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United States Department of Agriculture Page
Bulletins and Special Articles of Interest to the Northwest, Issued by the Government; Suggestions Covering a Wide Range
of Activities; Results of Federal Investigations, Etc.
Advice for Poultry Shippers
Concrete for Canals
6 $
Mr. Poultryman: Would you avoid
the heavy losses of last year's disss-
trous season t Fallow this govern-
mental advice.
i
THE fact that it will soon be one
year since the calamitous dressed
poultry season ot 1913 wrecked
many handlers of poultry, sent tetis of
thousands of pounds of chickens, tur
keys, ducks and geese to the crema
tory, and left the consumer with such
a strong aversion to the taste of the
poultry that reached the market In
"off" condition that sales have suf
fered ever since, is being used as the
text of the sermon which experts in
poultry handling in the United States
Department of Agriculture are
preaching to poultry shippers all over
the country.
Shippers agree that the spoilage of
dressed poultry during the autumn of
1913 was unparalleled, and that the
rest of the year has been, financially,
one of the worst on record desipte the
scarcity of meat. Specialists in the
Department consider that the blame
rests chiefly upon the man who
killed, picked, chilled and packed the
poultry and sent it to market This
man bought the birds alive, hence
they were not decayed when he got
them. The railroads, in general, have
worked diligently at their refrigera
tor lines and it is well known that
shippers who packed their goods
properly found the railroad service
last autumn sufficiently satisfactory
to deliver the product in good order.
The receivers of poultry were hunt
ing for stock that could be sold te a
high class trade but the Inspector
did not have to look far for poultry
that was absolutely unfit for food.
The Department accompanies its
words of warning with words of ad
vice to the poultry dressers, telling
them how to handle the birds to en
sure high quality and a minimum
change in composition.
Cooping.
First: The packer, as soon as the
birds are received, should transfer
them to "holding batteries," which
are really coops so contructed that
only a few birds are In the same com
partment. All have anequal chance
to get food, each has an abundance of
fresh air and absolute cleanliness is
easily maintained.
Feeding.
Second: For 24 hours before kill
ing the bird is not fed but is given
plenty of clean water. In this way
the crop is emptied and the flavor of
the flesh is improved, as well as its
keeping quality. Of course, the bird
does not weigh as much when emp
tied of food, but it is better to be
paid for a few less pounds of poultry
than to receive only a freight bill.
Killing.
Third: Killing should be done by
cutting the veins of the neck from
inside the mouth while the bird is
suspended by the feet Circular 61
of the Bureau of Chemistry, gives
the details of how to bleed and to
"brain" that Is to loosen the feath
er muscles so that the birds may be
dry picked, not scalded. Scalded
birds have their keeping quality
greatly reduced.
Removing Feathers.
Fourth: Holding the bird while
removing the feathers is best accom
plished by the "frame" method. The
second best way is what is known as
the "string" method, and the worst
methods are the "bench" and "lap."
Chilling.
Fifth: After the birds are bled
and picked the animal heat must be
removed. The best method of doing
to Is to hang them, head downward,
In a room having a temperature be
tween 30 and 35 degrees Fahrenheit,
where they should remain for 24
hoars. The temperature must not go
above 35, nor below 29 degrees, and
the atmosphere cannot be depended
upon to remain within these limits,
hence mechanical refrigeration is an
absolute necessity. If the packers
last season had adherred to this one
regulation, It is safe to assert that
the inspectors In the markets would
have had to hunt a long time for a
"green-struck" or "off conditioned"
chicken. Putting the birds in cold
water, or water and ice to cool them
is unredeemably bad, and packing in
fine ice with a heavy lump of ice on
top of the barrel is a continuation of
an unreliable and often very dis
astrous method.
Packing.
Sixth: Pack the chilled birds in
standard boxes 12 to the box or
in small kegs if they are not to be
hard frozen, and see that each bird
in the package is an exact match in
quality, size, color and perfection of
dressing for every other bird. This
is the height of the art of "grading."
Shipping.
Seventh: Have the refrigerator
car in which the dry picked, dry
packed poultry is to be shipped iced
with a mixture of broken ice and 10
to 15 per cent of salt for 24 hours
before loading. When loaded, the
temperature of the car midway be
tween the doors, four feet from the
floor, must not exceed 35 degrees F.
To ensure the best of handling dur
ing transportatlpn, dressed poultry
should be shipped in car lots. If you
cannot get the minimum quantity for
a car lot yourself, get together with
other nearby 'shippers and make up
a joint car. You may have to bury
some hatchets, but that it better than
having yeur bank account snowed
under. Get together!
Get Together.
Remember that every bad chicken
sold hinders or prevents the sale of
a number of good chickens. The
housewife remembers only that her
family did not like her choice of
food. Generally, she does not know
whether the bird was dry picked or
scalded, dry packed or iced. What
she wants is a fine flavored product.
Your product may be good, but if
your neighbor's is bad yours will also
suffer. Get together! Inthis emer
gency the good of one is the good of
all.
Circulars 61, 64 and 70, Bureau
of Chemistry, and Year-book article
No. 691, all dealing with the han
dling of dressed poultry, will be sent
on application to the Department of
Agriculture as long as the supply for
distribution lasts.
Lessons on Corn
FOR the benefit of children in
rural schools suggestions for a
series of lessons on corn are
about to be issued by the TJ. S. De
partment of Agriculture. The aver
age production per acre of corn in
the United States Is still below 28
bushels per acre despite the fact
that in almost every section of the
country yields of more than 100
bushels have been obtained. The dif
ference indicates in a measure the
value of proper instruction In grow
ing corn. The spread of boys' corn
clubs all over the country has also
emphasized the need of corn study in
rural scheels. . .
The forthcoming bulletin contains
outlines of 12 lessons covering such
important points as the different
kinds of corn, ways of judging corn,
seed, corn crop rotation, best kind
of fertilizers, proper cultivation and
the food value of the crop. Sugges
tions for the proper observance of
corn day have received consideration.
Rural school teachers, especially in
the great corn-growing states, will
find the bulletin a valuable aid in
the work of stimulating in their
charges a healthy Interest In sound
agriculture.
This bulletin will be published un
der the title of Farmers' Bulletin
No. 617, "School Lessons on Corn,"
and copies will be sent free as long
as the supply lasts.
THE LINING of irrigation canals
with concrete In order to pre
vent losses in the transmission
ot water is discussed at some length
in a forthcoming bulletin of the
United States Department of Agri
culture (No. 126) entitled, "Con
crete Lining as Applied to Irrigation
Canals." The census of 1910 shows
that there were more than 120,000
miles of unliaed irrigation canals in
the West Forty per cent of the wa
ter that passes through this, the
authsr estimates, is lost, or, if allow
ance be made for that which is later
recovered by lower conduits the loss
is still more than 25 per cent. So
much of this loss could be obviated
by the use f concrete that in many
places the value of the water will
more than offset the increased cost
of construction.
Big Saving.
On the larger irrigation systems
now in course of construction, water
rights are being sold for from f25
to $50 an acre. In addition to the
value of the water saved by con
crete lining, the reduction in charges
for operation and maintenance must
also be taken into consideration;
and also the insurance that such con
struction affords against damage to
the crops by a sudden failure on
the part of the water supply. As an
instance of the importance of the
latter the author mentions a break
on a canal in California which
caused a thousand feet of the main
canal on a steep sidehill to be
washed out. It was six weeks before
the canal could be repaired and al
though the actual cost of the work
was only $20,000 the loss to the
crops from lack of water was esti
mated at a million dollars.
The bulletin presents in a sum
marized form some results of seep
age measurements, and discusses
methods and oosts of concrete lining
as applied to irrigation channels. It
Is a professional paper and of value
to engineers and others engaged in
irrigation work and is not Intended
for general distribution.
Ranch Bargains
AS GOOD AS THEIR IS
100 arres, one mile from Mon
mouth, Ore. All under cultivation.
No gravel, rock, or white land.
Good soil. 25 acres in orchard, in
fine shape, jnst coming into bear
ing. Good fences and gates. 8
room house, bath and tmlet, hot
and cold water, lawn, hose, and
shade trees.
Large hip roof barn, concrete floor,
steel stanchions. Up-to-date in every
way. Medern milk house, hot and
cold water, porcelain sinks to wash
milking utensils, cream separator and
gasoline engine, cement floor. Com
pressed air water system in house,
barn and chicken house, also to parts
of small fields. All buildings painted
and in fine condition. PRICE $16,500..
Will accept from 5 to 20 acres with
Improvements near some valley town
up to $10,000. Long time on balance
at 6 per cent interest.
Fine Dairy Ranch and
Milk Route
40 acres, 3 miles from Oregon City,
30 acres under cultivation, 10 acres
in hops. Hop house and drier. 10
acres in pasture and timber. New
6-room bungalow. Large barn,
chicken house, 50 chickens, 8 ducks,
8 cows, 4 horses, 1 pig. All farm im
plements, milk wagon, 6 springs and
creek, 66 customers for milk daily.
PRICE $10,000. $3,600 will han
dle; balance $200 a year, interest 6
per cent.
JOHN E. HOWARD
309 Chamber of Commerce,
Portland, Ore,
USE YOUR SPARE TIME
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READY BUILT HOUSE COM
PANY 990 Broadway, Portland, Ore.
MR. DAIRYMAN
HAVE YOU WRITTEN
FOR YOUR COPY?
First Annual Fall Sals
HOLSTEIK FBEISIAN
CATTLE
Wednesday, Not. 11, 1914
CARNATION STOCK FARM
Send for this salt catalogue free, If
you art interested In buying
registered stock.
At this first annual fall tale, to be
held Wednesday, November 11, 1914, we
will sell the finest string of 71 Holstetn
Frclsian Registered Cattle, Including milch
cows, heifers, bulls and bul calves, which
are to be found In the Pacific Northwest.
All are pure bred, registered Holttelns.
Write today for descriptive estalogne,
terms, transportation, etc., to CARNA
TION STOCK FARM, Seattle, Wash., 936
Henry Blclg.
CARNATION
STOCK FARM
Located at Carnation, Washington (on
C, M. 8t. P. R. R), in Snoqualmie
Valley, 15 miles from Seattle by auto via
Kirkland.
Sale starts promptly at 12-30 Wed
nesday, November 11th, 1914.
I Auctioneers: Oue A Llnbarger.
Wo will be in this new building and
ready for our large, winter's enrollment,
early in November. The second story is
being arranged for our special nse there
will be no better business college quarters In
Oregon,
Success Is the successor to Prppnra-
Uon, The more thorough your preparation
your training, the more eertain and gratify
ing will be your tuecest.
This is proved conclusively by the
hundreds of young men and women who are
the possesors of the Capital Business Col
lege training the kind that is Just a little
better. Let us tell you about it, Write for
our "Booklet F."
Capital Business College
SALEM, OREGON.