The sun., 1919-05-25

travene both. They SO grew and throve
in a month they had left their hen
mother and were flying up to roost on
the fence as bold as you please. For
fortnight the hen flew up after them
and did her best to hover them, then
saucily they went on up into the
cherry tree, so there was nothing for
1t but to leave them to their own wills
full way. But the last Of September
they were as big and lusty as turkeys
Matched two months earlier. 1t was a
great year for grasshoppers; the
turkeys used to roam in the wheat
stubble full Of grasshoppers. also eat
ing young clover buds as well as scat
tered grain.
An owl killed one Of them the mid
die of october, leaving me with a pair.
hen and gobbler, the same in blood.
They somehow escaped the owl and,
by roosting very high, other despoiling
bipeds. They also kept on thriving
and developing until they were a rea-
sonable excuse for triumphings and
vainglory on my part. They got no
special favoring either. Every man
ner OF fowl had a full feed of >shelled
corn before going to roost; the rest Of
the living was picked up in the fields,
especially the young wheat fields and
the stubble, not to mention the near
fallows, where in fiocks they followed
the plough.
My hen laid in March a clutch Of
fifteen eggs. I was advised to set
them under chicken hens and let her
lay again, but chose another way.
Boards, pointed at the end, were driven
about a space of dry. clean. well
summed earth in fence corner, a
turning about on the nest. No nest
was followed out; instead fresh, dry
leaves were put in and the eggs nestled
well within them. This was done after
shutdown. At dark the turkey hen,
sitting upon her chosen nest, was
caught. carried to the new nest and
set delicately upon the eggs. With a
gentle purring sound she began cud-
ding them under her bill. moving
around as she did it, until the nest
was to her liking. In ten minutes she
was brooding them with her head
sunk contentedly between her shoul-
ders. Indeed, she never showed a
sign OF discomfort. The nest was kept
closed at night as a protection against
varmits or marauding dogs. By day
light 1t was open. yet she left her eggs
only about every three days. In
spection at such times showed the
eggs resting directly on the ground,
held in place by a banking of half
crumbled leaves.
Four weeks later she brought off
fourteen fine young turkeys, as like
each other as peas. funny fluffy balls
of mottled gray. with red feet and
the brightest sort of eyes. There was
a dead turkey almost full grown in the
other egg, The Matching had been
surprisingly uniform. two pipped eggs
overnight, and a nestful of peart
youngsters by 8 o'clock next morning.
Whatever the authorities may say
about no food for the first twenty
four hours, these youngsters were
ready to eat and showed it by peck
ing and picking at things by the way
as they tumbled along after their
mother. Their first feed may appear
barbarous: 1t was a whole grain OF
black pepper, put in the beak, and
gulped down readily by each small
throat After it the whole family
went into a triangular open pen made
of boards foot wide and ten feet
long, set on edge upon clean, sunny
grass.
The pen was shifted to new ground
every three days, the young turkeys
being fed, meanwhile, with greasy
corn bread, crumbled and mixed with
buttermilk, and young onino tops cut
very fine. They had also fresh water.
and twice a day a pan of curds-a
clabber with the whey drained from
it. The hen ate with them, and got
feeds of corn outside the pen. At
first she was content to stay in il
most Of the time, but after a bit
she walked round and round it,
grooming and calling to her children
to come out witt. her. When they
were ten days old they began coming
outlying over the boards, or on
them, and toppling down the other
side. So they were shifted to the
orchard. which gave them a run upon
a field of wheat just fairly heading.
How they ran and ranged and rioted
in it! 1t sheltered them from hawks
and gave them such store of insects
they were laggard in coming to the
call. The one trouble was 1 had to
put them up so early. If I waited
later than o'clock there would be
no finding them in the tall grain. as
the hen would have them snugly how
cred. Foxes hunting by scent would
find them easily, SO penning them was
imperative.
The pen, built of rails laid four
square and covered with weighted
boards, was shifted to a new clean
spot twice a week.
Turkeys have somehow a most Of
fensivc effluvium. That is what makes
range so essential to success in rails
ing them. If a rainy day made II
necessary to keep them penned the
coop was shifted as soon as they were
out or 1t. 1t was set on level ground.
but where water would not stand;
turkeys arc so easily drowned within
the first six weeks. The flock was fed
three times n DAY with ash cake highly
seasoned with red pepper and crum-
bled tne, then moistened with butter
mix. Let me say right here that this
pepper bread, OF cornmeal, red pepper
and water whether baked in ashes or
not, Is the VerS best thing TO feed
young fowls. II may oe simply crum-
bled. but is better with the buttermilLl
lfntNns laft