Sa eee ee 
FOOD VALUE AND USES OF POULTRY. .- 8 
American poultry experts designate as ‘‘meat”’ or ‘‘table”’ breeds 
the Asiatic class, which includes Light and Dark Brahmas; Buff, Par- 
tridge, White, and Black Cochins; and Black and White Langshans. 
Almost any of the heavy breeds can, however, be made into good 
table birds if given proper feeding ve care. 
Ordinarily, the poultry raiser depends on eggs as well as on table 
birds for his profit, and selects free-laying, well-shaped, hardy varie- 
ties, relying on care and feeding to develop the quality and flavor of 
the flesh. Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds, and 
Orpingtons are probably the most EL SOO of the common breeds 
used in this country for ‘ ‘general purpose’’ birds. 
Hens lay most abundantly in the early spring and summer, and — 
‘hence the best season for ‘‘spring’’ chickens and broilers—i. e., 
chickens from 2 to 6 months old—is from May to September or 
October. Fowls or hens are, of course, to be had at all times of 
year, but they are most frequently sent to market in the winter 
months, when they are laying poorly. The retail market terms for 
poultry, as for other commodities, vary somewhat with the locality, 
but, according to well-established commercial usage in the United 
‘States, “broilers”’ is the technical term for the youngest chickens; 
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then come “frying chickens;” then “roasting chickens;’’ and finally, 
“hens”’ or ‘fowls.’ 
The flesh of the mature cock is usually too tough and highly fla- 
vored and requires too much care in cookery to be satisfactory, so 
caponizing of the young males is often resorted to. Capons rightly 
fed and handled are considered exceptionally fine for table use. 
Their flesh has the tenderness of the pullet, with a much better flavor. 
Moreover, the tender parts of the body develop more than in ordinary 
chickens, giving a larger proportion of white meat. They are usually 
higher in price than other forms of chicken, but because their tender 
flesh is better distributed over the carcass they may be carved and 
served more economically than chickens of equal weight, and thus be 
worth a higher price than ordinary chickens, irrespective of their 
texture and flavor. 
Poulards, as the spayed females are called, are seldom found in 
American markets, though they are often’ marketed and are highly 
esteemed in Europe. 
TURKEYS. 
The name of these birds is rather misleading and does not suggest 
that they were originally native in America. They were, nevertheless, 
_ introduced into Europe from this continent soon after its discovery. 
The confusion may have been due to the fact that at that time Turkey 
was vaguely supposed to be the source of all sorts of strange impor- 
_ tations; and these new birds were called ‘Turkey fowl”’ in the same 
loose way that maize was called ‘Turkey corn.’”’ The French name 
