132 THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 



the dry grain, the three pints consumed a day are 

 equivalent only to one and a fifth of a pint of dry 

 wheat. Consequently, the proportion of what they 

 consumed of dry wheat was, to what they ate of boiled, 

 as five to four ; hence there is a saving of one fifth by 

 feeding with boiled_ wheat, as there is of two fifths, by 

 feeding with boiled barley. 



These interesting experiments prove most clearly, 

 that, in every case, when the price of maize, barley or 

 wheat, renders it eligible to feed poultry therewith, 

 there is considerable economy in never giving the grain 

 dry, but well boiled. The expense of fuel, though it 

 must be taken into the account, must be small in 

 comparison with the advantage, particularly in fami- 

 lies where large fires are constantly kept up, as a very 

 trifling addition of fuel will be required to burst the 

 grains. It may be well to repeat that there is no sav- 

 ing, but loss in fuel and trouble, by boiling oats, buck- 

 wheat, or rye. 



KILLING AND PREPARATION FOR MARKET. 



When fowls are in readiness to kill, some people dis- 

 patch them simply by wringing their necks, plucking off 

 the feathers, and sending them to market with the intes- 

 tines in. This is a slovenly practice, doing great injury 

 to the flesh, as it partakes of the flavor of the excrements, 

 when suffered long to remain undressed, and is otherwise 

 impaired from the stagnant blood. 



The most approved mode of fitting fowls for market, 

 is to kill them by cutting off their heads, on a block of 

 wood, at a single blow, with a hatchet or an axe, which 

 will deprive them at once of life, and drain their flesh of 

 blood. Then, the feathers and pin feathers should be 

 immediately plucked off, the intestines removed, the 

 blood washed out with cold water, and carefully hung 

 up in a cool, dry room, until ready to convey to market, 

 or otherwise to be used. 



