El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-25


M an odd turn Of events, the tur-
\ keys are themselves entitled to
Thanksgiving this year. They have
been newly placed on the list Of game
birds by the legislature Of Massachu-
sets, and in future viii not be allowed
to be shot at any season in that state
This seems the more remarkable be
cause the fowls thus protected by Ia"
are wild turkeys, and there are none
such in any part OF New England AZ
me present time. But explanation OF
the matter lies in the 1act tnat tILe5
are now being introduced IN cohsluS51t
4 able numbers into Massachusetts, win
a view to breeding them uhder cOliu1-
tfOns of semi-dOmeS t1cauOn-
California Experiments.
The same sort Of experiment IS De
ing made in California ana also IN -"
York state, where the Game breee1eLs
association tan influential and wealthy
OrganfZation of public spirited men,
is already raising wild turkeys ~ q
considerable scale on us DIssILL5
farms, some hundreds OF the DLius Ia
ing been trapped in Virginia ana lne
CarOlinas for the purpose w men a. =
exDected the New York legislature
grants them the requisite pLOteCt1J-l
against pot hunters, they VIII Oe a.
lowed to shift for themselves, the pros
meet being that they viii again pc
come, as OF yOre, the denlzens u sucA
woodlands as may afford them the Sc
clustOn they demand -
II was declared recently by the gov
eminent biological survey that tne CnLg
possible salvation Of the via IuIASy
Law in its partial domestlca lIou- -, -
early colonial days Dlros q lAls $500 $500
were very numerous in MassachusetLs'
and so tame that flOcks Of them were
frequently seen in the neighOorhooo o.
settlers houses They nave DeeA -,
tinct in New England Ior more 80 -
IN other parts OF
the country they have become SO VIZ
as TO be hard to shoot But TINS =
merely a consequence OF the Le1S-- 1850
warfare Waged upon them Dy LuLi5-S
man. They are not by nature peI - =,
larIv shy, and. in the opinion OL IALS
experts. it would not be dlILlcult ~
propagate them under cOn0llloAs -
semi demonstration - protecting t-el5-s
4baf is 10 saw. and helping out their
FOOD supply TO whatever extent 'LllELt
he necessary, while interfering Win
their liberty as little as possible
wild Turkeys Once Numerous
T. i rot aasv TO realize that a cen
turv ago wild turkeys were 50 douL-
dant over q wide range OF IerIlloLSs
from Maine to LOUISIANA lAat ~
could buv them for cents apiece,
Vs-T Ifree ones. weighing % or 80
mounds. were worth % cents 1ooay q
big wild turkey costs 50 Rutnless PDt-
bunting has been mainly Responsible
for tbe destruction Of the species BIT
+bav sim Iinger in Virginia, and N
other parts Of their former range anu
II protected. they would doubtless Inu!-
tfDlv rapidly to the satisfaction OF al
bird lovers and the JOY OF inc sPO- -
man and the epicure.
There is no question that other asso-
cistiOns of spcrtsmen in various parts
of the country viii take up lLl-S new
and picturesque enterprise OF ralslL5
1--fI5 +urkevs and that other states Wiz
follow the example Of Massacnusells III
passing laws TO protect them 70 Sc
cure breeding stock is matter OF No
serious difficulty. The birds are cduSul
-r-itboT1t in hiring them in a kind OF trap
built of ordinary fence rails ana ABOUT
10 feet square Beneath the lower
most rail on one side, the ground i
followed sufficiently to admit luLAeS'
and corn is sprinkled in the hollow
with a trail Of the same allrdcltte
cereal leading from the Oulslue - -
inside. Picking up the corn, the plLuss
with lowered heads, find their way III ~
fba men but when they have eaten al
the grain, they raise their neAos' 1lu
never think OF looking low down Tor
place of exit
II is a mean sort Of advantage 70
take Of the finite Intelligence OF g NO
bIe bird But by this means TOT q
dozen years, wild gobbleEs 20 Ihe NUM-
her of a score or more nave oeen an
nina Nv obtained for that most rernar K
able of all existing turkey farms when
is located on Fishers 1sland-a patSH
of terra Ilrma ColupLASlAA5 e--et-l
acres. located off the western UP OF
the state of Rhode Island Tney are
used to contribute fresh and vigorous
blood to the flOcks Of turkeys there
roaintaiued under semi-domesticaIed
The Fishers island ENTERPRISE may
fairly be called the most remarkable,
as well as the most successful zoOIOg1-
cal experiment of its kind ever made 1t
began with the introduction Of few
scores of ordinary tame turkeys, which
were allowed to shift for themselves,
with no shelter provided for them-that
is to say. nothing of any kind done for
them. except that plenty OF food was
scattered about in such a way that they
had to grub" for it. AS a result many
of them died during the first winter
and more in the second winter but the
survivors became the prOgenitOrs OF a
hardy stock, cold proof and disease
proof.
There are now several thousand tur-
KEYS on Fishers island They are prob
ably the finest birds OF their species in
the world their meat being Of a quality
so superior as to command 10 cents q
pound more in the market at Thanks
giving time than that Of the common
gantic size, many OF them, when fresh
pounds
DOmestieatiOn OF Birds.
It is an object lesson in the effect OF
semi-dOmestiCatiOn upon the turkey.
The birds on Fishers island are to all
intents and purposes wild. Doubtless
-