The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-11-20

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 gobbers, Mr.. Mclhenny 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-
vsions-the old hens and young hens the young
gobblers, and the old gObbers. At mating time,
in March there is n reunion. 1t is then that the
old gohbers strut and gobble 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 90 again
sequester themselves from all but their own
society. SO they live summer, autumn and win
ter. They never fight except when they show
ing Off to the ladies and then their combats are
not mortal The rules of their contests Of
strength permit showing pulling, pecking and
wng-beatng.
They are brave birds, the McIlhennys, all
famous hunters, will testify. Furthermore, they
are wise birds. 1t is the exceptional hunter who
gets sight of them in summer. They are not
afraid, however. Of the farmer who is blowing,
husking reaplng
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 a side
issue to her regular work. 1t is common practice
for the farm wife to keep half a dozen per-
haps dozen turkey hens and a gobbler 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 SO the fattenlng finishing
process Is begun. Little do they know az they are
being fed more and more of the farmers corn
masters better half Ten days or two weeks be-
fore marketing they are literally Toasted on grain
stuffed three or four times day-until just be-
fore the enactment of the tragedy of their young
careers they should be as fat rs butter balls,
Although turkey ranching in Texas and Call
fornia has almosJ reached the proportions of a
new and spectacular industry, by far the greater
number of turkeys raised on the farms of the
middle Wcst-Ohio Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky,
Missouri ana 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 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.
Still 80 to IS fine gohbers and hens weighing
from Is 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 plcntirully ana where turkey hunting is
great sport But Of far more Importance to the
turkey market is the "st hunting" which is
carried on IN the spring in many places TO secure
eggs or possibly the very young birds I'm order to
raise the pure wldhlood turkey and introduce It
into tame Hooks The tame turkey has degener-
ated until 4 Is no longer the yrile bird II was In
the days " our pilgrim fathers but the wild
turkey Is subject 20 no known disease. On some
of the forest reserves the government Is protect.
ing the wild turkey for this important purpose
of using It a breeding stock