scalded stock sells best for the home trade; yet the large commission 
houses prefer dry picked stock; for, as a very large part of the poultry sent to 
market must be shipped east to find consumers, the dry picked stock can be 
handled to best advantage. 
