Bulletin No. 13 
 
 l)Ei J AliTMEXT OFAGRICUL/1 
 
 />f 
 
 DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY. 
 
 5 ■ ' Vp* f 
 FOODS 
 
 AND 
 
 POOD ADULTERANTS. 
 
 INVESTIGATIONS MADE ENDEU DIRECTION OF 
 
 II. \V. WILEY, 
 
 ( JIH ■>• CHKMISTj 
 
 WITH THE COLLABORATION OE K. l\ McELROY, W. H. KRl'G, 
 T. ('. TREN or. W. 1 . BIGELOW, AND OTHERS. 
 
 PART NINTH. 
 
 Cereals and Cereal Products, 
 
 ™xxxxxxxxxxxxmx 
 
 x o 
 
 3 
 
 "E.CQ 
 
 M " 
 
 H S 
 
 M 
 H 
 
 M 
 M 
 M 
 
 M 
 
 |? 
 
 M 2. 
 M - 
 M 
 
 •i 
 
 M 
 M 
 
 ►4 
 
 Q.' 
 
 D 
 
 < 
 
 
 
 tr 
 
 — t 
 
 a5 
 
 ^MIXXXIXXIXXXXHX 
 
 WASHINGS 
 
 jfc.\\l!'A I PRINTING OFFICE, 
 1 8 US. 
 
1 
 
 
/. ^ 
 
 United States Department of Agriculture, 
 
 BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 
 H. W. Wiley, Chief. 
 
 A KNIFE FOR KILLING POULTRY. 
 
 By H. C. Pierce, 
 Food Research Labors 
 
 The knives in common use in bleeding apd braining poultry are 
 not suited to their purpose. The blades ate 
 too broad and too long and the curve at the 
 point should be on the back instead of (bn the 
 cutting edge. The handle is so large that the 
 killer is encouraged to use too much force in 
 making the cut to bleed, whereas a light touch 
 of the sharp knife, properly directed, is all that 
 is needed to cut the blood vessels. The knives 
 are also insanitary in that dirt collects at the 
 junction of the blade and handle. 
 
 The knife which is to be used to bleed and 
 brain poultry should be small, with a narrow 
 blade; stiff, SO that it does not bend: of the 
 best steel, so that it can be kept sharp and is 
 not nicked when used in braining; and the 
 handle and blade should be in one piece. Such 
 a knife, with the aid of the packing-house 
 emery wheel or grindstone and oil-lone, can 
 be made from an 8-inch Hat file. (See fig. 
 
 To make this knife the handle of the file 
 
 should first be ground off. Then the blade 
 
 should be shaped from the small end of the 
 
 file a- shown in figure 1,6. It should be 2 
 inches long, one-fourth inch wide, and one- 
 eighth inch thick at the back. The curve to 
 make the point should slope from the back 
 
 downward. A blade of this -hape reaches the 
 
 1>1 1 vessels to be cut more surely than does 
 
 a blade on which the point Curves upward. 
 After the blade i- made the Ildgefl OH the file 
 
 should be ground down, leaving just enough 
 roughness to prevent the knife slipping in the 
 
 ham I of the killer. The length of the knife, over a 
 
 PIO. 1. Knif.- for bV 
 braining poultry: <». Flh from 
 which knlfi 
 
 >hould he 7 inches. 
 
 Washington, l>. ('.. Juru .v. 1910, 
 
 i -10 
 
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA