Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-15
BUYING CHRISTMAS TURKEY.
How II f. Done ia BnItimorc-Carecr
OF the Bird.
lBaltImore AmerIcan.

around hundreds OF thousands Of Ameri-
can gobblers in all parts of the land. and
the gallant bird is waiting the day OF his
execution with apparent resignation. due
10 his consciousness. perhaps that he i
TO be "wrung by the neck until dead
through no fault OF his own. Down in the
commission districts. where the poultry
dealers are now the busiest people on the
hemisphere, there is a slaughter going on
! that for it, record OF heads per day out
! does the French Revolution I'm its palm-
] est hours. This condition Is simply an
outward and visible sign that Christmas
| Is coming. 1t is the turkeys part in the
tragedy to die unmurmuring. sacrifice
10 the great American appetite, that must
| centre its enthusiasm patriotic or religi-
Gus, about a tempting dinner.
| Unctious in a sea Of gravy, Drowned in
manner sublime garnished beyond COM
pare, he will enjoy as usual his post
norton triumph, as the centre 81 the
feast. the focus OF all eyes. and the one
thing altogether lovely. that has from
| Colonial times made him a shrine for
| popular alteration
At present, though, he IS only at one
/ stage Of the Journey TO this coming tri-
umph and for the turkey 1t must be a
most uncomfortable stage. for which even
the future, with its prospects of being
Drowned and stuffed and admired can
| be but a small comfort. This is the time
when he is on the way from his happy
home down on the farm" and. as has
been said. is surrounded by the DEATH
watch, for the most part clumsy crate
1 too crowded for comfort, and too short
| to allow commodious distribution OF his
ample neck. IL Is probable that rev or
| tho Baltimoreans who gorged on turkey
| on Thanksgiving, and had nothing but
compliments for the bird of birds, gave
thought 10 the story of his birth, early
| training. adult years, capture, martyr
dom. and apotheOsis-events in his career
from countryside TO the centre Of the
table.
HIS LIFE CAREER.
His has a rather interesting road
through life, for all the lack OF apprecia-
ton that saves its kindly words, after
the fashion OF man, until bells have toiled
for him.
In the first place, he IS not a Maryland
er: at least, all but small minority Oh
the turkeys consumed In this city are
imported from the West The Eastern
Shore OF the State has always enjoyed a
worthy reputation for its turkeys, put
the trend OF the trade is up the PENN
sula TO Philadelphia. From the farms
near to the city there are Il few that ma
a way TO the market stalls. but this num-
Der would not supply the demand or even
a considerable neighborhood.
The Baltimore market is supplied al
most entirely from the West, and amons
other strangers that grace Christmas
| dinners will be West Nirginians, Ten
nesseeans. Ohloans, perhaps few natives
| of Indiana. and a respectable showing OF
the products Of Virginia banyards. The
methods Of transportation are very sim
pie There are crates, something more
| than foot high. and five feet square,
partitioned In the middle, and in each or
the partitions is packed twenty or TWEEN
ty-fve Of the birds From the breeder
to the city agent the journey is made by
freight trains. with from 1000 10 l'ZD
| turkeys I'm each car. A train ordinarily
al this season arrives daily, and one IS
expected to-day which will boast twenty
cars-funy twenty thousand newcomers
TO join those that have been coming IN
steadily since the Thanksgiving season
brought the bird into fatal prominence.
! Down about Charles and Camden
! streets. and with that point as a centre
within a radius of half dozen blocks,
| is the wholesale poultry district, and
/ there are interesting things 10 be seen
there these days.
The great. ungainly crates Of turkeys
arrive from the stations early I'm the
] mornings. and the rush Of buying begins
Crocers market men. everybody from
everywhere who has a demand for tur-
! KEYS TO be met IS on hand. adding
10 the troubles Of the Gagged fowl by
sundry proddngs. Piled high, one on
| another. stand the crates of turkeys.
and from each OF the FIVE and six floors
Of the tenement protrude long, sinewy
| necks that peer about at the strange
/ sights and cock heads al strange sound,
| as # trying 10 remember TO nave heard
ANYTHING like II before I'm their HOosier
| barnyards. Now a crate IS 10 be moved.
Burly handlers. minus any idea Of tur-
key senslbilities. seize II, and with a
lar that sadly rufiles the demeanor Of the
! occupants IL crashes TO the street anna
an excited futtering and angry chortling.
Let a crate be dropped IN reach Of the
! gutter and the greatest excitement imme-
/ diatelv follows among the residents.
Stand-up battles. or, az least, as stand
up" as is possible I'm crate that makes
| no allowance for the reaching powers
of the turkeys neck. take place for po-
sition on the bar" end of the crate,
and there IS q continuous featherweight
scufe until. with another crash. more
startled Topping ana more plaintive
chortling. the turkeys find themselves
high and dry again on the sixth floor or
the Turkeys Flats. for it reminds one OF
a tenement when a parade passes with
the countless heads that bob from WIN
dows from the first to the last floor.
PROSPECTS GOOD.
Turkey was selling at 9 cents per pound
Yesterday, and the market was DISK
one The dealers who dispose OF the
dressed article in the markets and at
neighborhood stores are buying at this
rate. 10 clean and dress and put away
on ice for the holiday demand and the
holiday retail price that VIII reach 10
cents in the next ten days. With mar
gin Of c cents per pound there Is millions
i'm II " If enough could be sold. Thus lar
the prospects are good Tor prosperous
season, as well among the retailers as
among the wholesale merchants, ana lI
the Thanksgiving demand can be taken
as an indication Of what may be expected
for Christmas. there VIII be much 10 liz
dictate that the Baltimore palate SUI pines
for periodic dose or TURKEY, ,...,..
II rs the dressed turkey that Is bought
the most extensively. and there Is no de-
nyng that In its white tenderness IL
makes up a picture that pleases the eye
and promises much. Few h0useWlVes
ence I'm price between that and the dress
ed form is more than made up by the
saving i'm patience ana labor. Many
turkeys. a course, reach the city ALREADY
dressed. packed in refrigerator boxes, but
the number Is far less than that which
comes alive and is killed by the retailer.
on the mddlemen who supply the retailer
with his poultry.
ton. and the bird butcher makes short
work Of this part Of II. Meantime. with
the end approaching, the turkey is sauCily
poking his doomed head up through the
Stats OF his cell. and chatters away last
defiance at the prosecutors. who may be
tina