OCR Text |
Show CAREFULLY PREPARING POULTRY INSURES HIGHER MARKET PRICE Preparing Poultry Under Modern Conditions for Marker. 24 hours, and the packer must be sure that the body cavity, as well as the; skin and flesh, are free from heat lie-fre lie-fre the birds leave the chill room. Failure to observe this requirement is responsible for much of the Ill-conditioned poultry found in the public markets. The -range of temperature permitted, too, is small. Below 30 degrees de-grees Fahrenheit the flesh is frosted ; above 35 degrees Fahrenheit decay proceeds too rapidly to permit of long hauls to distant markets. Of course, the Birds can he frozen after they are chilled, and so shipped, and this is a very excellent plan, especially If the haul is across a hot" country, say the specialists in the Department of Agriculture. Agri-culture. Packing for Market. It Is customary to pack broilers with the breasts up, and the feet hidden. The prevailing method at present, where refrigeration is available, is to pack the chickens in small boxes holding hold-ing a dozen each, but small boxes suitable suit-able for one or two chickens hnve recently re-cently been placed on the market. If the business Is to, be permanent the containers should carry the farm name, or the name of the shipper If the farm hns no name. An attractive advertisement on the box has a great deal to do with marketing, a fact proved long ago to the satisfaction of shrewd business men. Small packages are becoming more and more popular. Two layers of chickens In a box are being discarded for a single layer, it being realized that refrigeration Is more perfect if the carcasses do not touch, and If pressure on such tender tissue as chicken muscle Is eliminated as far as possible. On this account heads are wrapped In waxed paper nnd turned back where they do not rest against the soft flesh of the breast or thighs. No longer does the packer thrust old cocks, broiling chickens and fowls indiscriminately Into a big sugar su-gar barrel, pressing them down in his effort to pack tightly, and so bruising the flesh and tearing the skin. (Prepared by the United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture.) Not a day passes that inspectors employed by city, state or federal government, gov-ernment, do not condemn food of one kind or another Decause It Is unfit for human consumption. Sometimes this Is due to deliberate adulteration, an intention to defraud the purchasers, but more often It Is the result of improper im-proper packing, neglect to consider temperatures to be encountered In transporting from point of origin to destination, or fnilure to consider the time which must necessarily elapse before the product is likely to reach the consumers' tables. All this entails not only great loss In money, likely to be reflected In prices demanded of the public, but also it endangers the public health, because occasionally some unworthy article slips through Inspection and is served as food. Enough food products spoil every week to form a very Important Im-portant part of the amount needed fcy the people; and practically ail of It might be saved through Intelligence and care ?n the part of the producers and shippers. After your chickens are fattened and ready to kill, it will pay you to study the methods of killing, bleeding, picking, pick-ing, chilling and packing described fully In bureau of chemistry circulars: circu-lars: 3, "How to Pick Chickens;" 52, "How to Wrap Heads" ; 61, "How to Kill and Bleed Market Poultry." Issued Is-sued by the Department of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, these circulars may be had by application to the division of publications. publica-tions. The man who hopes to succeed suc-ceed should know everything possible about his proposed market, and its demands. de-mands. Broilers in Demand, Ordinarily the demand is for broilers broil-ers of three sizes squab broilers, small broilers and large broilers. Squab broilers weigh, dressed, from three-quarters to one pound ; small broilers, the size most in demnnd the greater part of the year, weigh from one to one and a quarter pounds each, and large broilers from one and one-half one-half to two pounds. I Broilers may be sold alive or Idressed, in the discretion of the shipper; ship-per; hut If dressed, this should Irt-done Irt-done according to the demands of the jmarkct, and these demands one can 'learn only by inquiry and study. Oet-g Oet-g the product ready for the buyer in the public market has much to do With the price received. The appearance appear-ance of the article, the manner iu which it Is pucked, nnd its condition hese are the points that make a reputation rep-utation for the shipper. Temperature to Maintain. - Tlie temperature of chickens when they are alive Is 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Fahren-heit. This must be reduced ufter killing kill-ing to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or less before they can he packed for long hauls In refrigerator enrs. The time required to chill fowls usually is about |