Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-26
THE TURKEY MARKET.
How Rhode Island Feeds Thousands
Thanksgiving.
From the Providence Journal.

From the Providence Journal.
The turkey dressers of Rhode Island
will sleep late this morning They Will
have a right to at least, for yesterday
and the day before the Thanksgiving
rush was on in earnest. and on scattered
poultry farms throughout the state feath-
ers flew in clouds till far into the night.
Next week these feathers will be packed
into huge bags and shipped westward, to
be made into boas and hat ornaments and
busters and pillows and various other ar
ticles that have no apparent connection
with the Thanksgiving dinner. But just
at present they are a seemingly neglected
by-product The important thing is 10
get the turkeys ready for the ultimate
consumer and into the city markets In
time for the sudden expansion OF traue,
which will reach it's climax "Wednesday
And this means fast work. especially IN
mild weather. .Haying time isn't cir
cumstance for furry and excitement 10
turkey time down on the farm.
If it takes nine tai'ors to make a man
* takes at least as many experts to dress
a turkey on the large farms where nun
dreds are being shipped every DAY al tnls
season of the year Here labor Is almost
as specialized as IN the Dig packing
the squirming gobblers pass from the
death cage to the weighing board with
amazing rapidity.
On one of the states Largest turkey
farms the average record Tor the satur,
day before Thanksgiving is dressed
turkey a minute for sixteen consecutive
hours or about 1000 for the day. But to
do this takes a force OF twenty or twenty
five men and boys.
This is the eliminating point in sea-
sons industry which has now become al
most completely interstate In character
and which has made the turkey producer
quite as much business man as
farmer, for the Rhode Island turkey that
graces the table of the fortunate on the
last Thursday of November Is rather
more likely to be a native OF the Ohio
river valley or the Kentucky lowlands
than Of the state from which he halls In
the market reports.
pretty nearly everybody knows that
most of the turkeys that command top
prices on the strength of the reputation
the Rhode Island breed established for
itself before the blackhead disease and
other troubles came In are In reality
western birds. But few realize how great
is the extent of the industry by which
these are converted into 'naturalized"
specimens and given right 10 the name
of their adopted state.
This doesn't include the cold storage
varieties that are raised and killed in the
west to be shipped east in refrigerator
cars and eaten anywhere from month
to a couple of years after the date of
their demise There are plenty OF these,
to be sure. and in view of the corner In
turkeys which was manipulated last win
ter it is predicted that there will be more
than ever of undated offerings in the
markets this season. but these are the
fowls that sail under thoroughly false
pretenses If they claim any connection
whatever with New England soil.
The naturalized specimen. on the other
hand. is leeitimately labeled a Rhode
Island bird. if the place where he was
fattened and dressed and from which he
was shipped is worth counting. Some
dealers make distinction between the
strictly native stock and the bird which
was merely imported few days or weeks
before Thanksgiving to be fattened. 9th
ers. 1t is to be feared. label them Rhode
Island turkeys" without discrimination.
But this, as will have to be admitted. is
not the turkeys fault.
What the turkey does is to emerge
from his egg in the bounding west, or out
in that direction. pick up a precarious
living on the broad acres of the Ohio