The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-11
BY MRS. J. b. REID

I an and child, white or black. so either a
sracious society woman as the occasion
demands. With the curtains of her ma
on either side and is ready to jump out
any minute with the greeting have you
any turkeys for SALE if not turkeys what
have you?" 1t appears to the casual OBJ
server that she only has some money to
| spend, when really she is getting ready
to make some more. The half day was
! full of events; we found turkeys growing
| plentifully and great big gobblers were to
| be had at a reasonable cost-five We're
placed in our care while the rchasing
| agent scampered here and there to see
| what else she could find, and before many
miles we came to where a farmer was
having a hog killing time" our store
was increased with sausage, backbone and
| sack of corn to feed the chickens. After
we had gathered in the supplies there was
| q little more freedom given our curiosity
| and we wanted to know why the demand
| for such quantities, ,toh, for my sand
| wiches, was the prompt reply; my sand
| wish business brings me in an average
net of 800 a month, and with only about
one hour and a half's work each morn
| ing
J The country turkeys are fat and fresh
and it consumes very little labor to make
| them ready and my turkey sandwiches
are on sale at several downtown places
! I could not do as we'll with any other
| business venture" This side was a lesson
| within itself. We saw part Of Mont
gomery county rich in small faims and
stacks of cotton bales spoke of profit
! able farming. Many oats fields We're bud
| ding in green, and farm hands were pldw-
ing, making the ground Yeady for planting
in spring. We saw nothing, though, that
afforded as much interest as this plucty
| young woman who had developed from a
| society belle to one of the most interest
| ing young mothers in the city. She said
| her husband hated for her to undertake
| so much, and she gave him the choice to
spend her energies at home or in the
world of society, and he had allowed her
to choose. And. OH she said, II forgot
to tell I save the feathers for a friend
and she makes lovely turkey tail. fans,
which she readily sells And she was
delighted that one of her gobblers was
pure white because that fan would brinc
a good price, s
The second adventure was to the fai-
grounds-just four miles out from the
city. There by chance Montgomery has
"a ZOO ,f
The management. under Mr.. George l..
Barnes, as secretary, has leased the priv
ilege for winter quarters to section
of two circus companies. In the stool.
buildings the animals have their retreat,
and it is amazing how precious these
animals are Their comfort is guarded
as closely as infants Where II elephants
are housed they have taken the precau-
ton to put in cement floors, in order that
their apartments may be perfectly sani.
tary. When we saw these specimens Of
nature with such robust stature, we
asked the cost of feeding alone and were
told by the keeper it required 81 per day
as an average. There are lions and baby
lions. tigers, bears and leopards. besides
numbers of show horses who have their
daily rehearsals For this purpose the
company has extended a building and
has a ring for practice. These grounds
seem year-round rendezvous We OBJ
served a garden field with fall vegetables
and learned the government had installed
system of irrigation on the grounds,
and this fall some local company will
have the privilege of demonstrating the
virtues of their Seed, the need of soil
culture and proper dampness, and know
the possibilities of routine vegetable gar
dens in this climate, of itself a valuable
lesson in relieving the cost, of living.
Mr.. Barnes, with his family. live on
the grounds, and has converted the o.
fees into an ideal home, with sleeping
apartments in the open buildings.
Montgomery affords great interest to
strangers within her gates, and has the
air of hospitality that seems almost COLI