Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-19
Where They Are Enjoyed.

The turkeyfavored center lies east of the
western boundaries of Minnesota. Iowa and
Missouri. and north of the southern limits
of the last-named state, Kentucky and Vir-
ginia And of all spots most favored in this
section New York leads the list.
OF the two million turkeys that cease
strutting in November, three-quarters of
million find their way from Texas and the
other states to tie metropolis, while about
a million. plLs two hundred thousand com
prise the Christmas holiday supply. Thus.
one-thrd of the total number of turkeys an
nually killed in America go to New York,
and the people living there and in the SUI
burbs come nearer to having the traditional
turkey on every board than those in any
other section Yet, since New York is the
center of a population of some five million
people, it goes without saying, in view of
the poulterers figures that many thousands
of New Workers go turkeyless to bed on
Christmas, and still more thousands spend
a Thanksgiving uncheered by sight and
taste of q big golden bird resting upon its
back in the biggest meat platter that the
family china cupboard can produce.
A Close Second.
Chicago and it's environ are a good sec
ond to the metropolis in its love of turkey
about a million and a half fowls being con-
sumed there during the course of the two
holiday months. This leaves two and half
million strutters for the rest of the country,
and the trade estimates that of this num-
Der not more than half a million are eaten
outside the turkey eating belt, chicken and
goose and roast beef being the customary
holiday meats as they are for thousands of
families in the turkey belt itself.
In New York about half many geese
as turkeys are eaten during the holidays,
the big Jewish population favoring this
meat, and almost to a man having nothing
to do with the turkey at any price. The
Italian. on the other hand, who is also
counted by the hundreds of thousands in
tthe metropolis, has apidly fallen into the
turkey habit and on Thanksgiving day
pecially he is heavy purchaser. The same
is true of the Pole in Chicago Cleveland
Philadelphia and the other cities where he
has founded colonies. Retail dealers in fowl
declare that If a census of turkey buyers
could be taken it would be astonishing how
many thousands of Americans in the MAX
ing demand turkey the national feast
day.
Increasing in Price.
To this circumstance and the growth of
population may rightly be attributed the
constantly increasing cost of turkey to the
consumer, even though the crop has grown
steadily larger ever since the price began
going up from II cents a pound wholesale,
for the best grades in 1897, to % cents last
year, in such centers New York and
Chicago. AT the present average retail price
for the country. "a cents, the turkey crop
represents a value of $24,4S0, 600. This CA
culation is based on the statement of poul-
terers that the average weight of each of
the six million turkeys is in the neighbour
hood of seventeen pounds-a rather high es-
innate to the lay mind, 1t would seem, but
conservative one to the men who are ac-
customed to handling daily tens of thou
sands of toms weighing all the way from
twenty to thirty pounds apiece.