Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-11-21
Supply of Birds.
TURKEYS WILL PROBABLY BE MUCH
THE SAME AS LAST SEASON.

Already the proud turk, he of gaudy
plumage, is aware of the shadow which
Is creeping up behind him and is fore
runner Of approaching death. He is
being fed on the best there Ia but he
knows only too we'll that the days of his
life and the feathers of his body are
umbered. For him the sand in the
hour-glass has about run out for he has
but three weeks more to make his peace
on earth. Man will make pieces of him
shortly and for two or three days there
after will eat the soup made from his
bones in order to reduce the general
average of the price of the dinners for
Thanksgiving week.
From present indications the price Of
the king bird for the Thanksgiving
table will be about the same as last year.
1t is yet little early to say what the
price will be. During the summer the
price has been steady and pretty good
demand for good birds has been noticed
but what the price for the Thanksgiving
birds will be remains to be seen although
it will probably be about the same as
last year.
The Maine pOultrymen are not raising
any more of the noble birds than they
have in the past few years. There has
been a strong tendency TO abandon the
raising of turkeys in this part OF the
country on account of the great difficulty
experienced in getting them old enough
for the market. 1t is said that the
Aroostook farmers, who have heretofore
been extensively engaged in the raising
of turkeys, have had about enough Of it
and are working into other lines.
"Why is it," was asked well known
marketman, ''that more turkeys are not
raised in Maine?"
at is because they are such blanked
fool BIRDS" was the reply. "They do
not know enough to come in when it
rains," be continued with considerable
emphasis.
The fact is that the raising of turkeys
ON a large scale is much the same az
bottling champagne. There is as much
danger in their not reaching maturity
as there is of champagne breaking be-
fore it has reached that stage of ma
turity when it is best put on the mar
ket. Out of large flock of birds there
is danger that but few will ever live to
be old enough to put on the market as
Thanksgiving birds. With each year
more western birds are being shipped to
the eastern markets to make up for the
decrease in the native birds at Thanks
giving time.
Chickens of good quality have been
plentiful for several months past and at
moderate prices. The prospect is that
there will be plenty of them at Thanks
giving time and that they will, in
large measure, make up on many tables
for the lack of the Thanksgiving turkey.
They can never take the place of the
king of Thanksgiving birds, yet many
people reconcile themselves with the
thought that the family treasury has
not been depleted for the sake of keep
ing up appearances.
Ducks and geese do not, as rule, cut
much of figure in the Thanksgiving
trade except with a few people who
have special tastes for these birds.
They are more for the Christmas trade
and are more in evidence in the markets
at that time. 1t is probable that the
price of these birds will be more or less
regul;ted by the prevailing prices of
turkeys and chickens.-Bath Independ-N
ent.