144 POULTBY FATTENING. 



sold through the trade it is better left in their hands, 

 as they can thus meet immediate demands, a work like 

 this would be incomplete without some description of 

 the methods adopted. Where chickens are sold direct 

 to consumers it may be essential that they be trussed. 

 Cooks as a rule, however, are equal to the work, or 

 ought to be, for the preparation of fowls by poulterers 

 in some cases has obviated the need for a cook knowing 

 more than how to boil or roast. It is somewhat diffi- 

 cult to describe operations like these, but the following 

 is an attempt in that direction. 



For Boasting. Presuming that the chicken has been 

 properly plucked, (1) nick the skin of each leg through 

 to the bone, just below the joint ; (2) trim the pinions, 

 cutting off the skin on outer side, so as to remove all 

 marks of feather pits ; (3) lay chicken on its breast, 

 with stern towards operator, and head away from the 

 body ; (4) make a transverse cut in skin of neck about 

 Uvo inches from back, and lay skin thus loosened back- 

 wards, exposing vertebrae ; (5) cut off neck and head 

 about two inches in front of previous cut, thus leaving 

 about two inches of neck skin ; (6) now turn bird 

 round sideways, breast upwards, and laying back the 

 neck skin to expose the front of breast ; (7) press the 

 thumb firmly down the A-shaped orifice thus exposed, 

 loosen the skin, and insert finger into body to in- 

 ternal organs from breast-bone ; (8) carefully cut out 

 merry-thought ; (9) turn bird round in the hand, make 

 a transverse cut across the vent, immediately below 

 the " parson's nose," and an angular cut at each side, 

 which prevents the sides cracking when the bird is 

 being drawn ; (10) insert forefinger and find " trail," 



