Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-01-24
TURKEY TALK,
HOW THE CHOICEST BIRDS ARE:
BRED AND ETED.
feeding the Turkeys for Holiday
Foxes and POach-
crs-Preparing the Birds
for the Market.

At this holiday season of the year the
turkey collectors, score or more. come
from Boston, New York and Providence
TO North Stonington, Conn, TO buy tur-.
Keys for the city markets. North Ston-
ington is noted for delicate and tender
birds. Their fame extends throughout
the East, aud II turkey native of that
section always commands a high price.
This is partly due to the fact that the.
birds are directly descended from the.
wild fowls aud partly on account of the.
superiority OF the North Stonington.
farmer i'll preparing the meat for market.
The birds are allowed to roam AT their
own free will, to subsist on gr:,sshoppers,.
crickcts, snakes, etc, until fortnight
before Thanksgiving. Then the farmers
begin to fat;en the fowls artilicially.
There are several different ways BY which
great results are attained. One of the.
popular forms il nursing" Each tur-
key is taken been the farmers legs and
hot cornmeal is stuffed down its throat
with spoon. After the first dose the.
turkeys take naturally to the means EN-,
ploycd TO feed them, and they are al
ways ready ut mcal-iimcs thereafter to.
have the operation repeated. This is tho
commoncst method, Anothcrpopular one,
however, consists of feeding the turkeys
on walnuts FOR week or two previous TO.
Strengthening day. y walnut, creased in
fat, is given the birds and it slips down
their throats with ease. Care, however,
is exercised that the nuts are not cracked
or rough, rs these would iniurc the Tar
keys throat. One nut is given each bird
the first day, two the second, three the
third, four the fourth, five the fifth and
so on, increasing one daily for week.
II the bird does not pick up. the diet is
reversed. Seven are given the first day,
six the second and so on during the re-
maindcr of the week BY that time the
birds arc plump and fat, the walnuts be
ing possessed of certain nutrimcnt which
is of rare worth to turkeys. Never was
this method known to fail.
These North Stoninston birds for the
most of the year wanG.cr aimlcsslv about
during the entire day and ut night roost
Ill the swaying boughs of the trees Each
tree is capable Of furnishing lodgings for
l00 or $50 turkeys and every trccis full.
The branches grow low, and those unso-
pRlstical fowls which take lower bcrths
never live 10 tell the story or to eat a
morning meal. They are dincd oil by
the foxes instead. No other place in the
State Is so ovcrrun with these sly animals,
anu their presence is directly traceable to-
the cackling birds. But old turkeys are
almost rs thoughtful rs old foxes. Con-
sequel::ly they roost high.
Another danger which threatens them
Is the nocturnal poachcr. This class of
1.ll. nj npc
hers are versed in the science of de-
capitation, and they can climb trees and
twist necks so dextcrously that not n
single sound is heard in the still night
AIR There is = regularly formed COM
pany of farmers and their sons who takeA.
turns, during the last few weeks OF the
season patroling the lonely country road
and protecting their foclls with old army
muskcts loaded to kill
The work OF preparing the birds for
the market is an interesting part OF the.
business. The men rush into the midst of
the imprisoned victims, grab them and
carry them TO the big kettle, hung over a
log fire in the back yard, immcrse them
III the boiling water, string them up, and
then slip Il knife through their Threats
with the skill of .Jack-thc Ripper.
Long lines OF the birds danglc in the air,
and the pickers then fall TO, and lcath-
ers fly about promiscuously The birds
are allowed to remain hanging until
every particle of blood has oozed out,
when they are hang up in the big, airy
Kitchen pantry, through whose open
windows the cool November breezes
blow. But the turkeys are not all killed.
y large number OF the most promising
ores are rcsp;ted for breeding purposes.
One Of the most interesting features of
the turkey business is the way the tur-
keys are put on the market. The farmer
is blessed with one article which he does
not have to cart II dozen or more miles TO
town and hawk around from door to
door a that he has 10 do is to stand
at his front gate and wait until n collect
or comes busting along the highway in
= big wagon. These collectors are city
dealers brokers. They come to that
section year after year and buy thousands
OF pounds OF turkeys every season. The
farmers know the value and q,laiity OF
their turkeys; so do the collectors, and
they arc willing 10 pay well for the birds.
The collectors canvass the town thor
oIlghly, making their headquarters ut
some central point, from which prompt :
transportation 10 the New York, Provi-
ucnce and Boston markets can he had