The Preparation of Table Fowls. 225 



place ; and there are signs that lead us to hope that a consider- 

 able improvement will be found within a few years. Prejudice 

 is hard to kill, and it may be that the French plan of trussing 

 will never be adopted in this country ; but, if a system of fatten- 

 ing becomes general, that will be a considerable step in advance. 

 We have already pointed out in previous chapters, the kinds 

 of fowls most suitable for table purposes, therefore it is not 

 necessary to enumerate them here ; but we may mention 

 again, that those birds which have the meat upon the breast 



Fig. 13.— Christy's Fattening Pen. 



and not upon the thighs, are generally the best for fattening. 

 The question we have now to deal with, is that of the fatten- 

 ing of the fowls, and the methods adopted in France are 

 worthy of being fully described here. The commonest plan 

 in France is to keep the chickens in square pens, just 

 sufficiently large to allow them moving room, but no more. 

 In some instances a room is completely lined out with these 

 pens, and, when all the pens are full, and feeding time is on, 

 then the scene is a very busy one. The partitions are made 



