The morning times., 1895-11-27

chestnuts, cranberry sauce and the suocur
lent celery, makes q savory dish, In the
fun praise OF which all words jgnomtnt
ously fail.
The following figures from an inland
Kentucky town. one OF many which help
10 supply the city markets with Thanksgiv.
ing turkeys, VIII give some little idea 81
the extent OF this branch OF industry and Of
the methods employed to prepare the tu1.
key for the market and the cook.
The young brood of turkeys is to the
farmers wife her chief source OF revenue
for the autumn and winter; therefore, abe
guards them through the dangers attend
ant on turkeyhood with jealous care, and
usually drives shTewd bargain late with
the buyer, who begins his riding through
the country as Thanksgiving approaches.
Turkeys are generally bought on foot, and
the prices range from TO cents pound.
The flocks are driven to the turkey pens
from the different farms. II the distance
is long one and night comes on before the
pens are reached, the turkey goes to roost
at sundo own wherever 1t may happen to Be.
and despite all efforts OF the driver to urge
it on.
Turkeys are kept in enclosed pens un-
til they are ready 10 be killed. but geess
are pastured out on meadows, and are
watched by small boys, who, with long
sticks, keep them from strayiug out Of
bounds.
Ducks, geese, and chickens, are gen.
orally shipped alive TO the cities, bot
turkeys are usually killed and dressed
for the market. They are not fed fos
some twelve hours before killing, and after
being picked and cleaned are put on cooling
boards for another twelve hours before they
are packed In cases for shipment. Two
thousand turkeys or more constitute caY-
load.
In the turkey house are row OF boxes
with both ends open, and narrowing To-
ward the lower eud. These are fastened
along the side OF the wall. and into them
the turkeys are thrust, head downward.
until their heads and neck protrude through
the lower opening. Then the ''sttoker."
| with a sharp knife, goes along the line and
| cuts the throat of each bird. leaving 1t "a
| bleed to death. while a trough underneath
| 1t carries off the blood.
When the turkey is dead the wings ana
tail feathers are>cut off, and the body u
sent to the picking room, where pumbef
| of men, women. and children are employed.
| The turkey is suspended from twine coro,
and the picker nimbly uses both hands, Lit
| orally ina king the feathers fly"
| From two to four thousand turkeys are
| picked day, and u skillful hand can aver
| age fifty or sixty each. Three cents apiece
is paid for picking turkey.
| Not much of the fowl is thrown away,
/ Inc wings are SdNeu, anu uie soiu ioi ions
and other things, the tail feathers are sent
| to factories where feather busters are made,
| the uuills are ground into pulp and then
| pressed into artificial whalebone, and the
| loose feathers are used for various purposes.
i When the dressed turkey reaches the mar.
| ket the prices fluctuate anywhere from 1-2
i to IS cents @ pound. SO that the business 10
| not always paying one.
From twenty to thirty thousand turkeys
i are killed each season and sent from this
| one turkey pen, and the reader may Judge
| from these figures how great numbe,
is required to supply the Thanksgiving
board throughout the country with its greas
| national dish. HENRY c. WOOD.
Harrodsburg. KY.