The Washington herald., 1913-06-22
SANDY COASTAL LAND HOLDS
GREATEST VEGETABLE GARDEN

pensable bird-the common barnyard
fowl
Formerly chickens were killed today
and eaten tomorrow. because decay
could not be checked for any length
OF time. Then. as the farms were pushed
away from the edges OF the growing
cities, crushed ice was used to preserve
the dressed birds until they could reach
the consumers matter of a week. per-
haps. But the people in the cities grew
In numbers faster than the chickens
multiplied on the nearby farms. me
hauls soon became too long for farm
wagons. and the railway was called into
service. For twenty years the railroads
have been carrying to Eastern and West
ern cities dressed poultry from a wider
! and wider radius Texas turkeys and
Oklahoma chickens are shipped to New
York and San Francisco and (such are
the wonders OF modern methods OF
handling perishabIe foodstufrs) they
reach these distant centers in better
condition than did the ice-packed chick
ems few years ago after travelling lc
miles or so.
When the farmers flock has reached a
remarkable stage. he sells II to the poul-
try packer. or to his agent. and the
birds reach the packing house located
in the producing section in great wagon
loads. On arrival the fowls are hungry,
thirsty. and tired: hence not in condition
to be killed Many of them are thin.
because few farmers feed their poultry
enough to fatten them. Accordingly, the
poultry packers have established feeding
stations. where from 1000 to 1900 birds,
housed in specially constructed feeding
batteries. are given clean grain mixed
with buttermilk for from seven to four
teen days Sucn feeding for two weeks
doubles the weight OF young chickens.
while causing a great Improvement in
the flavor and tenderness Of their flesh.
Progress in Feeding.
The feeding stations are light and airy.
vents the birds from gaining weight
What progress this wholesale feeding
represents is better understood when the
juicy. milk-fed birds is tasted and COM
pared with the ranger chicken that
forages far and near for a living. The
system Of crate fattening here described
is an outgrowth of an old system on
many farms of feeding milk and clean
grain for several days before killing.
II dressed poultry Is to travel long dis
tances, and to be kept fresh from two
to three weeks before it reaches the
table of the consumer. it must be handled
by scientific methods. The birds are killed
by cutting the jugular vein with slender
straight-edged knife Then that portion
of the brain tissue. which controls the
muscles holding the feathers in place is
destroyed by a thrust of the same knife.
and the feathers are thereby SO loosened
as to be easily pulled out. The cutting
Of the blood vessels in the proper way
permits the blood to drain out of the
carcass until il is practically blood-frec.
This Is essential IL the bird is to keep"
we'll Incidentally, the feathers (utiliz-
able for various purposes. are not con-
taminated with blood By this system.
less than two minutes are required for
killing and the removal Of all except the
fine down and pin feathers. Cleanliness
being one of the watchwords of modern
poultry dressing, and heads must be
freed from blood and neatly wrapped in
paper. and the feet must be scrubbed
II they are dirty. Then the birds are
sent to the chill room
No longer does the packer thrust old
cocks, broiling chickens, and fowls in
into barrels, pressing them
down in his endeavor to pack tightly. and
SO bruising flesh and tearing skins To
insure good keeping. and to enable Gus
toners to see at a glance the quality OF
the product. he uses wooden boxes hold
ing twelve birds each. He also takes
care that each bird Of the twelve Is an
exact match to the other eleven, both in
weight and quality, and when he has
brand on the box and a reputation in the
market, he even matches the color of
the skin, in order that the package may
present an attractive appearance. The
boxes are lined with parchment paper.
For very high-grade poultry pasteboard
cartons, holding one roasting or two
broiling chickens are beginning to be
used. They tend to keep the birds clean
and sound-skinned. and insure to the
housewife a package that has not been
mauled by prospective customers. nor
soaked in water by the retailer to freshen
up a dried-out chicken. Before long.
doubtless, the packers will adopt the prac-
tice of marking their cartons with the
date of killing. Thus the purchaser will
see that the birds have been killed during
the season when quality is highest
broilers before December, and roasters
between September and January. The
packer of high-class goods is now more
than willing to put such Information on
his labels: the warehouse man desires 1t,
and the wholesaler wants 1t.
RENE BACHE.