The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-11-29
Alpha and Omega
Of the Turkey.

A Thanksgiving day without its tur-
key would be like a wedding without
flowers or a cake without it's frosting
or Hamlet" without the prince. Since
that autumnsl day of 1921 when the
good old pilgrim fathers held their first
thanksgiving dinner and gravely serv-
ed up the first delectable wild turkey
the aristocratic gobbler, well basted
and brown. luscious meated, stuffed
with oysters or chestnuts and accom-
panied by piquant cranberry sauce, has
been the piece de resistance or the
American Thanksgiving day dinner
1t is true that each season the presi~
dent of this republic delivers an appro-
pirate Thanksgiving address, but II is
noticeable that year after year that Of
fetal entirely neglects to give out in his
address any information with regard
to the all important turkey and where
il comes from.
So great has grown the demand Tor
the succulent bird that turkey farming
has come 10 be recognized in this coun-
try as an important and lucrative busi-
ness. 1t was in Virginia alone. during
the sixteenth century that the primi-
tive wild turkey was found Its do
mesticated descendants, however. now
flourish in almost every state In the
Union 1t was Brillat- Savarn who said
that this white meated fowl was the
most beautiful present made by the
new world To the Old
OF all the thousands of turkeys raised
and devoured each year the famous
bronze turkey of Rhode Island has the
reputation of being the most luscious.
The process of preparing these fowls
for the market is an interesting one.
They are not fed haphazard, like the
| ordinary barnyard chicken. They are
carefully penned up and provided with
an unlimited quantity of chestnuts
ground up with meat. 1f the turkey
does not take kindly 20 this flesh pro-
ducing diet, the mixture is made into
force balls and crammed down the re-
bellious turkeys throat. Like the ia
nous geese of Strassburg. these overfed
gobbIers usually suffer from enlarge.
ment OF the liver. wonderful stories be-
ing told OF the quantity of fodder which
the ordinary healthy turkey gobbler can
consume.
The price of Thanksgiving turkey
meat will vary of course according TO
the market In which il is purchased.
but under ordinary circumstances the
best turkey, already dressed. can be
bought for from II 60 16 cents per
pound. Tons and tons of these fowls
arrive just before Thanksgiving day in
our larger American cities. Cold wealth
er is always favorable for the turkey
trade.
The professional turkey raiser has his
business secrets. But few persons who
devour his produce know just what
those secrets are. 1t is not generally
known. FOR example, that the turkey is
usually plucked before II is dead. The
live fowl is hung UP by its feet. the
roof OF its mouth Is cut open. and while
IL bleeds 10 death its feathers are re-
moved. The turkey dresser Knows that
the skin Of a dead turkey becomes about
as tough as calfskin and very hard to
pick AS soon as the bird is dead the
"plumping" process takes place. This
is performed by plunging the plucked
body I'm boiling water for ten seconds
and Immediately afterward in cold wa
ter. This treatment Is supposed 20 give
| the fowl that plump, we'll rounded ap-
pearance which makes Il good seller.
/ Size is also an important factor I'm the
| turkey trade. as there is always good
natured rivalry among neighbors 20 se-
cure the biggest Thanksgiving turkey.
\ Gobblers have been sold in American
! markets weighing as much as 35
/ pounds. Such fowl however Is not
always a desirable one The meat n
coarser aud not so delicately favored as
that OF the smaller birds. The most de-
! Iectable fowl Is the average sized ben
turkey. weighing, from eight to ten
pounds
The greet gold mine located under the