Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-06-02
New WAY To; FATFgNi A turkey.

A New WAY TO FAHsSi A!!TUKKEY.-
CIath's letter to the Chicago Tribune says:
ODe of the most agreeable entertainments of
an cpcurean kiud which is given at Washing
ton is that of DIR: Ninian Pinckney; who stands
second on the list of medical directors, and is
the nephew of William Pinck1ey and brother
of Bishop Pinckney. UPiuckney s'qaarters
are at the Washington .navy. yard and he is
celebrated for feeding turkeys onI English wal
administered whole, shell and all, with
out cracking. 4 few weeks ago | had the
pleasure of attending.a dinner given by this
hospiabe epicurus:.E A key reposed 10 the
ccutre of the table, of remarkable size, and Of
favor not equaiFed by the most delicate capon.
Before weput the knife into this dish for Dives,
another turkey was brought up/to the door,
and the process of feeding him was achieved.
Fourteen full large walnuts; whole, were put
in the wonderful fowls bill, and slipped down
the gullet by the Gogers outside. AS the first
walnut went down, the turkey looked up with
one eye, in batfied sort ofa way as if wonder
ing whether he was assisting at comedy OF 60
INK 10 execution. At the third walnut he
turned up both his eyes, sif now assured that
it was not the intention to kill him by
starvation. At the fifth walnut, his inqui-
sitiveness was unboundcd, and he wore the
look of man who had been reading thrill
ling story, and had suddenly bumped up
upon the words ITO be continued in our
next" Continued it was; and; after the
seventh walnut, Sir Turkey gave up the
conundrum, closed his eyes resignedly; and
when the fourteenth walnut, had slipped down
his gulet, and they were all ratified by the
hand, so as to produce from the birds interior
sound as Of matchmaking JOB going on
there, his expression was plainly to be read !:
Gentlemen, you know what this is for, and
presume that your consideration for myself
will cuable me to reflect upon the performance
with the eye of faith.
II takes about three weeks to fatten tur-
key in this way for the animal, unlike the
mills of the gods, gruds exceedingly small, but
very fast. He uudergoes considerable digestive
waketulness, but tbetsecretions come to his res
cue; the shells are melted down, and the wal
nuts are assimilated, so that he natures in
fractional part of the life he'bas been destined
to- 1t seeu.s that this trick has been discover
ed on the way around Cape Horn, on certain
naval vessel which contained a great many tur-
keys, aud nothing for them to eat A humor
Gus officer said that sooner than see his turkeys
starve he would feed them on the table dessert.
\ few of the animals died, but The smsjority
survived and proved to be palatable beyond all
previous experience: I sndention this matter
Tor the cdlfcation of your gourmands In the
west who want to know what turkey is capa-
bic OF. Senator Anthony was delighted both 4
with the docility and the delicacy of the re-
spective birds Of freedom which bad been
brought before us. The experiments made
with turkeys are said to demonstrate the fact
that fourteen walnuts is the. limit which bird
can stand, and that less than eight will not pro-
duce the flavor attainable. i -''' -