Freezing and Packing.

Birds should be frozen separately as soon as they are cold. They must be cold right through, however, or they will not thaw out satisfactorily.

The method of packing now adopted in Melbourne is as follows:—

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Chickens, ducks, and ducklings : One-decker white deal tasteless wood boxes, the ends being inch wood, and the top, bottom, and sides half-inch The measurement is 2ft, 6in. long, 2ft, broad, 6im deep. The birds as packed lengthways to the case, in three rows, four in a row, and then single ones put in as wedges on the top, making fifteen in all. The boxes are lined inside with butter-cloth, and white blotting-paper, in square pieces is placed between the birds to absorb moisture, and prevent the flesh from the touching. Two sheets of white blotting-paper are placed on the floor of the box, and two more on the top before putting the lid on. Holes should be bored round the box to admit the air freely.

For turkeys, boxes 2ft. 7 in, long, 2ft. 2in, broad, and 8in. deep, are used Eight turkeys are put in each, packed as above described. There is a 2in, opening all round the sides and ends of the boxes, which are bund all round with ½in. hoop iron.

As a free current of air around the boxes is important, I would sugges that, instead of hoop-iron, battens should be used for all poultry boxes of as to prevent their forming a solid mass when packed together on bond ship.

A very important point in shipping is to class evenly—cockerels together and also birds of even weight and quality, and on no account to put in as inferior bird, or one that has been torn in plucking, to injure the sale of the others.

Game is shipped in the feathers, packed the same way as fowls, after being drawn. Attention must be paid to minimum freights.