WATER MELON RIND PICKLES

Pare them ; cut up the inside rind in small squares ; then boil in weak ginger water until tender; make a syrup of sugar and vinegar spiced with cloves and cinnamon, and pour on hot three successive mornings. Musk melon rinds may be pickled in the same way.

There are various ways of deciding about the age of poultry. If the bottom of the breast bone, which extends down between the legs, is soft, and gives easily, it is a sign of youth ; if stiff, the poultry is old. If young, the legs are lighter, and the feet do not look so hard, stiff and worn.

There is more deception in geese than in any other kind of poultiy. The above remarks are applied to them ; but there are other signs more infallible. In a young goose, the cavity under the wings is very tender ; it is a bad sign if you cannot, with very little trouble, push your finger directly into the flesh. There is another means by which you may decide whether a goose be tender, if it be frozen or not. Pass the head of a pin along the breast, or sides, and if the goose be young^ the skin will rip, like fine paper under a knife.

Something may be judged concerning the age of a goose by the thick- ness of the web between the toes. When young, this is tender and transparent; it grows coarser and harder with time.

Do not feed poultry for twenty-four hours before killing ; cut the throat or cut off the head with a very sharp knife or axe and allow it to hang head downward until the blood has ceased to drip. The thor-

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ough bleeding renders the meat white and wholesome. Scald well by dipping the fowl in and out of boiling water, taking care not to scald too much or the feathers will be hard to pluck. Pull the feathers from you and when the bird is carefully picked, remove all the fine feathers with a knife; singe, but not smoke.over blazing paper, place on a board and with a sharp knife cut off the legs a little below the knee ; remove the oil-bag above the tail ; take out the crop, by making a slit at the front of the neck, taking care that everything pertaining to the crop is removed ; cut the neck-bone off close to the body, leaving the skin a good length to be stuffed ; cut around the rent, cut a slit three inches long from the tail upwards, being careful to cut only through the skin, put in the finger at the breast and detach all the intestines, taking care not to burst the gall-bag, for if broken, no washing can remove the bit- ter taint left on every spot it touches, put in the hand at the incision near the tail and draw out carefully all intestines ; trim off the fat from the breast and at the lower incision ; slip the gizzard and take out the outside and inside lining ; wash the fowl thoroughly in cold water twice (•or wipe carefully with a wet cloth and then with a dry), then hang up to drain, and it is ready for cooking.

Make the dressing, and fill the breast first, but not too full or it will burst in cooking; stuff the body rather fuller than the breast; sew up both openings with strong thread and sew the skin of the neck down upon the breast, not forgetting to remove the threads before sending to the table. Lay the poin-ts of the wings under the back and fasten them in that position with a skewer run through both wings or tie down with a piece of twine ; press the legs as closely toward the breast and sidebones as possible, and fasten with a skewer run through the body and both thighs, or tie with twine. After this is done, rub thor- oughly with salt and pepper.

Chickens and turkeys are dressed and stuffed in the same manner. Those that are a little tough or old are greatly improved by a few moments' steaming before they are roasted or boiled. Roast chickens reqviire twenty or thirty minutes, or till nicely browned. The giblets — liver, heart and gizzard — after being carefully washed and soaked in salt and water, are cooked and then minced fine and used for the gravy, or may be cooked and served with the fowl. When very }oung chickens are to be baked, or broiled, they should be cut open at the side of the backbone, pressed apart, cleaned as above directed, and pla;ed on broiler or in dripping pan, with the meat side downward and butter them, or fowls may be larded in the same way as game (hereto- fore described in game), or a tablespoonful of butter may be put in bits over the breast.

To roast ; place in an oven rather hot at first, and then graduated to moderate heat until nearly done. To test this insert a fork between the thigh and body ; if the juice is watery and not bloody it is done. Fowls

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are roasted upon dripping pans, with a wire rack or small rings placed on the bottom of pan. Some put fowls to roast in a dry pan, using the drippings for basting, and others put in a little water. In roasting a turkey allow twenty minutes to the pound and twenty minutes longer. If poultry cannot be served immediately it is done, it may be kept hot without drying up by placing over a kettle of boiling water and laying a dripping pan over it.

In broiling chickens, it is difficult to do the inside of the thickest pieces without scorching the outside. It is a good plan to parboil them about ten minutes in a spider or skillet, covered close to keep the steam in ; then put them upon the gridiron, broil and butter ; cover them with a plate, while on the gridiron. They may be basted with a very little of the water in which they were broiled ; and if you like melted butter to pour upon the chicken, the remainder of the liquor will be good used for that purpose.

. An hour is enough for common sized chicken to roast. A smart fire is better than a slow one ; but they must be tended closely. Slices of bread, buttered, salted and peppered, put into the stomach (not the crop) are excellent.

Chickens should boil about an hour. If old, they should boil longer, in as little water as will cook them. Have the water hot unless wanted for soup and then put them in cold. Skim when it boils up first, and keep it just above the boiling point, but it must boil gently, not vio- lently. A little vinegar added to the water in which fowls are boiled makes them more tender.

Many, in making meat or fish pies, line the bottom of the pan with crust, and place in the oven until well " set," then line the sides, fill, cover and bake ; it is difficult to bake the crust on bottom of dish, unless this plan is followed. A still better plan is to use no bottom, lining only the sides of the pan.

The garnishes for turkey, chicken and duck, are slices of lemon, horseradish, fried sausages or force meat balls, parsley, fried oysters and thin slices of ham.

DRESSING FOR CHICKEN OR TURKEY. Two cups of finely crumbed stale bread (baker's is best), half a cup of finely chopped beef suet, two tablespoonfuls chopped parsley (dried will do), one teaspoonful each of thyme and marjoram, a little shred lemon peel and grated nutmeg. Moisten with a beaten ^g'g, salt and pepper to taste. This is sufficient for a chicken ; it will take double the quantity for a turkey, and is equally good for veal. Or, take dry pieces of bread or crackers, chop them fine, put in a small piece of butter or a little cream, with sage, pepper and salt, one ^g'g and a small quantity of flour, moistened with milk.

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DRESSING FOR GEESE OR DUCKS. Two ounces onions, one ounce green sage leaves, one ounce of pecans or walnuts, chopped fine ; a sprig of fennel, thyme or a bay leaf ; four ounces toasted bread crumbs (made by putting crusts in an oven and when thoroughly brown and dry grating them), one tablespoonful of butter, the yollc of one &^g well beaten, a minced apple, one dozen raw oysters, one or two bird peppers, black pepper and salt to taste ; a few mushrooms and a truffle or two, chopped fine, adds to the delicious flavor.