The Washington times., 1901-11-24
TURKEY WANING
In POPULARITY.
THANKSGIVING SALE VERY SMALL
Plentiful in the Market, But Omitted
From Holiday Dinner Menu
Scarcity of Cranberries
This Year.

The coming Thanksgiving will not. ac
cording to marketmen. equal the Thanks
giving of the past. Despite the fact tha
there are any number of fine turkeys oil
the market awaiting purchasers. but few
have as yet been selected. Indeed, the
marketmen assert that the coming Thanks
giving viii be an unusually dull one for
them.
In recent wears the markets would DE
lined with citizens struggling with oas-
kets on their arms, stopping here ana
there TO inspect some exceptionally hne
sneeimen of the feathered kingdom which
was offered for sale.
In the past the rush used to set in as
much as two weeks before the arrival OF
Thanksgivirg The market business on
turkeys especially has been unusually
slow of late years.
A reporter for The Times yesterday palo
a visit TO the old Centre Market. when
is given the credit of feeding more than
one-half of the population OF the Ma
tioual Capital. The immense stalls oil the
big game dealers were loaded uo"h win
turkeys, ducks, partridges, ana other niehi-
bers of the feathered kingdom.
The dealers stood about, clad in their
immaculate white aprons, discussing the
situation with each other. There was
small crowd of everyday marketers, but
there was missing the rush and hustle OF
the old familiar Thanksgiving crowd.
When asked as to the reason of the small
demand for turkeys. one of the dealers
said:
People Tired of Turkey.
"Weu, | suppose the folks are tiring
of turkey, although the birds We are Of
fering for sale this winter are exception
ally fine. You wouldn't believe it, but
the assassination of President Mckinley
has played havoc with the big game deal
ers, for the simple reason that tile
.,wells' are not giving the numerous din
ners they did before he was shot.
why. We used to supply any number OF
houses with all kinds of game constantly.
Indeed, from the way they bought from
us. l thought that there must be din
ners going on every night, and all day.
Now look at us. We don't sell one-half
as much of our stock as we did then.
why, bless me. l don't think during
the past week l have disposed of more
than two ducks. and then was jewed
down almost to cost price for them. Com
pare this with the business We did last
winter. l tell you it makes a man feel
pretty blue" The portly marketman rub
bed the side of his fat face thoughtfully
for a moment, and then turned 10 wait
upon a sharp-featured customer.
Crnnberries Not in the Market.
While turkeys are plentiful this year
because of the cold snap which has spread
over the country lately, there is scarcity
of that other important article. without
which no true son of America could en-
joy his Thanksgiving dinner, namely the
cranberry. You NAV walk through the
entire market now and it is doubtful
whether you will notice any of the little
red berries.
To secure the proper Information re-
carding the scarcity of this most impor-
tant adjunct to a Thanksgiving dinner,
one must leave the Market and go out on
TO the pavement. or on what is known as
the country line" Here, seated with their
backs against the old wall of the Mar
ket, repoSe numerous truck farmers. They
bring their products into the city from
the country, and generally stay until they
have sold out The majority of those on
the line" when the reporter visited the
Market were typical old Southern
"aunties," old but digrIfied negro women.
heads bound up in bright red turbans,
smoking dirty looking clay pipes, pufied
at intermittently.
The stock of the colored market woman
consists largely of any species of herbs
and roots. wreaths, holles, carrots, beans,
etc. Going up to one old woman, who
was crouching over a dilapidated frying
pan on which lay few hot Goals, looking |
scarcely able to heat the pan, much less |
warm the 200 or more pounds of flesh that |
was bending over it, the reporter enquired |
regarding the scarcity of cranberries.
"Cranberries?" asked the old woman in |
a muiied tone, clinching her teeth over |
the short stem of the dirty clay pipe. |
Why, look hyar. mistah, don yo' |
knoah? Well, Fse gwine til yo. De |
weather hab been too wa'm and dry fo' |
lere production. KANT look TO 'em |
wen you dom hab rain And the old |
woman shook her head gravely.