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TME AOBICULTUBAL JOURNAL. 



exception the most delicate fowl imagin- 

 able ; but they do not put on so much size 

 aa the heavier breeds, and size is, of 

 course, the first consideration in the 

 breeding of market birds. 



The chief reason against caponising is 

 nervousness. Many men cannot do it be- 

 cause of nervousness, and very few women 

 will even try. 1 myself, notwithstandmg 

 that I had several lessons from three very 

 expert men, am far too nervous to do it 

 alone. I managed to gc^t through five 

 birds successfully while the teacher stood 

 by, but alone I failed miserably. At the 

 same time lots of ladies I know can and do 

 operate themselves, and any one who will 

 persevere can master it. The secret is to 

 practice first on dead birds, and not to 

 touch the living until quite perfect with 

 the dead. I would advise the beginner to 

 thoroughly examine all the interual ar- 

 rangements that surround the parts to be 

 operated on, and to do it with the aid of 

 a strong magnifying glass. By doing 

 this she or he will become familiar with 

 the blood vessels that are likely to be 

 ruptured by carelessness, nervousness, or 

 other causes during the operation. 



I have spoken about the tools ; now a 

 word about the table. A strong box or 

 the head of a barrel will do, but if possi- 

 ble it is best to have a board or table 

 specially made with the hooks for the 

 cords to keep the fowl steady. If a board 

 is chosen, it should be smooth and well- 

 dressed, and have a slight ledge round it, 

 and a strong clamp, so that it can be 

 clamped to a table. When about to operate 

 get into such a position that the sun (or 

 the lamplight at night) can shine down 

 inio the opening, and thus make all the 

 parts visible. It is not wise to operate at 

 night on account of the light, sunlight 

 being the best for the purpose for many 

 reasons. 



The operation has been described in 

 these columns, and very well aui fully, 

 not by me, but by one who was probably 

 a practical caponiser. However, I will 

 give the details again, and will ask all 

 who are interested or who have any idea 

 of ever taking up the practice to preserve 

 this article, as it is not fair to others that 

 the same directions should be repeated 

 often. 



The Operation. 

 Place the fowl on the table or board on 

 its left Bide with the sun well on it. Wrap 



the cord thrice round the legs pretty high 

 up. Plac-. the other cord once round the 

 wings, and fasten a weight of some kind 

 to the other end of it. Let it hang over 

 the side of the table so that you have the 

 bird firmly secured. In placing the fowl 

 you must use your own judgment as to 

 getting it into the best position to suit 

 yourself. Now, instead of plucking the 

 feathers, as was the old way, you can wet 

 them with cold water and twist them back 

 one under the other ; in this way the 

 feathers remain to protect and keep the 

 wound cool and safe. Besides, there is no 

 unsightly bare spot, as would be the case 

 were the feathers plucked out. They will 

 twist easily one under the other when wet. 

 I'he colder the water the better and more 

 likely to prevent bleeding. Be sure to 

 wet the spot well before making the cut. 

 Now pull the skin on the side down 

 towards the hip ; this is so that the skin 

 will go back to its place and cover the 

 flesh wound when the work is completed. 

 Make the incision between the first and 

 second rib, pushing the point of the knife 

 in firmly about one-quarter of an inch, no 

 more. Hold it there for a second or two, 

 as the bird may work his ribs up and 

 down when he first feels the knife. When 

 he is quiet again increase the cut to 

 half-an-inch, or the slightest bit more, but 

 be very careful not to have it too large. 

 Put the knife down now, but keep the 

 skin drawn back with the left hand, and 

 take up the spieader between finger and 

 thumb, pressing the two ends together. 

 Then very carefully insert the two ends 

 in the incision between the two ribs. You 

 can now hold the spreader in place with 

 the left hand and resume the knife. In- 

 crease the cut towards the backbone, and 

 also forward on a line between the ribs 

 until you think it is large enough for the 

 free entrance of the scoop-twister —the 

 instrument used to scoop out the testicles 

 and twist ihem from the back. Some use 

 a canula and loop of horsehair or catgut 

 for this purpose, but the scoop is a later 

 idea, and much more handy. I see by 

 the latest American poultry journals that 

 they are now made combined with clip- 

 piug knife and hook, the whole set of 

 tools in the one instrument. I would not 

 advise anyone to send for them till some- 

 thing more is heard of them. Combina- 

 tion tools are not always a success. One 

 thing to be careful of is not to go too close 



