■' aiASKET METHODS I93 



Spring ducks should be kept back until almost full 

 grown. Commission houses receive full-grown 

 spring ducks from the great duck farms very early 

 in the season, and these bring high prices. West- 

 ern packers, seeing the high quotations for these, 

 often send very small, young ducks about the 

 weight of broiling chickens. Such are usnalable 

 at any reasonable price. Spring ducks are never 

 used to broil, always to roast, and there is no call 

 whatever for stock weighing less than 3 pounds. 



KILLING AND DRESSING 



Immediately after killing, the feathers must be 

 carefully and very cleanly removed, taking especial 

 pains to avoid tearing the skin. When dry-picked 

 poultry is to be packed dry for cold-weather ship- 

 ment it should be hung up head down in a cold 

 place (but not cold enough to freeze), and left until 

 thoroughly cold and dry. Any animal heat left in 

 the body when packed, and any moisture on the 

 skin, is sure to cause bad condition in a short time. 

 When the dry-picked poultry is to be packed in ice 

 for warm-weather shipment it should be thrown 

 into water of natural temperature and left there 

 for 15 to 20 minutes, then removed to ice water, 

 where it should remain eight to ten hours, when it 

 will be ready to pack. 



For scalding, the water should be just at the boil- 

 ing point, but not actually boiling. The birds held 

 by legs and head should be immersed and lifted in 

 the water three or four times. Immediately after 

 scalding chickens and turkeys remove the feathers, 

 pin-feathers and all, very cleanly and without break- 

 ing the skin. After scalding wrap ducks and geese 



