Hubbard's poultry secrets. 93 



and blue as by the method given in the next chapter, being 

 careful not to use too much bluing this time. After taking the 

 bird from the bluing water, take all the moisture you can out 

 of the feathers With a Turkish towel. Heat a bottle of peroxide 

 as hot as your hands can bear it and pour the hot peroxide over 

 the whole plumage, commencing well up on the hackle and wet- 

 ting all the feathers well. Pour some ammonia on a damp 

 sponge and go over the top surface. Then take the bird into 

 the drying room. First put three inches of the hot sand in 

 the bottom of the box, then set the bird in the box and cover 

 him up with the sand heated to 115 degrees. Leave just his 

 head sticking out. After the feathers dry out, take him out 

 of the sand and you will find that you have a white bird. This 

 is what is known as the sand bleach. 



In bad cases of brassiness, oxalic acid and chloride of lime 

 are sometimes used, but it will not be necessary when using 

 the sand bleach, as it certainly saps the creaminess and brassi- 

 ness from the plumage. You can now see how the fakir 

 bleaches a bird that has brass, and wins in the Show Room. 

 The man who buys the bird is disappointed when he lets 

 him run in all kinds of weather and he goes back to the same 

 color that he was before he was bleached. 



WASHING WHITE BIRDS. 



To wash a white bird that is free from brass one should 

 have three or four tubs at least half full of warm water. The 

 one you soak your bird in first should be the warmest. If 

 you are using ivory soap, use one bar to every bird you have 

 to wash. Slice your soap thin, put it in a clean pail and ;iout 

 boiling hot water over it, and boil it until it is all dissolved. 

 Then with a good sponge, your tubs filled with warm soft wa- 



