young geese are very well fed, and when from two to four months old are killed for sale. They bring a high price, and are delicious. They are sometimes in the market in winter, but the season is the summer and fall.
Ducks.
The same tests that are applied to chickens and geese to ascertain age and quality are made with ducks. Besides the tame bird, there are at least twenty different kinds that come under the head of game. The canvas-back is the finest in the list; the mallard and red-head come next. The domestic duck is in season nearly all the year, but the wild ones only through the fall and winter. The price varies with the season and supply. A pair of canvas-backs will at one time cost a dollar and a half and at another five dollars.
Pigeons.
There are two kinds of pigeons found in the market, the tame and the wild, which are used for potting, stewing, &c. Except when "stall-fed" they are dry and tough, and require great care in preparation. The wild birds are the cheapest. They are shipped from the West, packed in barrels, through the latter part of the winter and the early spring. Stall-fed pigeons are the tame ones cooped for a few weeks and well fed. They are then quite fat and tender, and come into market about the first of October.
Squabs.
These are the young of the tame pigeon. Their flesh is very delicate, and they are used for roasting and broiling.
Grouse, or Prairie Chicken.
These birds comes from the West, and are much like the partridge of the Eastern States and Canada. The flesh is dark, but exceedingly tender. Grouse should be plump and heavy. The breast is all that is good to serve when roasted, and being so dry, it should always be larded. The season is from September to January, but it is often continued into April.
Venison.
There should be a good deal of fat on this meat. The lean should be dark red and the fat white. Venison is in season all the year, but is most used in cold weather. In summer it should have been killed at least ten days before cooking; in winter three weeks is better. The cuts are the leg, saddle, loin, fore quarter and steaks. The supply regulates the price.
Partridge.
This bird is so like the grouse that the same rules apply to both. What is known as quail at the North is called partridge at the South.
Quail.
These birds are found in the market all through the fall and winter. They are quite small (about the size of a squab), are nearly always tender and juicy, and not very expensive. They come from the West.
Woodcock.
Woodcock is in season from July to November. It is a small bird, weighing about half a pound. It has a fine, delicate flavor, and is very high-priced.
Other Game.
There are numerous large and small birds which are used for food, but there is not space to treat of them all. In selecting game it must be remembered that the birds will have a gamey smell, which is wholly different from that of tainted meat.
FISH.
To fully describe all the kinds of fish found in our markets would require too much space and is unnecessary, but a list of those of which there is usually a supply is given, that housekeepers may know what it is best to select in a certain season and have some idea of the prices.
To Select Fish.
When fresh, the skin and scales will be bright, the eyes full and clear, the fins stiff and the body firm. If there is a bad odor, or, if the fish is soft and darker than is usual for that kind, and has dim, sunken eyes, it is not fit to use.
Codfish.
This is good all the year, but best in the fall and winter. When cooked, it breaks into large white flakes. It is not as nutritious as the darker kinds of fish, but is more easily digested. The price remains about the same through all seasons.
Haddock.
This is a firmer and smaller-flaked fish than the cod, but varies little in flavor from it. The cod has a light stripe running down the sides; the haddock a dark one.
Cusk.
This also belongs to the cod family, and is a firm, white fish. It is best in winter.
Pollock.
This is used mostly for salting. It is much like the cod, only firmer grained and drier.
Halibut.
This fine fish is always good. It varies in weight from two pounds to three hundred. The flesh is a pearly white in a perfectly fresh fish. That cut from one weighing from fifty to seventy-five pounds is the best, the flesh of any larger being coarse and dry. The small fish are called chicken halibut.
Flounders.
These are thin, flat fish, often sold under the name of sole. Good at all times of the year.
Turbot.
This is a flat fish, weighing from two to twenty pounds. The flesh is soft, white and delicate. Turbot is not common in our market.
Salmon.
Salmon is in season from April to July, but is in its prime in June. It is often found in the market as early as January, when it brings a high price. Being very rich, a much smaller quantity should be provided for a given number of people than of the lighter kinds of fish.
Shad.
This is in season in the Eastern and Middle States from March to April, and in the Southern States from November to February. The flesh is sweet, but full of small bones. Shad is much prized for the roe.
Blue-fish.
This is a rich, dark fish, weighing from two to eight pounds' and in season in June, July and August. It is particularly nice broiled and baked.
Black-fish, or Tautog.
Good all the year, but best in the spring. It is not a large fish, weighing only from one to five pounds.
White-fish, or Lake Shad.
This delicious fish is found in the great lakes, and in the locality where caught it is always in season. At the South and in the East the market is supplied only in winter, when the price is about eighteen cents a pound. The average weight is between two and three pounds.
Sea-Bass.
This fish, weighing from half a pound to six or seven, pounds, is very fine, and is in season nearly all the year. It is best in March, April and May.
Rock-Bass.
The weight of rock-bass generally ranges from half a pound to thirty or forty pounds, but sometimes reaches eighty or a hundred. The small fish are the best. The very small ones (under one pound) are fried; the larger broiled, baked and boiled. The bass are in season all the year, but best in the fall.
Sword Fish.
This is very large, with dark, firm flesh. It
