The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1907-01-18
THE FARM.
TuRKEY AM AMERICAN BIRD.

graced by the familiar domestic tur-
key. The turkey is native bird
Of our continent The early Span
ISL, English and French explorers
and discovers found ii here fNm
Mexico-ao far into Canada Being
compelled as they do subsist upon
the products Of the forest, taay
soon learned the great value Cf
the wild turkey as bird for meat
Nearly all of the first explorers took
live turkeys back TO Europe with
them ana introduced them there for
drmeslicaicn All breeds of ms
keys Of Europe and The eastern
counties ara direct descendants q
the American wild breed
The early Spanish conquerors M
der cortez found wild turkeys iH
abpnlancs IN Mexico, and many M
der DEMONSTRATION at the capita I
the Montexumas. Prescott relaHs
that thousands Of turkeys We Jed
to he Gagged wild animals in the roy
al gardens of the ancient city of
Mexico l, is very likely than Tire
pre-calumblan Maxicans were The
first people 10 d9mesticafe them
The turkey being a native Of
America, has been under domestc4-
tion ouly a few hlld.el yea ,bsncs
it IS yet more wild han tame j.
still delights in roaming the fields
and roosting in tees at all seasons
in tie high. open air ID IS the
widest Of all our dom sic fowls, With
perhaps the exception of the gu
inca fowl 1t has taken It q lopg
time 10 learn the ways and tedt-
mert Ct man. and man has been a
long time in learning how to sue
eesssuliy rear it. No oneit seems,
has positively found out its natur-
al Requirements, especially for The
young during the frs, few weeks Of
theiI life. The young are so len
der and so difficult To raise that
few people have Tie heart and pat-
fence 10 Try them after one or twJ
seasons Of complete failure.
The origin of the name given u
this noble game bid Of the Ameri-
car forest is shad wed In nncer,ain-
~. However, it has no reference
whatever to lie famous country Of
the Orient by the same name TU-
keys did not originate in the Turk
ish empire. II is claimed that the
name turkey was given TO lie
bird on account of the call turk,
turk. turk" which 1t makes when
lost, or when scattered flock is
collecting.
The wild turkey was a native dem
izen OF the forest, and until a few
years ago could be found in compare
lively large numbers wherever Tor
ests Of any considerable extent ex-
istod in North America. They Eere
especially numerous in the New Eng
land section, the Ohio and Mississippi
valleys, and in the South and South
west. Not longer than decaae
ago they We're hunsed and killed
yearly n. the then remaining " yd.
of the lower Wabash River and ii;
branches In This same section VIC
have seen a flock q mother and
ycung follow the smaller water
ooHrses and come into the farm wood
lot In sieht u gu small village !
few stu main but their numbers
have decreased o5mmensurately vii
the decrease in forest area.
II was In the forests that ihl
Pilqrlm and Puri'ans ffathrs 60
their turkeys for Thank giving an
Christmas dinners. As scarce q
meat and niher food was VII {hen
during their first years Il sUus
gle with the inhGspitahle and 1le
ged New England shores, AMI in
whol5scmeness and lasg, size {
Tie turkey as able fowl, ,her
Is no wonder, then that they prize
Il SO hiehly. ThQn app.acia Jon e
gocd thing az a good time becam
habit and an Inheritance who
has dgifted down with The Y2nke
generation u us. The habit Q
eating turkey from Thanksgly +
10 New Years dav. iuclusive.
as strong with Us as It was vii
them. The distance q time ON
origin of It's birth rs q custom ha
accentuated, and almost hallowei
the spirit Of the meat and II
feasts al which Il is eaten.
other W -is. ne ChNsmas turka
hse lost neither the spirit. ilaY
nor substance by orr modern mel
DDS Of pouit culture aad our m9'
EN- WAYS Il living u satisfies
the full the inner man, for II
Kipling. believe, who says, y
men are the same under the hide
Although with w0dern math-ds
cold storage, 81 that The flesh
tho turkey may be eaten In mi
slnnr rs wen as during the Id
day season. yet the bird is. az
always will be, prominently roy
only for a fsw days Of early vii
Ter. A fsw in cities eat turkey on
and twca a week the year run
bu. HE rank and file of human
taste II not more than three Tim
a year-on ,Thanksgiv'ng Christm
and those who riise ihrm 70 e
never taste the choice flash
all. EsIgc.slIy IS this true amor
farmers. Turkeys bring too e.,
a price on The market TO ks
and they are too expensive u
MY 10 buy when there is pleni
~ rtI,ar phaanA, md almost