Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-11-21
THANKSGIVING BIRDS
WILL COST MONEY
Believed That Man Who Sits
Down to Turkey Will Pay
Is Cents For 1t
SCARCE AND NOT FATTENED
Late Matches and Warm Weather Re-
suit in Small Crop Being Unfit for
Early Market-swift & Co. Killing
Between 5000 and 5000 Pounds of
Chickens Per, Day.

Chickens Per, Day.
'The man who sits down to turkey
for his Thanksgiving dinner will pay
around is cents for it" Is the state
ment of Manager J. E. Reese, of Swift
& Co. Turkeys are scarce and for
the Thanksgiving market are extreme
ly hard to get. Ely Christmas time
Mr.. Reese thinks that the birds will be
more plentiful, but he does not look
for them to be sufficient to satisfy the
demand in time for Thanksgiving.
Turkeys are scarce to begin with, but
more than that, the birds that ordin-
arily would be marketable at this sea-
son are as yet unfit for selling from an
owners standpoint. The birds are not
yet fat enough. Matches were late this
year, owing to the late spring, and
the fall season has been comparatively
warm. 1t is impossible to fatten a
!. turkey until cold weather sets in, AMI
there has mot as yet been enough cold
weather for the birds to begin to put
on flesh. Raisers of turkeys, who put
in many anxious days watching their
f1ocks, are not anxious to sell until
the birds are sufficiently rounded out
fnf1esh to bring some return for the care
and corn put into them. While Thanks
giving birds will be scarce, it is believ-
ed that by Christmas time turkeys will
be of fine quality, altho not over album
dant.
There is a good crop Of ducks, but
not many geese. There is not enough
of German population around Mar
shalltown to afford local packers much
of goose market, and all that are be-
Ing received now are being sent to
Chicago alive. In ten days time, how
ever, the local house Of Swift & Co.
will dress out both ducks and geese.
Ducks are fat and plentiful.
Chickens Now Big Industry.
The chicken business is the big in-
dustry at present at the Swift q Co.
plant. A force of twenty-five is main
tanned at present by Manager Reese,
and these employees are killing, pick
ing and packing between 5000 and 81
600 pounds of chickens daily. 1t ten
DAYS the force will be increased and
the output will reach 10000 pounds per
day. Between 5000 and 5000 pounds
of chickens mean slaughter Of about
5000 head each day.
Everything this season Is being dry
picked and dry packed. Heretofore
about all the dry packing was in the
export line, and for local and domes-
tic consumption the birds were scald
picked and packed in ice after cooling.
+ 1t has been found. however, that dry
picking and packing, keeps the bird in
better shape.
squatters for Export.
Everything In the sport line Is
"squatted," as Johnny Bull, who Is
fond Of a warm bird as well as a cold
bottle, is particular in just what shape
the bird appears on the platter. While
the birds are warm they are placed in
"a specially prepared rack, where they
are cooled in .squatting position.
They are served III this way, instead
of on their back, the rule generally
followed by Americans.
II The export birds are only Of a GER
tain weight. No heavy birds are ship
the export class ranges from two
pound nine ounces to four pounds.
The birds are all young stuff, no fowls.
They must be fancy, of good breeding,
dry picked and packed, nicely dressed
and soft meated. The heads and legs
are left on, and no bird is killed until
his crop is entirely, empty. All of the
inside material is left in the bird, as
1t keeps much better than when clean
ed When the food is all out of the
crop there is no danger of souring, and
the bird is as nice when it arrives on
the Englishman's table as when it
leaves this city. Most Of the export
business from Marshalltown goes to
London and liverpool
For Domestic Trade,
4 For the domestic trade there Is no
difference in the preparation Of the
birds. The only difference is in the
weight. AS the bird has increased in
weight, he gets into the domestic class.
1t is Of as good quality as the exports.
The weight for domestics forms two
grades, four pounds one ounce to five
pounds, and over five pounds.
The broilers form another class for
domestic purposes, land find a market
in the big cities. The broilers are the
little fellows, and are divided into three
grades, one pound nine ounces and I'M,
der, one pound ten ounces to two
pounds, and two pounds or two pounds
nine ounces.
Market Lower Than Year AGO
There is an abundance OF chickens
On the market, which is now 1 cent
under a year ago at this time. Not
withstanding the fact that the chick
ems are plentiful, the market has held
steady for two weeks, at 6A cents