The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-09-12
TURKEY HISTORY


The turkey as a domesticated fowl
has had but brief history. Indeed
In comparison with the chicken, ii
cannot really be called domesticated
II for this big bird still nests in the
wood roosts in the swaying tree top
roams far aficld to find natural tur.
a key food, and oft, at the call of the
wild turkey cock, it flees to the
woods and the mountains, to ancestri'
al allegiance and life. But the chick.
en- Is a domesticated antique. 1t has
been digging up gardens and making
the neighbors fuss and cuss for over
thirty-five centuries. The chicken is
lacking in wisdom when compared
with the lordly turkey. AS proof of
that fact. have daily seen evidence
OF chickens attempting to cross the
< Lincoln Highway, but up to the hour
Of going to press, have never seen
anything that would even hint at a
/ turkey attempting such foolhardy
trick VI
The SO.called domesticatiOn of the
turkey began less than four centuries
ago, and while the chicken has been
changed from the natural to the arti-
ficial, has been converted from the
little wildysjungle fowl into creation
radically ssdifferent, in, habits, size,
shape, color, variety and productivity
but with the turkey, nature couldn't
Il be reversed; it could not be taken
from the woods and mountains and
changed into a machine to meet COM
mercialt demands, it could not be
raised on the canary cage plan, and
failure of men to note that it is a
fowl in its own class, with a distinc-
fHive constitution that requires special
Good and environment, has put the Uni
Ted States in the turkey graveyard
belt, has knocked the turkey pOpula-
tiOn In single decade from 1884 095
40 1868, los, and where formerly big.
lhesty, red-headed gobblers sassed
9ou from nearly every farmyard, to-
Nv but thirteen per cent of our farms
Ripduce turkeys, and of these, all but
~ at the last census, decreased in
rGhduct.
columbus did not discover the tur-
The archives Of Spain declare
that Pedro Nino found the first tur-
keys, known to Europeans, in north
ern Mexico, and bore them across to
Spain in 1900, as souvenirs of his trip.
This was the Mexican wild turkey,
two other varieties existing, the north.
N ern OF our woods and mountains and
the occellate of Honduras, South
America, the latter never homestead
4 ed and having plumage like the pea
cock Trhe. ancient Qrnit biologist call:
ed the big, bald-headed bird turkey,
which at that time signified foreign,
and had no reference to its origin.
IN 1852, some of these Mexican
birds were taken over to England, and
in the meantime the Cabots had dis
covered the Northern wild turkey.
while exploring the North American
coast, and had borne them across to
England as curiosities of the wonder
full New World, and if have one for
next Thanksgiving dinner, it will be
q curiosity at my home 1t was soon
discovered that the big breasted bird,
as q holiday centerpiece, beat the
stuffed piglet, it was bred on the
big estates, and an Englishman mat
ed Northern gobbler and Mexican
hen, and offsprings from this breed
ing were brought over to America by
settlers and became the foundation OF
our domestic turkey tribe. have not
been able to learn just how long this
strain was bred before it was brought
over. but it is declared that this fowl
liz Identical with the English Black
Norfolk of today.
The Northern wild turkey hen
pranCed down from her own fireside
and mated with this English mixture.
and thence came the Bronze Ameri-
cas-, largest and most popular turkey
for the Presidents Christmas dinner.
From black or bronze, as sport,
came the White Holland. which cross
ed with other Bronze White sports
has made it almost as large and as
strong as the bronze.
Other tribes are the Naragasett,
which is two-thirds Mexican, and one
third Northern blood, the slate. half
black and half white Holland, the buff
sport from black or bronze, which is
supposed to be the same as the Eng
lieh Black Norfolk, the first domestic
strain.
Thus from two species of wild tur-
keys. have come seven distinct varl-
cites in color and size, especially.
much different from their wild ances-
try;
Ii Craze for color markings has been
detrimental, but craze for unnatural
size has made many birds flabby-
weak breeders-and is one reason for
high mortality among poults.
CURTAIN FRONT POULTRY HOUSE
We are fully convinced that there
Is no more healthful arrangement Tor
sectional fronts Of the farm poultry
house in northern climates than the
muslin curtain front.
After using these fronts upon our
poultry house for six years, we are
sure that we could not have attached
any greater improvement to our house
for winter keeping of our fowls than
the muslin front. In early autumn,
as rough winds and frost appear. the
hens need slight protection and while
Tia muslin front admits sufficient
hight, I'll well affords the needed pro-
lection for the fowls. Then. as winter
days approach, we can let these
fronts down at night and rough stormy
Asays. and the fowls have most COM
Portable, light, airy but not breezy,
quarters in which to scratch for their