Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1919-11-21

The mother turkey of the woods keeps her
children under control and ut 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 di-
ySionS--the old hens aud young hens; the young
g0bberS, and the old gObbers. AT mating time.
In March there is reunion II is then that the
old gobhlers strut and gohbe and call 10 their
plural wives as well as to the hunters.
AT the moment the hens begin to set the old
gobbers, 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, peckng and
wingbeating
They are brave birds. the McIlhennys. all
famous hunters, will testify Furthermore. they
are wise birds. II is the exceptional hunter who
gets II sight OF them In summer. They are not
afraid however. of the farmer who is blowing
huSkng corn or reaping
Notwithstanding the spectacular enterprise Of
turkey ranching in Texas and California on Il
grand scale. the old farm must still be relied
upon for most OF our Thanksgiving and Christmas
turkeys, snys James Hamilton Byrd In Grit. On
thousands upon thousands of farms, as a side
issue to her regular work, II is common practice
for the farm wife to keep half dozen or per-
haps dozen turkey hens ana gobbler from
which to raise a flock of 40 to 30 turkeys
Early in the spring the turkey hens begin lay
Ing Then comes the hrOoding season. BY OctO-
Der the young turkeys have grown to be big,
A.. ga, al.
process is begun. Little do they know as they are
being fed more and more of the farmers corn
every night of the dlabolica intentions of their
masters better hulf Ten days or two weeks be-
fore marketing they literally Toasted on grain
stuffed three or four times day-nntil just be-
fore the enactment of the tragedy of their young
careers they should be MS fat as butter balls.
Although turkey ranchlng in Texas and Cali
fornIa has almost reached the proportions of a
new 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 It's reputation still fingers Some of the
big turkey ranches have thousand or more tur-
KEYS and some Of the turkey drives to market
are most extraordinary sights The focks of the
middle West are usually less than hundred
sim 80 to ~ fine gobhers and hens weighing
from II to % pounds each is not mean sight
and represents indeed no small value.
There are still millions of acres in Texas Okla-
homa and New Mexico where the wild turkey
breeds plcntifully, and whore turkey hunting is
great sport. But Of far more Importance To the
turkey market Is the "still hunting" which is
carried on in the spring in many places to secure
eggs or possibly the very young birds in order to
raise the pure wdhlood turkey and introduce 1t
into tame hocks The tame turkey has degener-
aed until II is no longer the virlle bird 1t was in
the days of 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
of using It ms a breeding stock