The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-10

The true test of expert turkey rals- ing is to be able to market a large percentage of the annual crop in the pink of market finish at a time when the demand is keen and the price cor respondingly attractive.
 In fattening turkeys for the market an excellent plan is to begin early in October to feed night and morning, not feeding enough a a time but that the birds go away still feeling a little hungry, and gradually increasing the quantity until they are given all they will clean up three times day during the week before marketing. By the latter feeding is meant that they are fed until they leave the feed and walk away. Some turkey raisers feed oats during the first part of the fattening seascn, gradually changing to corn as the weather becomes cooler. Previous to the war, wheat was used in the same manner as oats. The majority, however, begin feeding heavily on corn about November 1. and since tur- keys are not accustomed to such heavy feeding, SCOUTS often result especially if new corn is used. New corn can be fed safely if the turkeys are gradually accustomed to it by feeding lightly at first and more heavily afterward.
 Confining turkeys during the fatten- ing season to prevent their using so much energy in ranging has been tried to some extent, but with very little success. Those confined to a pen eat heartily for two or three days, but after this they lose their appetite and begin to lose flesh rapidly. On allow ing them free range again, they pick up rapidly and are soon eating as heartily as ever The better method is to allow them free range, as it keeps them in good, healthy condi- ion opI fed.
 NUTS FROM THE RANGE
 Nuts of various kinds are a natural fattening feed picked up by the tur- keys on the range. Of these beech nuts, chestnuts, oceans and acorns are the most commonly found by them. Many turkey growers in Texas depend solely upon acorns for fattening their turkeys, and when these nuts are plentiful the birds are marketed in fairly good condition.
 The marketing season for turkeys is very short, running from the middle of November to the latter part of De- cember Most turkey raisers sell their birds alive to poultry dealers, who either dress them or ship them alive to city dealers. Farmers near the city markets, and particularly those in the middle Atlantic and New England ''taICS, oIltu ulcSS lHe luTheyS dIJ either sell them direct to the con- sumer or to city dealers. In some sec tions shortly before Thanksgiving there is held what is known as turkey day. On the day before this event every turkey grower in the neighbor- hood kills and dresses his turkeys and the following morning brings them into town, where they are bid on and purchased by whatever buyers choose to be there, the birds going to the highest bidder.
 In sections in which turkeys are grown in large numbers, as in Texas, dressing plants have been built by poultry dealers, who buy the birds alive and dress them for the various city markets. In such cases practically all the turkey raisers sell to these dealers. who often send buyers out into the country to gather up a drove of several hundred birds by stopping at each farm as they pass, weighing whatever turkeys the farmer may have l to sell, and adding them to those al- l ready collected Six or eight men can | drive flock of 1000 turkeys 10 or 2 |! miles day. AS soon as possible after |