Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-11-22
FOWL FOR THANKSGIVING
Tens of Thousands of Birds Are
Sent to New York.
SOURCE OF BEST QUALITIES.

A wholesale poultry dealer recently
said that turkeys. geese, chickens and
| ducks designed 10 grace the festival
| board on Thanksgiving day are arriV'
| ing by the tens of thousands in New
| YORK.
Where do the birds come from prin-
| cipally:" asked the reporter of the
| New York Sun.
Much of the poultry handled here,
was the reply, comes from up the
| state, New Jersey, New England and
| the western states. After the eggs are
Matched out in the spring. at which
| time worms, insects, sprouting vege-
| tation and other delectable food are
| abundant. the young chickens thrive
without much attention and continue
to thrive with an ordinary amount of
protection from Indictment weather
| through the summer until early fall,
when the natural food on the earth be-
comes less. Then careful feeding is
required, and the real care begins in
preparing them for the holiday trade.
1t is difficult to raise turkeys for
the metropolitan market. which is the
most eXacting in the country, so | am
informed by dealers from other parts.
Turkeys are natural born trampS and
are apt to stray, no matter how care
fully watched. They will walk or run
many hours over the roads. gardens
and fields in search Of apPetiYing
worms and grubs. practically grass
hopperS. for which they have. an I'M
conquerablc passion. If the season is
n long one, it is necessary to cOnfine the
turkeys to Il small area and watch
them closely, otherwise they will run
until they are thin as razorback hogs
and tougher than leather. Besides, in
following this disposition TO roam the
birds frequently succumb to exposure,
while many of the young ones lose
themselves and perish i'll tall grass
and swampy tracts, as they follow the
older turkeys about in search of food"
(which are the best selling tur-
keys?"
Young ones Matched in April or
May and fattened with care and skill
during October and early November
bring the best prices in the Thanks
giving market and command the readi-
est sale. Birds of this description
usually have firm, white flesh, which is
characterized by tenderness and eX-
IRENE toothsomeness. From 10 to Is
or II pounds is the proper weight for
such turkeys. Youngsters weighing Il
trifle more often find ready sale in
New York, but the tremendous old COB
bier, weighing anywhere from IS to
% pounds. n size much approved in
New England, is not sold readily.
There is some prejudice against big
birds in this market. for. unless extra
care and skill are brought to bear in
hn -nlN n q
pear on the carving table tough and
tasteleSS."
"And the chickenST'
well at the present mOment-and l
so specify. for nothing is so variable
as the demand for certain products
the Shanghais and the Plymouth Rocks
are the most marketable chickens.
Both varieties grow rapidly and are
readily fatteneG. Moreover, they are
not more than ordinarily susceptible
to climatic changes. Most of those
who raise Shanghais or Plymouth
Rocks for market hatch the young
chickens along about Easter. and in
order that all may not be ready at one
time others are set from time to time
until June. Few chickens Matched
later than this will mature sufficiently
Jersey and in Long Island, where more
than ordinary attention is paid to the
raising of the birds, some farmers
make n speciality of raising broilers.
Chickens so designated are watched
and tended as carefully as the tow
heads about the place all the year
round. This branch of the chicken in
dustry necessitates the expenditure Of
gIssI
business than the ordinary farmer de-
sires to burden himself with.
There are two distinct kinds of |
poultry brought to this market: First, |
the excellent. dry picked birds from |
New Jersey and other adjacent states; |
second, birds packed in ice which !
arrive in great quantities from the |
western states. In nearly every /
part of the chicken raising east the /
birds are killed. picked dry and then |
sent TO market packed in boxes or bar
rels with straw. The bulk of this stock
is sent by individual farmers to some
firm. Few farmers send
on an average more than 1000 pounds
ut one time, while the majority send
100 or 200 pounds. At this season
there is always a great deal of specu-
ation in poultry among crossroads
yrocers and small merchants in vii
ages and towns near chicken raising
districts. One of them will buy up the
poultry of his neighbors or customers
and consiGn the birds in lots ranging |
from 1000 to 5000 pounds to some
wholesale firm of poulterers in New
York. Much of this sort OF specializing
IS done in New Jersey. and some men
reap small fortunes annually. In in
stances the Spectator contracts for
months ahead with farmer for his
.ofal output. paying him part of the
money down. possibly at a time when
-eady cash IS most needed. thus secur-
ne handsome bargain Every once
n awhile a poultry dealer from this
,ity will make the rounds of nearby