The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-12-27

The mother turkey of the woods keeps her
children under control and at her side Until mid
winter. BY that time the brood is full grown.
The young gobblers Mr.. McIlhenny 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 d.
vlsons-the old hens and young hens; the young
gobblers, apd the old gobblers. At mating time,
IN March, there is reunion 1t is then that the
old gobblers Zstrut and gobbe and call to their
plural wives as well as to the hunters.
AT the moment the hens begin to set the old
gobblers 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 never fight except when they are show
ing off to the ladies and then their combats are
not mortal. The rules of their contests of
strength permit showing pulling, pec1ing and
wing beating.
They are brave birds, as the McIlhennys all
famous hunters, will testify. Furthermore, they
wise birds. 1t is the exceptional hunter who
gets a sight of them in summer They are not
afraid, however, of the farmer who is blowing,
husking reapng.
Notwithstanding the spectacular enterprise of
turkey ranching in Texas and California on a
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. as side
issue to her regular work. it is common practice
for the farm wife to keep half a dozen or per-
haps dozen turkey hens and a gobbIer from
which to raise a flock Of 40 to 80 turkeys.
Early in the spring the turkey hens begin lay
ing Then comes the broodng season. BY OctO-
Der ! the young turkeys have grown to be big
rangy birds the fattening or finishing
process is begun. Little do they know as they are
being fed more and more of the farmers corn
every night of the dabolical intentions of their
masters better half. Ten days or, two weeks be-
fore marketing they literally Toasted on grain
stuffed three or four times u day-until just be-
fore the enactment of the tragedy of their young
careers they should be fat butter balls
Although turkey ranchng in Texas and Cali
fornia has almost reached the proportions of a
and spectacular industry, by far the greater
number of turkeys are raised on the farms of the
middle West-Ohio, Indiana Illinois. Kentucky !
Missouri and Iowa. New England long famous
for its turkeys raises comparatively few. al
though its reputation still fingers. Some of the |
big turkey ranches have thousand more tnr- |
keys. and some of the turkey drives to market |
are most extraordinary sights The focks of the |
middle West usually less than hendred |
Still so to rs fine gobbers and hens weighing |
from Is to % pounds each is not a mean sight 7
and represents indeed no small value.
There are still millions of acres In Texas Okla
homa and New Mexico where the wild turkey |
breeds pentifully and where turkey hunting IN y
great sport. But of far more Importance to theH
turkey market is the "stflI hunting" which is |
carried on in the spring in many places to secure |
eggs possibly the very young birds in order to
raise the pure wild-bood turkey and introduce 1t
into tAme 'hocks. The tame turkey has degener.
ated until it is longer the vire bird it was In
the days Of our pilgrim fathers. but the wild
turkey is subject to no known disease. On some
Of the forest reserves the government is protect
Ing the wild turkey for this important purpose
II using It az a breeding stock. il