232 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



customary for some poulterers to break the breastbone 

 of fowls, in order to make them have a full appearance, but 

 this only hides bad work in the fattening process, and it is 

 thoroughly unnecessary, when the birds are properly fed 

 before killing. It is also a source of annoyance to the 

 carver, preventing slices being cut off the breast as easily 

 as they otherwise would be, and at the same time accounting 

 for the ragged appearance of the cut, when laid upon the 

 plate. Properly selected, well fattened, and carefully dressed, 

 there is no need for such a practice as this, and the sooner 

 it is abandoned the better. Prejudice is undoubtedly bard 

 to kill, but it is not impossible to overcome it, and the 

 benefit to both producer and consumer is so striking, that 

 it would not be long before prejudice would acknowledge its 

 error, by following in the same course. 



This would appear to be a suitable opportunity for saying 

 something about- another custom, which is largely adopted 

 in France, but which has never become very general in this 

 country, namely, that of caponising, whicb is the taking 

 away from cockerels the power of reproduction, by the doing 

 of which, the weight of the birds, and the tenderness of the 

 flesh, are both greatly increased, and fowls so treated are 

 to be met with very generally all over the Continent, at least 

 in those districts where poultry breeding is largely practised. 

 In some places pullets are also operated upon, for a young 

 hen that has never laid, is regarded as daintier than any 

 male bird, but, as a rule, these are fed up and killed before 

 laying has commenced, so that there is no need to subject 

 them to the operation. One of the best descriptions of 

 caponising is that given in Tegetmeier's Poultry Book, 

 which is of itself a translation from a French treatise by 

 Mdlle. Millet Eobinet :— 



'-' The instrument employed in the operation should be 



