Young, plump, and well fed, but not too fat poultry are the best. The skin should be fine grained, clear, and white; the breast full, fleshed, and broad; the legs smooth. The birds must be heavy in proportion to their size. As regards ducks and geese, their breasts must also be plump; the feet flexible and yellow. For boiling, white-legged poultry must be chosen, because when dressed their appearance is by far the more delicate. But darker-legged ones are juicy and of a better flavor when roasted. The greatest precaution ought to be taken to prevent poultry from getting at all tainted before it is cooked. It should be killed and dressed from eight to ten hours before cooking. Pigeons are far better for being cooked the day they are killed, as they lose their flavor by hanging. Care must be taken to cook poultry thoroughly, for nothing is more revolting to the palate than underdone poultry.

Plain Stuffing

Take stale bread, cut off all the crust, rub very fine and pour over it as much melted butter as will make it crumble in your hands; salt and pepper to taste.

Potatao Stuffing

Take two-thirds bread and one-third boiled potatoes grated, butter size of an egg, pepper, salt, one egg, and a little ground sage; mix thoroughly.

Apple Stuffing

Take half a pound of the pulp of tart apples which have been baked or scalded; add two ounces of bread-crumbs, some powdered sage, a finely shred onion; season well with cayenne pepper. For roast goose, duck, &c.

Chestnut Stuffing

Boil the chestnuts and shell them, then blanch them and boil until soft: mash them fine and mix with a little sweet cream, some bread-crumbs, pepper and salt. For turkey.

Roast Turkey

A turkey weighing not more than eight or nine pounds (young) is the best. Wash and clean thoroughly, wiping dry, as moisture will spoil the stuffing. Take one small loaf of bread grated fine, rub into it a piece of butter the size of an egg, one small teaspoon of pepper and one of salt; sage, if liked. Rub all together, and fill only the breast of the turkey, sewing up so that the stuffing can not cook out. Always put the giblets under the side of the fowl, so they will not dry up. Rub salt and pepper on the outside; put into dripping-pan with one teacupful of water, basting often, turning it till brown all over. Bake about three hours. Have left in the chopping-bowl a little stuffing; take out the giblets and chop fine, After taking out the turkey, put in a large tablespoon of flour; stir until brown. Put the giblets into a gravy-boat, and pour over them the gravy.

Boiled Turkey

Soak it in salt and water for an hour and a half, to make it white. Make the stuffing of bread crumbs and about half the quantity of suet, a little parsley and a little lemon peel, chopped fine. Scald the parsley, in order to have it green. Put all these in the breast. Tie lightly in a cloth, and boil. A young turkey will boil in two hours; an older one will of course require a longer time. Garnish with parsley and lemon cut in slices.

Boiled Turkey

Stuff the turkey as for roasting. A very nice dressing is made by chopping half a pint of oysters and mixing them with breadcrumbs, butter, pepper, salt, thyme, and wet with milk or 'water. Baste about the turkey a thin cloth, the inside of which has been dredged with flour, and put it to boil in cold water with a tea-spoonful of salt in it. Let a large turkey simmer for three hours. Skim while boiling. Serve with oyster sauce, made by adding to a cupful of the liquor in which the turkey was boiled the same quantity of milk and eight oysters chopped fine; season with minced parsley, stir in a spoonful of rice or wheat flour wet with cold milk; a table-spoonful of butter. Boil up once and pour into a tureen.

Turkey Dressed With Oysters

For a ten-pound turkey take two pints of bread-crumbs, half a teacupful of butter cut in bits (not melted), one teaspoonful of powdered thyme or summer savory, pepper, salt, and mix thoroughly. Rub the turkey-well inside and out with salt and pepper, then fill with first a spoonful of crumbs, then a few well-drained oysters, using half a can for a turkey. Strain the oyster liquor and use to baste the turkey. Cook the giblets in the pan, and chop fine for the gravy. A fowl of this size will require three hours in a moderate oven.

Turkey Scallop

Pick the meat from the bones of cold turkey, and chop it fine. Put a layer of bread-crumbs on the bottom of a buttered dish, moisten them with a little milk, then put in a layer of turkey with some of the filling, and cut small pieces of butter over the top; sprinkle with pepper and salt; then another layer of breadcrumbs, and so on until the dish is nearly full; add a little hot water to the gravy left from the turkey, and pour over it. Then take two eggs, two table-spoonfuls of milk, one of melted butter, a little salt, and cracker crumbs as much as will make it thick enough to spread on with a knife, put bits of butter over it, and cover with a plate. Bake three-quarters of an hour. About ten minutes before serving, remove the plate and let it brown.