St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-11-28

OiSluiD Su OuiS ny lIiS iiti
politicians and the natural cares that
encompass throne. A more astute
politician never welded a sceptre
Never did monarch see such changes
in the country and the people, he gov
erned. When, in the throne-room OF
the old palace in Rio, the fair-haired
boy of sixteen first felt the pressure
of crown, his vast empire was an
unexplored wilderness, with squal1d
cities strung along its coast The
capital itself reeked with fever, and
was a tangle of narrow, ill-paved,
undrained streets. Now the smoke
of sugar refineries hangs over the
Bay of Rio, and the noise of the cot
ton-mill is heard by the walls OF
Maranham. Throughout the entire
length of the Amazon the busy steam
boats ply, and every harbor is crowd
ed with commerce. A navy has been
created which ranks only after the
navies of the great European powers.
Every art and every science has
home in Brazil, and the capital is one
of the finest cities in the world
Harper Weekly.
THE CONNECTICUT TURKEY CROP
The Thanksgiving turkey cam
paign has opened, and turkey brok-
ers and middlemen from New York
and Boston are now securing New
England for this years crop of the
toothsome bird.
The turkey crop this year will be
very heavy. Strengthening in limited
quantities has already begun, and
the fullest preparations are being
made for the speedy handling of the
Thanksgiving supply. The demand
for Eastern turkey increases year
after year at the expense of the tur-
KEY reared in the West All up and
down the farm studded valley of the
Thames, the Mystic and Pawcatuck
rivers, kingly old elms are nightly
filled with swarms of the gObbling
crop, which huddles there during
these frosty nights, a compact, fea-
thery mass, up out of HARM way.
For two months before marketing
time the birds are fed under these
trees night and morning with white
corn, and during the day they roam
through the nut woods gorging
themselves with chestnuts and white
acorns. BY Thanksgiving day they
are fat as butter and the nuts have
given their flesh a spicy flavor that is
not found in birds brought from else
where 1t is this fact that has led to
the introduction of the Connecticut
turkey all over the world. Shipments
OF live fowl have been made this year
to the Sandwich Islands.
The turkey buyers begin their pre-
li1ninary tours on foot through the
wild sections of the country in mid
summer to see where the crop lies.
Now they are going through sec
ond and last time bargaining for it.
For week before Thank sgiving day,
or about Nov. 20, the country will
begin to swim with turkey blood,
mixed with feathers. The slaughter
is of necessity begun thus early in
order to get the stock to market.
BY the morning of Monday, Nov. %,
the great mass of the turkeys will be
in the hands of the marketmen in
New York and Boston, or on its way
by rail to those cities.
1t is roughly calculated that fully
$50 tons of turkeys will go from this
region this month to tickle the pal
ates of the Thanksgiving epicures.
The average price paid the farmers
for some years for turkeys has been
IS cents per pound, live weight.
Buyers figure very closely. The
dressing costs them 60 cents per hum
dred pounds, freight and delivery 80
cents, the shrinkage in weight is
about one-ffth, and they sell the
birds for an average of % cents per
pound.
All Connecticut turkeys are believed
to be descended from the straight
wild stock without cross-breeding.
If they are crossed with wild birds
now, however, it is found impossible
to maintain control of their broods
so wild are they. The wild birds
are not very productive.
Some interest is expressed this year
among dealers to see if to the town
of North StOningtOn will be awarded
her usual honor of furnishing the
Thanksgiving turkey for the Presi
dent of the United States. A Provi-
dence buyer has the placing of this
order and calls for the largest, plump
est and best looking bird he can find
in the country to fill it. The town
sent eight turkeys to President Grant,
and four each to President Hayes,
Arthur and Cleveland. There is no
doubt but that the North StoningtOn
birds will be successful in the compe-
tition this year, as they are always
in prime condition. Meriden, Conn,
Republican