Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-11-29
THIS THANKSGIVING rusx,-
A Glance nj the History ana
dents of n Pgpula. ~, aAseee

aent. OF - ana ARyee.
When, in the month of Novom,
the fields look cold and drear ana !
leaf 'incessant rustles from tho us
full grove" then comes to ps ,~'
burst Of sunshine on a gray dar
unique creation Of our foref,,hus
Thanksgiving day.
The browning joy of Tb,n..u,
Is the reunion of friends and
time is the satisfaction more
then when. gathered around tba ..a
they look with admiring eyes \, ~. |
autocrat OF the dinner table. tho 80
key.
We are not an inquiring race
our habit to eat what is set befor, =.
asking no questions. Yet, at this fin.
1t might be interesting to Know .oms
thing OF the life and history OIL, :.
whisper 1t confidently-our foro...'
bird. Happily it is n native Of An
ca. although like all the early n,t;.s.
OF the country, bearing q mislraS,es
name. Its ancestors are to be fonus
away In the west beyond the ,ti".ss
sippi and in the far south, In INrass
1T has been coolly assigned 10 Ins1'
and is called "Poule d'Inde," whiIo 10
more accurate Germans. In coIlin. ~
"Kalekltische Hahn" locate II in "a"
cuty. on the western shore of InSt. |
A historian Of turkeys tells rs thai = |
was introduced into England dn,iDss
the reign Of Henry VIII. At that tims
the wealth Of the country was in ths
hands Of the merchants who tr,SaS
with Turkey and whose shins salS
the Levant. Consequently, anytbln,
that was new and fashionable, wheth.
er carpet or fowl, was dubbed Turkey
Would 1t not be q patriotic deed "a
give Il native name more worthy n
its name?
A Tender Fowl,
Although the wild birds are hard,
the dOmesticated inhabitants az ts
barn-yard are tender and diffcnlt "a
rear. They are the ~preuuisities ana
and care Of the farmers wife md
daughters, and no one save Il farmers
wife knows the amount of work and
, watchfuIness thep entail. From ina
early spring time when. with the inber.
tied Wildness Of her nature. she trip,
TO hide her most, often causing long
hours OF watching or seeking lest the
eggs should get chilled" until in IN.
fall the brood passes into the hands
OF the buyer, they are a constant anx.
icty.
A turkey hen lays about twenty egrs
choosing Il nest OF the ground. for she
loves moisture. When the cgrs are
hatchPd, the lanky, Wl-shapen birds re
Quire food rs carefully prepared ms for
some dySpPptic. Lard. eggs. green food
pepper and meal are mixed and fed
yet in spite if Ill the knowledge Of
poultry lore some will NOPE and stand
with diShrvcllcd feathers. dull eyes and
dropping wings looking the embodiment
OF misery until death enSucS.
They must he carefully housed iii
the dew is dried by the sun or the
young will die. A sudden rain storm
takes MI The members Of the family
who are interested out to search for the
wanderers. They are not home loving
and will disappear for days or weeks
W lt LOlLlu III Nllt "tottbN vi SNHltN luA
Uriating on grasshoppers or perhaps
depleted by their natural enemy, the
fox.
When the grain begins TO ripen they
find their way to the fields and help
themselves. not always to the farmers
liking. They frequent the orchards, de-
~vouring apples and stripping ~grapevines
with q rapidity unCqualled by any
small boy, and the worst Of II is that al
authorities agree that fruit makes tur
keys. poor. They strike up friendly
relations with re'ghboring flOcks OF the
same color and size. thereby making
confusion unless %precaution has been
taken to
Mark the Respective Fiocks.
Either by cutting the wings or
breaking off the first point of the llak
toe.
When the final fattening and prepare
ton for market Is over the good VIE
proudly views her treasures with the
creamy. solid meat and the grent seam
Of fat obliterating all trace Of the back.
bone. II is something to be told
the fircside when the great gobblef
reaches the mark Of thirty pounds OK
stretches out toward the fortics.
While in this country the turkey anu
Thanksgiving are almost Synonymous,
in Canada and in England 1t Is more
closely associated with the fcstlyluS
of Christmas. Just before the hoiiaa.s
large cargoes are SEM from Canada "
England. They are killed, frozen anu
then shipped, packed In Their ON.
feathers. There the feathers are pw
TO a variety Of uses. The large Que
plucked from the wings are useu
points for arrows. being much N,Va
for that purpose than those OF eagies'
so often celebrated In poetry ana sous'
The body feathers are made ir'o asS
ters and the tail feathers are nseu lm
making salmon flies. At one u i'm
French ladies shaded their eyes WIZ
pnrasols made by joining four Oh WV
tails together. 4.
But this is not all. In Italy the -
zard serves n peculiar purpose. q
Ita"an Psychologist showed maj u y" .hs
powerful enough to grind down u Ss
points Of needles and lancets pnssII
within II. Since tl:en the Italian u. ma
ers have used 1t In preparing sehis ar
ornaments for sale M antiquities i'y VA
Pompeii. They put them down an
gizzard Of the live fowl and allow me-
10 remain there until the grinding am
ton Of the horny skin has gwen tsst
the duh corroding appearance, orH.
time had stamped upon the reai