Jerome County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1919-1920, 1919-11-20

The mother turkey of the woods keeps her |
children under control and nj her side until mid
winter. BY that time the brood is full grown. !
The young gobblers. Mr.. McIhenny says. then
leave their mothers and sisters and form bachelor
clubs among themselves
Turkey society in the forests, from December
until early in the spring, is made up of three di-
visions-the old hens and young hens the young
gohhers. and the old gobblers. At mating time.
In March. there is reunion. 1t is then that the
old gobblers strut and gobbe and call to their
plural wives well the hunters.
At the moment the hens begin to set. the old
gobhlerS. in couples and groups up to 20, again
sequester themselves from all but their own
society. SO they live summer. autumn and win
Ter. They fight except when they show
ing of to the ladies and then their combats are
not mortal. The rules of their contests of
strength permit showing pulling. pecking and
Wingbenting
They are brave birds. as the McIlhennys. al
famous hunters will testify. Furthermore. they
are wise birds. 1t is the exceptional hunter who
gets sight of them in summer. They not
afraid however. of the farmer who is blowing.
husking reaping.
Notwithstanding the spectacular enterprise OF
turkey rnnching In Texas and California
grand scale, the old farm must still be relied
upon for most Of our Thanksgiving and Christmas
turkeys says James Hamilton Byrd in Grit. On
thousands upon thousands of farms, side
issue to her regular work. IT is common practice
for the farm wife to keep half dozen per-
haps n dozen turkey hens and gobbler from
which to raise a flock of 40 80 turkeys.
Early in the spring the turkey hens begin lay
ing Then comes the brOoding season. BY Octo-
her / the young turkeys have grown to he big.
rnngv birds so now the fattenng finishing
prncesS is begun. Little do they know they are
bcinr fed more and of the farmers corn
every night of the dabolcal intentions of their
masters better half. Ten days two weeks be-
fore marketing they literally Toasted on grain
stuffed three four times Il day-untl just he
fore the enactment of the tragedy Of their young
cnrecrs they should be fat butter balls.
Although turkey ranching in Texas and Call
fornia has almost reached the proportions of n
new and spectacular industry. by far the greater
number of turkeys are raised the farms of the
middle West-Ohio. Indiana. Illinois. Kentucky
Missouri and Iowa. New England. long famous
r,r IFS turkeys. raises comparatively few. al
though its reputation still fingers. Some of til,
mic, urkey ranches have Il thousand or more tur
k,vs and some of the turkey drives to market
mr., most extraordinary sights. The hockS Of tn,
,,iddl, West nre usually less than hundred
SIN 20 to ~ fine gohl,lcrs and hens weighins
fro,n IL to - pounds each is not mean sigh
md represents indeed small value
There are still millions of acres in Texas. Okla
,,,, and New Mexico where the wild TURKEY
breeds plentifully and where turkey hunting Is
oot snort But of far more Importance to tn,
turkey market is the "still hunting which Il
,nrrird on IN the spring in many places to secur
avs or possibly the very young birds in order Il
rnise the pure wid-blood turkey and introduce
into tame nocks The turkey has degener
,t,d until IL is longer the Virile bird II il
thc days of pilgrim fathers, hut the will
turkey is subject to known disease. on som
of the forest reserves the government is protect
ing the wild turkey for this important purpoS
of using 1t ms n breeding stock.