The Savannah morning news., 1904-11-20

turkeys the eplcureS have spread
abroad these many years throughout
the land.
In short, the real turkey State Of
the Union is Just plain Texas, and has
been for several years past. 1t has
produced on an average about three
quarters of a million turkeys every
year since 1900. Missouri is a close
second, and the other leading turkey
states are Illinois. Iowa, Ohio and In
diana in The order named. These six
states raise half the turkey crop; with
Nebraska and Kansas, they produce
considerably over half. Let the wealth
err during the early stages of the sea-
son be wet in any two of these states
and the Thanksgiving turkey is bound
to come high to the purchaser.
Z Less than a decade ago Ohio and In
diana were the leading turkey states,
and poulterers will tell you that only
within the last five or six years have
they been receiving shipments from
Texas and Missouri, the present lead
ers. In recent years, too the Iowa tur-
key has come to the fore as being the
finest of all turkeys raised outside of
Rhode Island. and the latter's equal
in all respects. Iowa turkeys univer-
sally command the highest prices in
such discriminating centers as New
York, Chicago and Philadelphia, the
last-named town even paying more for
them than its own dearly beloved Phil
adelphia turkey, which holds a place
in the Quaker mind alongside Phila-
deluhia capon.
Few Farmers Eat Turkey.
But while the farmers of the Central
and Middle West and the Lone Star
State are the men behind the Thanks
giving turkey. they are not the men
who eat it by any manner of means.
1t is to be doubted whether half the
turkey raisers ever taste turkey meat
the year around; shippers tell of farm
ers who after reserving a certain num-
Der of fowls for breeding purposes,
sell all the rest of their fiocks. not
even reserving one for themselves for
either of the two great holidays.
Still, these self-abnegating gentle
men have plenty of good company. In
many parts of the South turkey never
appears on the Thanksgiving or the
Christmas board, and in the great
West, exclusive of such centers as
San Francisco and Denver, many
child has to depend in a natural his
tor for acquaintance with the ma
tional bird.
The turkey-favor center lies east
of the western boundaries of Mime
sofa, Iowa and Missouri. and north
of the southern limits of the last
named state. Kentucky and Virginia.
And of all spots most favored in this
section New York leads the list
New Yerkers Big Turkey Eaters.
OF the 1000, 900 turkeys that cease
strutting in November, 100000 find their
way from Texas and the other states
to the metropolis, while about 1000, 0O0
plus 200, 00O comprise the Christmas
holiday supply. Thus, one-third of the
total number of turkeys annually kill
ed in America go to New York, and
the people living there and in the SUBJ
urbs come nearer to having the ira
ditional turkey on every board than
those in any other section. Yet, since
New York is the center of population
of some 5000, 900 people, it goes without
saying, in view of the poulterers fig
ures, 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 a big golden bird
resting upon it's back in the biggest
meat platter that the family china cup
board can provide.
Chicago Next to New York.
Chicago and it's environs are a good
second to the metropolis in its love
of turkey, about a million and a half
fowls being consumed there during the
course of the two holiday months.
This leaves two and a half million
strutters for the rest of the country,
and the trade estimates that of this
number 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 as 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 do with
turkey at any price. The Italian, on
the other hand. who is also counted
by the hundreds Of thousands In the
metropolis. has rapidly fallen into the
turkey habit, and on Thanksgiving
Day especially he is a heavy purchas-
err. The same is true of the Pole in
Chicago Cleveland, Philadelphia and
the other cities where he has founded
colonies Retail dealers In fowl de-
clare that II census OF turkey buyers
could be taken It would be astonishing
how many thousands OF Americans In
the making demand turkey on the ma
tional feast day.
millions OF Dollars in Turkeys.
To this circumstance and the growth
of population may rightly be attrfb-
uted 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. 10 "a cents last year.
In such centers as New York and Chi
cage. AZ the present average retail
price hor the country. "A cents. the
turkey crop represents n value OF t24.-
fg0.O 900. This calculation IL based on
ne gtatenont of RonltoroTs thas che