American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-01-24
AGRICULTURAL.

stable must be clean, free from manure
and all offensive odorous matter, and
enough sawdust, dry dirt, plaster, or
other effective absorbent and deodorizer
used to remove all disagreeable smells.
The stable must be well ventilated, and
the cows have plenty of fresh pure air
to breathe. This must be, in summer
or winter, as foul air, rs well rs foul
food, will faint the whole system of the
cow and impart its odor and flavor to
the milk. Air, food and drink must be
pure, and the surroundings clean and
sweet. If this is not the condition under
which the cow Is kept, then there Is hot
sufficient cleanliness In this part of the
dairy. Very seldom do we see stable
that even approximates this degree of
cleanliness. Yet this is Indispensable,
as surely as the milk is made of, and
favored by, what the cow eats, drinks,
and inhales, and as milk absorbs the
odors of the atmosphere with which it
comes in contact.-Erchangc
MARKETING POULTRY.-With all the
improvements that have been made dur
ing the past twenty years in the ship
ment of live stock and dressed meats
there has been very little progress in the
methods of marketing poultry. The
exceedingly low price which farmers
often receive for fowls, the large ex-
pense attending marketing, and the bad
condition of Il large proportion of the
poultry seen in most cities are all evil
dcnces that a change is necessary for
the good of all parties. During con-
siderable portion of every winter dressed
chickens sell for less in this market than
dressed hogs or beef. The cost of
marketing them, including packages,
freight or eXpressage, and commissions,
is three or four times that required for
pork or beef Dressed fowls are perish
able articles which must be sold soon
after they reach their destination or
they are worthless. Indeed, many of
them are of little value when they are
received if they were forwarded in or
binary freight ears when the weather
was quite warm. If the temperature
is sufficiently cold to freeze them their
market value is diminished. The ap-
pearance of dressed poultry is injured
by keeping it under the most favorable
circumstances, and its value as an arti-
Gle of food is very likely to be
impaired. Experience shows that
it is ordinarily best to ship beeves
and hogs alive. Still dressed
L Il,
ishable articles because they may be cured
and packed if there is little demand for
them in fresh condition. There are
greater advantages in shipping live
fowls than live hogs and beeves. The
former require as much care in dressing
in order to meet the demands at the
| market as the latter. Much of the poul-
| try that comes to market is dressed so
| poorly that it is sold for less than its
real value. AS much skill is required to
dress poultry properly as to dress hogs
and beeves. Fowls are chiefly brought
to class of customers who are fastidi-
Gus. If they are not dressed in a man.
ner to render them attractive they will
not purchase them. For fowls to pre-
sent their best appearance they should
not be dressed more than one day be-
fore they are exposed for sale. The APP
pearance of beef, pork, and mutton is
not injured by their hanging several
DAYS in suitable room. But fowls, es-
| peciallv turkeys and chickens, COM
mence to look uninviting shortly after
| they are dressed. Many marketmen
are so well aware of this that they do
not ordinarily dress fowls till they are
ordered by customers. 1t would be
greatly to the advantage of producers,
shippers, dealers, and consumers if this
practice of sending fowls to mar
ket alive became general. To accom-
plish the desired end, however, 1T will
be necessary to have cars constructed
expressly for the purpose of carrying
fowls, as they now are for carrying va
rious kinds of live stock. The poultry
cars should be provided with five or six
floors, SO that the birds could stand up
right without discomfort. Ample pro-
visions should be made for ventilation,
and means should be provided for sup
plying food and water. With cars built
expressly for the purpose, the expense
of shipping given weight of fowls
would be but little greater than for an
equal weight of hogs, sheep or beeves.
On arriving at thepoint of destination,
the birds should be let out in spacious
yards, part of which should be COW
cred. In these yards they should be al
lowed to recuperate before they are
killed. This would greatly improve
their appearance and condition, and add
much to their market value. Fowls
shipped a hundred miles or more are in
no condition for the market when they
arrive at it. They should be allowed
rest to recover from the fatigue of the
journey, and food that will cause them
10 fatten rapidly. AT present no farm
product is marketed with SO poor adj
vantage to all the parties interested as
poultry.-Chicago Times.
Indiana Mabert's Romance.
A recent correspondence between the