The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-04-25
asrifultural.
A Chapter on Turkeys.

" Thanksgiving day." without q good Ia
roast turkey smoking on his table. But d
have that goodly and very important iteu
Of Thanksgiving fcast, you must roar then
from the egg, and give them good ehano'
to grow and fatten. Every good farmer
wife, or perhaps we should say, every farm
er's good wife will tell you, that the mos
difficult part Of this labor is while they ar
young, that from that time they hatch un
til they are, say two months old, they ar
very tender, but after that period they be
come hardy aad give but little trouble pro
yided they can have IA suitable range, iiol
they are great amblers and will travel Ovel
good deal Of space in the course ofa day
in pursuit Of food. ..
They are fond Of insects especially grass-
hoppcs. In the gashopper-hun If thai
insect is abundant, they seem to have sort
military system. You will often SO them
marching along across the fields in platoOns,
shoulder to shoulder, eagerly catching the
insects as they start up afrighted at the
tramp Of their enemy. After they have
marched to the end Of the field they wheel
by platoons and take another sweep back,
all intent on catching their prey, and so
cially chatting, TOO, tIrest, hree, with each
other until night fall, when they look out
for roosting quarters, generally some wide
branching tree, but sometimes the top rail
Of tho fence.
The turkey, although, we believe, now
reared in all parts Of the civilized world, is
natire American, that is, il is indigenous
to North America, was found here on the
first settlement Of the country, and has been
introduced from hence to all parts Of the
world, and has become almost indispensable
in administering to the good living Of the
community.
We find also in the New England Farmer,
the following article on the turkey, which
we doubt not will be read with interest and
profit by many.
'Soms thirty or forty years ago Ii was
rare thing with many families to have a
roasted turkey, or even pair Of chickens,
upon their table, more than once or twice
in the year; and then on somc particular
occasion, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas,
or when some long absent friend had return
cd to sit once more ut tho family board
Good beef could then be purchased, by the
quarter, for three TO FIVE cents u pound, and
in small quantities for FIVE to eight and nine
cents pound. At the same time nice tur-
keys brought ten to fifteen cents, and were
looked upon by the mechanic and laborer
ash tabooded food to them. Now the best
beef sells at from ten to seventeen cents,
and poultry from eigh, to ffteen cents, tho
rarely commanding the latter price. Poul-
try is often on the tables of all who desire
il, and is esteemed wholesome food, and,
considering the waste in each, as cheap as
beef. ..-.
Turkeys cannot proatably be raised ON
small farms and in thickly settled neighbor-
hoods, as they require wide range, and
where they can enjoy il viii not only pro-
vide mainly for themselves until near au-
tumn, but will also be of much service to
the farmer, in destroying great numbers of
grasshoppers and other insects that infest
the farm. Indeed, some years, when grass
hoppcrs are numerous, a aock Of turkeys ON
the farm will save whole crops Of grass and
grain.
There is no moro difficulty in rearing tur-
keys the first two or three months than in
rearing common fowls, and the same rules
are applicable to parent and chick. The
ncst for sitting should bein a dry and Sc
cluded place, where the hen will not be dis
turbsd-ncither approaching the nest to
turn the eggs nor to feed her-shc will per-
form the first duty herself, when il becomes
necessary, and come offfor food when she
requires 1t. II is very rarely the case that
the chick needs any assistance in extricating
itself from the shell, and many are injured
by an inpatient intermcddling with q mat
ter which they understand, and viii per-
form perfectly well, If lett To themselves
Nor should they be interfcred with for a,
least twcnty-four hours after being hatched
they wan. quiet and the warmth Of the