Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-02-01

A New WAY TO FATrEN a TURKEY
Gath's letter to the Chicago Tribune says !:
One Of the most agreeable entertainments of
an epicurean kind which is given at Washing
ton is that of DR.. Ninian PinckDey. who stands
second 90 the list Of medical directors, and is
the nephew of William Pinckney and brother
of Bishop Piuskney. DR.. Pinckney's quarters
are at the Washington navy yard, and be is
celebrated ior feeding turkeys 90 English wal
nuts-administered whole, shell and all, with
cut cracking. 4 few weeks ago | had the
pleasure Of attending 4 dinner given by this
hospitable ~ep;cuTus. \ turkey rcposed in the
cautre of the t lie, G" .markahla size, and of
f .vor not equ4.!sd BY lie most dcIicate capon.
Before We put the knife into this dish for
| Dives, another turkey was brought up TO the
door, and the process of feeling him vas
| achieved. Fourteen full large Walnuts, whole,
| were put 10 the wonderful fowls bill, aud slip
| ped down the gullet by the fingers outside. AS
| the first walnut went down, the turkey looked
up with one eyes 10 a bat1edasort of a way, as
if wondering whether he was assisting at a
comedy or going to execution. At the third
| walnut he turned up both his eye, as If now
assured that it was pot the intention to kill
Dlu ny SldIFaUlUu. al luC uilu naluQt, Ito
iuquisitiveuess was uubounded, and be wore
the look of a man who had been reading a thrill.
ling story, and had suddenly bumped upon the
words, To be continued 10 our next" Con.
tinued it was; and, after the seventh walnut,
Sir Turkey gave up the conundrum, closed his
eyes 1esignedly; and when the fourteenth wal
nut had slipped down bis gullet, and they
we're all ratified by the hand, SO as 10 produce
from the bird Interior a sound as of a macad
amizing job going on there, his expression was
plainly to be read 'Gentlemen, you know
what this is for, and [ presume that your con-
sideratiou for myself will enable me to reflect
upon the performance with the eye of faith.
1t takes about three weeks to fatten a turkey
10 this way, for the apimal, unlike the mills Of
the gods, grinds exceedingly small, but very
fast. He uniergoes considerable digestive
wakefulness, but the secretions com to bis res
cue; the shells are melted down, aud the wal
uu.s are assimilated, so that he natures in a
fractional part of the life he has been destined
to. 1t seems that this trick has been discover
ed 90 the way around Cape Horn, on a certain
naval vessel which contained a great many tur-
keys, and nothing Tor them to eat. A humor.
Gus officer said that sooner than see his turkeys
starvc he would feed them on the table dessert.
A few Of the animals died, but the majority
survived and proved to be palatable beyond all
previous experience. | mention this matter
Tor the edlicatioo of your gourmauds in the
West, who want to know what a turkey is capa-
Bile of. Seoator Anthony Was delighted both
with the dociity and dclicacy of the respective
birds If freedom which had been brought before
US. The experiments made with turkeys are
said to demonstrate the fact that fourteen wal.
nuts is the limit which a bird can stand, and
that less than eight will not produce the flavor
attainable.