davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26
Decreased FIocks.

James r Lord, who lives on the Mystic
road, Connecticut, has few turkeys which
he keeps for breeding purposes. Chief
among them Is the prize winner of the Bos-
ton Poultry show In 1902, the greatest poul-
try exhibit ever held. This proud bird
weighs AN pounds and is a beauty OF the
National Bronze breed lie came from
Illinois. Mr.. Vose will ship many hundreds
of pounds of dressed turkeys from West
erly before Thanksgiving time, but the total
shipment will be small in comparison with
that of some other years, and prices will
be correspondingly high.
The farmers will get 30 or 30 cents a
pound for the dressed birds and the pub
lie will have to pay considerably over this
for the genuine Rhode Island product.
Rhode Island for poultry purposes, includes
the two Connecticut towns of Stonlngton
and North Stonington. Those two towns
have become the center of the turkey rails
ing business in the Westerly district, as
Westerly itself has grown very few tur-
keys lately. But throughout the neighbor-
hood not nearly as many turkeys are
raised as formerly Where every other
farm might once have had a flock OF fifty
or seventy-five, few farms now possess
more than five or ten. B. F. Williams
of Mystic has some seventy-five, and other
farmers in the neighborhood are raising
twenty-five or thirty each.
Mr.. Vose keeps a close watch on all the
flocks of the vicinity from time to time,
and picks the presidents bird toward the
last of the campaign. There is no telling
as yet where this favored turkey will
come from, but certainly Dick" the pre-
mier bird of Mr.. Palmers stonington flock,
will be a prominent candidate for White
House honors He will weigh 30 pounds
dressed, and is as fine a specimen as ono
would wish to see. If he goes to Wash
ington Mr.. Roosevelt need not be ashamed
to invite in his best friends to his Thanks
giving Enthusiastically Eagle.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

each side of the tail.
Place the trussed turkey in a roasting
pan and spread breast, legs and wings
with one-third cup butter and one-fourth
cup -four we'll sailed and rubbed together.
Thick sour cream is also good for this
purpose Protect the breast with sheet
of fat pork called barde), slit at inter-
walls. Very large turkeys are sometimes
steamed a while before baking. Another
way of preventing dryness of the breast
meat is to use a roasting saddle, and cook
the bird breast downwards or COW
cred rooster may be used. Now
sprinkle a very little flour on the bot
tom of the pan and put it into a hot oven.
When the flour begins to brown, reduce
the heat and add a little water Basic
often with water and butter at first; later
with fat from the pan, and dredge with
-four occasionally, unless the double pan IS
used. Turn, if necessary, so as to brown
it uniformly. II the turkey is cooking too
fast protect it with buttered paper and re-
duce the heat Long, slow cooking is
necessary. Three hours to three and half
hours at least will be needed for a ten
pound turkey 1t is cooked when II is "A
good, even brown, and the thigh looks as
II 1t would easily separate from the body.
Remove it to a small pan, and keep warm
while you make the gravy. The water
should have wholly evaporated from the
PAM pour off all but two tabespoonfuls Of
fat; set the pan on the stove and stir in
two tablespoonfuls of dry flour, add salt
with discretion, scrape all the brown glaze
from sides Of pan and brown the flour; add
the liquor 1.-TWO cups) in which the giblets
have been cooked together with neck, feet,
a few pepper corns, Glove and half an
inch of thin yellow lemon rind). Allow it
to boil up season with pepper and salt to
taste; strain If necessary and add a few
drops of caramel or Kitchen bouquet" IL
the color is toe pale. 1t should be a rich
brown, not too thick, and free from grease
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26
Preparing Thanksgiving Day Dinner

times to too tight packing, more often to
an undue amount Of liquid or the use Of
too much egg as a binding material in the
hope of getting a rich-looking dressing
In bread dressings the best results are
obtained by using freshly made crumbs
from the center Of a two-day old loaf, in
stead of the soaked crusts often employed
from motives of economy. Very finely
chopped suet for part of the shortening
helps to secure lightness, or finely chopped
fat bacon or salt pork. Melted butter may
be used to hold the dressing together sufl-
GENTLY for stuffing purposes; little Cor bet
ter stilD no liquid is really needed with
such a dressing. although some people
like to add little sherry; one-fourth cup
of melted butter to every cup Qevel and
not tightly packed of fresh bread crumbs
used is fairly good proportion. No egg
should be added unless the dressing is to
be eaten cold and you want to be able to
slice it.
For seasoning you have powdered sweet
herbs or poultry seasoning" chopped
parsley, chopped green peppers, chopped
giblets, grated lemon rind, mace, nutmeg,
pepper, salt, ground cinnamon to select
from and combine according to individual
preference; sage is unsuited for turkey
keep that for goose, tame duck or pork.
little onion juice may be used If liked,
but not enough to give decided impression
of onion. Oyster dressing is considered
best by many. Since long cooking tends
to spoil the oysters, the turkey is often
roasted without them and simply accom-
panied by scalloped oysters. Chestnut
stufting with or without finely minced
veaD is very excellent but the large
French chestnuts must be chosen or It will
be too troublesome to prepare. rich
force meat (of pork and veal sausage meat}
is sometimes used at the breast end, while
the rest of the bird is filled with some
form Of bread stufing, a method which l
personally prefer to any other.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

Grant was president and, II he wished to
follow the practice OF foreign dealers I'm
this, that and the other commodity, he
might appropriately sign himself the pur-
veyor of Thanksgiving cheer to the chief
magistrate Of the nation. There can be no
doubt that the president and his family
appreciate the delicate attention they re-
ceive at the hands OF the Westerly man.
The turkey Is always the best that Mr..
Vose can find anywhere within the borders
Of Westerly or its nelghboring towns. The
presidential turkey is not always a Rhode
Island bird Last year the one that was
sent to the White House and ELECTED a
pleasant note Of thanks from Mr.. Roosevelt
was raised on the farm Of Charles y.
Palmer in the town OF stonington, Conn,
about three miles northwest Of Stonlngton
Borough. Mr. Palmer has a reputation for
taking good care Of his flocks and It is
probably because he does exercise such
constant watch over them that he raises
some Of the finest birds to be found any
where in New England
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

Another farmer speaking of this the
other day said: There are mighty Few
people that would take the pains he does
1 guess he puts about as much into his
turkeys as he gets out of them" Yet Mr.
Palmer says there is money in turkeys II
YOU are careful of them. they require I'M
RENTING watchfulness, that is all. And
fortunately, the blackhead has never given
him any trouble. Mr.. Palmers method OF
raising turkeys begins with the fall before
when he saves over a tom turkey and ten
hen turkeys for the succeeding season II
the total egg product of these hens was
Matched the result would be a flock of 800
or 400 young birds, but half that number
suffices for Mr. Palmer's wants The
youngsters are born in April and May, and
during the first ten weeks of their life
are daintily reared on crackers and milk.
The crackers come by the barrel from New
London, Conn, being Of the same quality
that Is purchased for table use, except that
they are in fragments. They are the broken
bits and odds and ends which the manu-
facturers cannot sell to the usual grocery
trade. These pieces and crumbs of crack
ers are mixed with milk and fed to the
young turkeys every morning. Then for
most of the day the birds follow their
mothers around the farm, roaming where
they will picking up grasshoppers, crickets
and other delicatessen of the fields and
swamps.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

scarcity. The people, we are quantity told,
were necessitated to live upon clans and
mussels and ground nuts and acorns, and
these got with much difficulty in the win
ter time. People were very much tired
and discouraged, especially with the last
batch of bread in the oven" Winthrop
had early in the preceding July sent the
ship Lion to England for a cargo of pro-
visions, but after an interval of many
months the ship was not forthcoming. on
February 5, 1884, while the governor was
giving the last handful of meal in the
barrel unto poor man distressed by a wolf
at the door, at that instant they espied a
ship arrived at the harbors mouth, laden
with provisions for them ALL"
A general fast day had been previously
appointed but the arrival OF the Lion,
bearing this sorely-needed relief, changed
their mourning into JOY, and, as Winthrop
records In his journal. a day of thanks
giving was held in AL the plantations. "
Franklin has left an interesting account
OF the origin Of Thanksgiving in America,
which is not without his humorous touch
ana which, like most OF his similar writ
ings, Is perhaps not as veracious as If
might have been. There is a tradition.
he wrote, that in the plantations of New
--Ae4NAAA vac AASA eSAAAtLH met Win many
difficulties and hardships, as is generally
the case when a civilized people ATTEMPT
establishing themselves in a wilderness
country
Being piously disposed they sought re,
lief from Heaven by laying their wants
and distresses before the Lord in frequent
set days OF fasting and prayer. Constant
meditation and discourse on these subjects
kept their minds gloomy and disconnected;
and like the children Of Israel, there were
many disposed 10 return TO that Egypt
which persecution had induced them 10
abandon.
AT length. when It was proposed in the
assembly 70 proclaim another fast, a
farmer OF plain sense rose and remarked
that the Inconvenience they suffered, and
concerning which they had so often wearied
Heaven with their complaints, were not so
great as they might have expected, and
were diminishing every day as the colony
strengthened; that the earth began TO re-
ward their labor and to furnish literally
for their substance; that the seas and riv-
ers were found full OF fish, the air sweet,
the climate healthy and, above all. that
they were there in the fun enjoyment OF
liberty, civil and religious; he therefore
thought that rejecting and conversing on
these subjects would be more comfortable,
as tending more TO make them contented
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26
Enemie. of Grasshoppers.


AS matter of fact the turkeys do eat
a good many grasshoppers, but they catch
them for themselves There is an aged man
in Westerly now I'm his seth year, who has
an interesting theory about turkeys and
grasshoppers He says:
81 used to raise turkeys, but gave it up
years ago because there wasn't any money
I'm it. The blackhead got into the flocks
and 1 was sheer discouraged. But I'm going
to raise another flock next year. You see
when turkeys were plentiful they ate
the grasshoppers all up, but now that no
body raises turkeys the grasshoppers have
begun to come in again. So long as there
were lots Of grasshoppers you didn't hear
anything about the blackhead. I believe
the grasshopper is an antidote for the
disease"
After Mr. Palmer has fed his birds on
crackers and milk-a diet which he says
lis good enough for anybody"-for the
space Of two months and a half, he begins
to give them oats and corn. He has lost
thirty turkeys this year, so that his flock
at the present time numbers i20 and to
feed this number of hungry mouths takes
two bushels of grain every twenty-four
hours in addition to the insects which
the turkeys find and put to their own
good use. They are very fond of
oats, and toward the end of their
autumnal career they can have just as
many as they will eat. Shortly before
Thanksgiving the turkey raiser 'soaks the
oats to EN-" as one farmer said the other
day. "They don't eat as greedily as a
hen does" he added They will come
around when you throw out the grain and
eat little and then walk of to forage
around the fields Then they'll come
leisurely back and eat some more But
they get their fill in the long run. Trust
them for that"
Turkeys are pugnacious. The other day
the writer watched two young ones fighting
as stubbornly a pair Of bulldogs One Of
them had grabbed the other by the neck
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26
Annual Fat Turkey for the President

@=ORACE vOsE, the westerly. r. L.,
turkey man" who sends lus-
cious bird every year to the presi-
ISs99t8I dent Of the United Seatcs will
kaAhNS have scanty number from
which to choose this fall Mr.. Vose is a
turkey broker and middleman, rather than
a turkey grower, handling a large porpor-
ton OF all the birds that are raised within
a radius Of ten or a dozen miles from his
home In years gone by the hocks Of the
neighborhood have yielded many hundreds
Of turkeys, but for the last few seasons
the number has been a diminishing guam
tty. The turkey business in southwestern
Rhode Island and southeastern Connect
cut has been pretty pearly ended The tur-
key has a precarious life from the moment
Of his Matching He is a delicate creature,
much harder TO raise than chickens or any
other barnyard fowl. He is a natural
roamer. beside. and his itinerant instincts
carry him afeld, into all sorts of dangers.
A mother turkey, conveying a large family
through the brambles Of an upland pasture,
sometimes finds, when she gets back home,
that one of her charges is missing. The
chances are that he has become entangled
in the tall grass, and being unable to extri-
cate himself or make his busy parent hear,
has persisted miserably at the outset Of
his career.
II the turkey survives the perambulatory
pers Of his youth he may be attacked by
the nsdious "blackhead," a disease against
which there is no known safeguard. At the
Rhode Island College Of Agriculture and
Mechanic Arts in Kingston Il scientific
study Of the malady is on foot, and it Is
hoped that some means will eventually be
found to combat It. but thus far no ade-
quate remedy has been devised. In an en-
deavor to strengthen the turkeys and make
them better able to withstand the raw
ages however. a series of interesting inter-
breeding experiments is now in progress.
Turkeys from the south and southwest have
been purchased for the purpose Of crossing
them with the native Rhode Island bird.
The hybrid turkey, it is expected, will be
stronger and better than the pure Rhode
Island breed, though for that matter there
have been so many infusions of foreign
blood before that the Rhode Island turkey
is really no more pure" bird than the
surviving Narragansett Indians are race
untainted by the admixture of any other
strain.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

Now put It into a bowl and insert the
stuffing by spoonfuls at the neck; I'LL out
the breast plump and even; draw the flap
OF neck skin down and fasten II with
stitch or two on the back Put the re-
naming stunning into the body at the
other opening; sew up the opening, or, II
the body is not full, fasten II with a
small skewer. Remember 10 leave room
for expansion IL the dressing is OF a kind
that swels lone made with cracker
crumbs, for instance. Sometimes two
kinds Of dressing are used for a large
turkey. Neat trusting is necessary for
good final appearance and TO prevent
dryness. Turn the tips Of the wings
backward and under the body, fastening
them in place with trusting needle and
string or a skewer, Draw the thighs close
up to the body. pressing them downward
on the table, secure them in this position
by passing trusting needle or skewer
straight through both. tie ends OF legs on
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

k4ttt Although 1t must be proclaimed
eE& by the president or governor, and
usually by both, and the time of year and
the date itself are left to their judgment,
so strong is the custom that the calendars
for next year have denoted the day far
ahead of any proclamation. On the last
Thursday in November the figures are
printed in red. The banks know it will be
that day, although there is nothing but
precedent to establish it; business men
know II will be day of thanksgiving and
never stop 20 reason why. The schoolboy,
the foot ball enthusiast, the farmer, the
poulterer, all know Thanksgiving day is
the last Thursday in November.
As a generally observed national holiday
Thanksgiving day is barely 90 years Old
yet its history is in a measure OF much
greater antiquity. Like many another Gus
tom, we owe this TO those stern Puritans
who separated" and came to Massachu-
sets bay 10 make a lasting impression
upon the social life of the new world The
history OF the first Thanksgiving day in
the Massachusetts, plantation has been va
riously given In 1921 It is said, day OF
thanksgiving was observed I'm acknowledge
ment of the Pilgrims first harvet in Amer
lea.
Those were trying days for the colonists.
The winter was one OF great severity and
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

and obtained a vantage hold. and TO this he
chung as IL his life depended upon Il.
Around the two squawking, excited birds
lowered the old father turkey, seemingly
anxious TO separate them. He did not
actually interfere, but the moment that the
bird with the vantage grip let go he
grabbed him in the same way and gave
him some good solid punishment in his
own coin. 1t was all very amusing to the
bystanders, who thought that young Mr.
Turkey was getting just what he deserved.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

final word about the stuffing for the
turkey. Each individual has his or her
own particular preference, but whatever
it is, let it be plentiful and let it not be
soggy and heavy. Heaviness is due some
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

and Jumps. The gibets may be chopped
and added, If liked. Remove all strings
and skewers from the turkey, place 1t
breast up on hot platter, slip paper cut
let frills on the leg bones Cor use tiny red
apples), and garnish as your fancy die
tates, remembering to have mercy on the
carver and leave him room to operate COM
fortably.
Garnishes often used are parsley, slices
of lemon, curls of bacon, celery tips
stuffed Drowned onions, cubes of sweet
pickle, fans of tiny sour pickles, tiny sau-
sages, cubes of jelly placed IN halves Of
picked peaches, etc. A simple garnish is
in better taste than a more elaborate one,
besides being more convenient for serving.
Below are two suggestive, menus for an
ordinary Thanksgiving dinner:
I. OLD STYLE.
Clam broth. Buttered crackers Drowned.
Roast turkey.
Chestnut dressing. Giblet sauce.
Dressed celery. Baked ham.
Pickle peacheds.
Mashed potatoes. Squash.
CaulifiUwer Dutch sauCe).
Raisns in cider jelly.
open apple pie. Pumpkin pie.
Fruit. Nuts. Coffee.
II. OLD STYLE MODIFIED.
Raw oysters.
Boston brown bread sandwiches.
Roast turkey with savory bread dressing
Brown sauce. Cranberry sauce
Sausage cakes or curls of bacon
Drowned potatoes. Stuffed onions.
Dreamed Brussels sprouts or turnip cubes
Picked figs.
Lettuce, apple and celery salad.
(French dressing).
Individual pumpkin pies. Ounce jelly tarts.
Ice cream in red apple shells.
Small cookies.
Fruit. Nuts. Coffee.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

over on Elias Williams farm" said Mr..
Palmer. you can find any number Of crick-
cts, but on this farm the turkeys have
cleaned them out" They are good scaven-
gers and it seems a pity they cannot be
trained to hunt the disagreeable mosquito.
Much mas been said about their grasshop-
per diet, and the story has gone the rounds
that some farmers give to them a regular
grasshopper menu, though just how the
grasshoppers are provided by these
thoughtful agriculturists is not stated"
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

~OW Is the INEXPERIENCED house
keeper to select q good turkey
and secure it's appearance on her
IESy4[fJl table juicy, tender and brown, as
EnknW self-respecting Thanksgiving
turkey should be? Answer is made
In the Oregonian by Miss Lillian L.
Tingle professor in the Portland School Of
Domestic Science. Miss Tingle says: The
hout ekeeper should choose a nice plump
bird-ten pounds is useful size-with
smooth, dark legs; soft, loose spurs and
full breast, with pliable cartilage at the
end of the breastbone. 1t will probably
be sent home ready drawn, but 1t is we'll
to assure yourself that the kidneys dying
close to the ribs in the hollow OF the back
have been removed with the rest, as these,
often left in by careless cooks, tends to
impart a disagreeable flavor See that the
oil bag in the tail is also removed, as this
will give a strong taste to the gravy. Re-
move any pin feathers with a small knife
and SINCE of the hairs by holding the bird
over the gas ring or a roll OF blazing
paper. Some people pour a little alcohol
over It and then apply light, holding 1t
carefully over the sink Wash the outside
very thoroughly with water in which a
little cooking soda has been dissolved. Next
cut off the head. slip the skin back from
the neck remove windpipe and crop, If not
already removed cut OF neck close to the
body put It into cold water and reserve
1t for the gravy stock. II the crop and
wlndpipe were removed by the marketman,
there will probably be a cash in the skin
which will have TO be sewed up
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26
A Regular Custom.

Mr. vose lives near the railroad station
In Westerly. He has been sending turkeys
10 the White House ever since General
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26

The bird should be sent home with the
feet left on. Cut through the skin about
two inches below the leg joint bend the
leg at the cut over the table edge and
break the bone. Then pull out the ten
dons one by one by twisting a small skewer
under each, or use a regular tendon puller
Be careful not to cut any deeper than the
skin. or the tendons cannot be removed
and will render the drumstick hard in the
roasting. Dip the broken ends OF the legs
into boiling water to remove the outer
skin. These ends afford more length for
tying when you come TO the trusting, pre-
vent the leg meat from shrinking unduly
from the bone and can be removed after
cooking, leaving a clean, unburned Joint.
Save the feet; later they can be scaled, and
have the outer skin removed, then they
will help 10 give body and gelatinous
smoothness 10 the gravy. Wipe the tur-
key inside with a clean wet cloth. II any
unpleasant odor is perceptable, rinse
quickly in warm soda water then in cold
water and wipe dry.
Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-11-26
Day and Its Part in History

thanksgiving day, coming with
the regularity of a movable feast,
is peculiar to the United States.
Although it must be proclaimed
by the president or governor. and