1906.] 



The Marketing of Poultry. 



399 



Forwarding. — Send a postcard to the buyer or salesman 

 telling him by what route and train the crate will travel, and 

 mention by what mark he will be able to identify the crate. 



The crate should travel by an evening train so as to reach 

 the markets in the very early morning, and it should be 

 consigned at dealers' rates. 



Ducks and geese should be sent in very rough but strong 

 crates, with the actual weight of the contents marked on one end 

 outside. About ten large or fourteen small geese go to a crate_ 



There is a growing demand for goslings weighing from 6 

 to 8 lb. during the London season — from the middle of May to 

 the end of June. Goslings sent in then are off the ground 

 before keep becomes valuable for other farm stock. 



In Surrey it is the practice after the birds have been shaped 

 for them to be floured and packed in specially made boxes called 

 " pads," which are of different sizes and hold respectively twelve, 

 sixteen, twenty, and twenty-four birds. Each bird is laid breast 

 downwards ori clean straw, being as tightly packed as possible 

 to prevent them shifting on rail. Clean butter paper is, by the 

 best packers, placed between each layer of birds to prevent the 

 straw marking the backs and rubbing off the skin. Though this 

 means a few more minutes per package, it brings a more ready 

 sale and is well worth doing. 



The chickens need not be drawn as a rule, but some buyers 

 prefer them to be " roped," that is, to have the intestine drawn 

 out at the vent, leaving the rest of the inside intact. This is 

 frequently done in the Midlands and in Ireland. Unless the 

 distance from the market is considerable, the birds are un- 

 packed and sold within a few hours of despatch, so that this is 

 not generally necessary. 



It is the custom on farms to keep old hens about long after 

 they are really profitable fram a laying point of view. Very 

 rarely is a hen worth her keep after the conclusion of her second 

 year. Local higglers buy them at what one may term starva- 

 tion prices. These hens may usefully be fattened up for sale 

 in London at Easter — when there is a large demand by Jews 

 for fowls. If sent up they must be fat, not merely fleshy. The 

 best day for them to arrive in London is the Thursday before 

 Easter, and they should leave the farm station the night before 



