The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-21
MAKES IMPORTANT
CONTRIBUTION TO FEATHER SUPPLY

a .cu,d have imagined that the ex-
W." .,,on OF the whale would make
".r,vlnc turkeys more valuable?
aOsa thing has come to pass. how
~ now that the much-hunted &C.
#'5 n.s all but passed away. the
.vaIlable substitute for its product,
s,;ffenIng of womens stays and
:" +. Tho so-called 'featherhone"-
,, for which turkey quilts furnish
scIally desirable raw material.
o,o II is true. many other uses
t,., the turkey feathers are put
a mrrciaIly. and the quantity OF them
'r,. consumed is in tho aggregate
'pp' I, is estimated that at least
Dnon n the toothsomo birds are
|,,ar,d trSS at Thanksgiving time each
~ and their pumes, ii all of them
"a" sa,ed. would readily he swallowed
,bc demands Of the trades, But
~ "s,,.r of fact, very large fraction
=, ,,s,hlc supply of turkey feathers
nud. rs way to market. being al
~od TO go TO waste
. -. farmers Of the East very COM
~, mick their OVID turkeys for the
|~A,rssrivlng market. and throw away
4. ua,hers-saving those OF the wings
Ia, ,oNs perhaps, for feather busters
90, such purposes. Elsewhere, how
nd particularly in the Middle West,
II, /. h,,6s a, this season Of the year arc
Il u,, nm in great quantities By agents
/ ! ..h,issale dealers who travel about
. s,srics from farm 10 fnrm,' picking
II s.w hero and a few there, and as
Il ..rhsne them for shipment alive from
j. most convenient railroad points
TN feathers OF the turkeys thus pur-
..,s,d though only byproGuct, repre-
Il, an appreciable part OF the value of
i, birds. Eventually the latter, forward
I n large boxes by rail. arrive at the
|s,sorits" OF the wholesale dealers
,,o,,saId. where they are slaughtered.
, /. deemed best. when practicable. to
M, nick them. not only because they
4 Nm longer without Ice when thus. treat
m,t also for the reason that the feath-
l 3 are saved
Turkeys are able to march fifteen miles
|, /, dar and because their transportation
1 walking is cheaper than by rail, they
~ often driven for long distances on
| nsir way 10 market. At this Thanllsgiv-
b. s,ason in many parts of the country
| irnles OF them numbering thousands may
y sen travelling along the public high
.rs They will fetch 30 cents nr more
round when the consumer comes 10 pay
&, them. but the farmer vino raises them
4 glad 10 get cents a pound. Some
tses he Kills them himself, aud sells
ksm ready plucked. in which ease he
-ay be able To. add To his profits by dis
pssng Of the feathers separately.
TIE utilization of turkey feathers On
4 hrge scale commercially. however, has
tols with the system whereby the birds
n, assembled at central points, in or
i ld plucked. Wholesale establishments
u dgased In this business derive much
5tf, irom the sale Of the plumes, which
in roughly sorted and packed in bales.
~ the tall feathers and wing feathers
rs done up neatly In bundles, and
Il llSd In boxes separately FOR shipment
eeveT picker can pull all the feathers
VI Oh u twenty pound gobblcr in eight
mules. earning q cents. To pluck sixty
Sne!s Is good DAYS work,
VII
N I9rhey feathers are classified by the
. .rlssale trade in seven or eight grades.
sllI1os In value all the way from !
nn's pound 10 40 cents a pound. The
~ BODY feathers, rated as common
N 1.g1' fetch cents. and are used
nlsiy for siulllng mattresses and pill
- rlTst-cIass tall feathers: for dust
~ are valued at 30 cents q pound