The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-11-08
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
Marketing Poultry.

they will be quiet, contented, and out Of
sight of other poultry. Seeing other fowls
at large viii make them fret and lose flesh
pulously clean. Feed three times q day all
that will be eaten at each meal. Give the
first meal early and the last one late in the
day. Provide plenty of sharp grit and
fresh water. Corn is best for flushing
off poultry, az it gives frmer flesh. and
yellower color than buekwheat OF other
grains. Pullets can be fattened best just
before commencing to lay and cockereis
when the tails begin to turn. 1t is mis-
take to keep males until fully matured. As
soon as fit for broilers they should be mar
keted. Cockerels always meet 2 ready sale
and command high prices.
There is much to be learned about dress
ing poultry. It is useless to send fowls to
market unless fat and neatly dressed. At
tractiveness is an important feature in sell
ing and great loss frequently occurs from
lack of it. In selling to local dealers use
the same care in dressing that would be
taken If shipping to distant commission
merchant. Fowls look best when dry
picked, especially if fat and plump. If they
are not in fine condition 1T is best to scald
them before picking. When dry-picked
the natural frmness of the flesh remains,
and poultry for Chicago markets should be
so prepared if possible. Let the fowls go
without food for IL to "a hours before kill
ing, so that nothing will remain IN the croF
to sour.
Kill by severing the veins of the neck or
inside the mouth. This can be quickly and
painlessly done with sharp knife. Hang
the fowls by the feet to bleed and pick
while the bodies are warm, using great care
not to tear the skin. Leave the head and
feet on and do not remove the crop or in
testines. Wash in cold water, wipe dry,
and hang up by the feet ia a cool place.
For scalding, heat the water about to the
boiling point. Holding the fowl by the
head and feet, dip the body into the water
three or four times. If the head touches
the water it will give the eyes a shrunken
appearance. Buyers are naturally suspici-
Gus, and If the eyes are shrunken they
think the fowl has heen sick. When the
feathers and pin feathers have been re-
moved, immerse the fowl in scalding water
for four or FIVE seconds and then dip imme-
diately into ice-cOld water, TO give it a
plump appearance. IF the held is cut off,
turn the skin back trifle, cut off the bone
and drawing the skin forward tie it neatly.
Ducks and geese should go through the
same process of dressing as chickens. For
these fowls it takes more time for the scald-
ing water to penetrate and loosen the
feathers. After scalding wrap them in
a thick cloth for two minutes and the
feathers and down will come off easily.
Turkeys should always be dry-picked. Be
fore packing for shipping be sure the meat
is dry and cold. Pack snugly in clean
boxes or barrels after placing layer of
clean hay or straw in the bottom. Boxes
or barrels holding 100 to 80 pounds are
handled.-AmeriedR AgrieuE-
tarist.
Meat Meal a Feeding Stuff.
There is another matter to which Mr..
Milne is presently directing the attention
of agriculturists, and that is the value and
use of South American meat meal. This
substance is a by-produet in the manufac-
ture of extract of meat; and, in fact, it is
simply finely grouad fern of the meat
from which the well-known Liebig'S Ex-
tract has been extracted. There are two
qualities of this meat meal; one is used for
and the other for feeding purposes,
hitherto chiefly in Germany. The feeding
quality has lately dropped sos per ton in
price, and is now sold for about its value
for manure, viz, e9 per ton. Mr.. Milne
has abundantly proved in his own expert
ence that meat meal is very efficacious for
the feeding of stock; and as it contains 75
per cent. of albuminods containing IL
per cent of nitrOgen), all of which are di-
gestible, 10 Per cent. of bullock fat and 2
per cent. of phosphates, its cheapness as a
stock food Is at once apparent, as nearly all
the outlay can be recovered in the increased
value OF the manure. Cattle eat it readily
after little eoaxing, and thrive excellently
upon it; and for the rearing of calves nc
better or more nutritious concentrated food
can be got. So far, however, Mr. Milne has
not succeeded in getting many of the stock
feeders in the north to use it largely, except
in meal sold by his firm for the feeding of
poultry, for which purpose its use is rap
dly increasing every week. Without exeep-
ion, all who have tried it for this use are
very highly pleased with the results, and are
unanimous in holding that the output" Of
Eggs resulting from the use of meat meal
IS much greater than that got from the use
Of any other poultry food. Mr.. Mines
own experience, however, goes 10 show that
he meat meal which has thus given such
gratifying results in the feeding of poultry
may be quite as successfully used in the
feeding OF cattle and sheep; and now that
It is sold at about its value for manure
alone, there is no reason why our farmers
should allow their German brothers to carry
9ff all the profit that may undoubtedly be
got by using the article in an intelligent
md proper manner-North British AgrieaI-
Hrist.
The latest official statistics of our dairy
export trade show that of the total amount
IF butter exported from the United States
% other countries during the present year,
he largest purchaser was the United King
lom, shipments to that country amounting
% $55o, 667, against S293, 400 during the same
ength of time in last year.
This trade with British North American
possessions has greatly increased for the
present year to date, S126,064 against $43,-
]S7 during the corresponding period in
1898.
Next in rank is Germany, whose exports
N this line for the present year have
reached S107 $50, against only $1,000 dur
ng this period last year.
Scattered trade with other countries in
Europe for the year to Aug 1, has footed up
S134,212 against $3.50 in last year.
The domestic exports of cheese are worth
almost four times in value that of the but
,er trade, and the values have increased
s229 964 over the values of this export for
he same period in last year, the total value
,eino S43l967O. against S4OS9 zoo in 1898.