FINISH AND SHAPING 151 



peculiarities of the English method are: Killing by 

 wringing the neck, not by chopping or sticking; 

 feathers are left on the neck for a few inches from 

 the head, also a few feathers on tail and tips of wings ; 

 the breast bone is sometimes broken down by pressing 

 it to one side with the thumbs, and the wings arc 

 twisted to the back of the bird. 



The French exhibit is especially well staged, show- 

 ing its merits to best advantage. The specimens are of 

 large size, very clean and white and well finished 



Mg. 38 — SHAPED FOWLS (French) 



by shaping as described elsewhere. They are shown 

 back uppermost, while English and American exhib- 

 itors place them breast up. The methods by which 

 the finest grades of foreign poultry are fattened and 

 finished for market are fully explained in this work. 

 Shaping (E. E. Brown)— Although French sys- 

 tems of shaping are practically unknown in this 

 country, it is desirable to refer to them, as for the 

 finer qualities of fowls they might be adopted in many 

 cases with advantage. The first is that most common 

 in France. In this case a board, from fifteen to eighteen 

 inches long and five to eight inches wide, in accord- 



