The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-12
Interest Centers on Thanksgiv-
ing Bird as Holiday Nears.
Price Indications Not Definite
in Topeka at Present Time.
1921 PRICE ABOUT LIKE 1920
Bad Weather May Cause Boost
in the Market, However.
Trimmings VIII Offer Problem
to Housewives Budget.


died, that life saver of the Pilgrim
fathers and the source of much &C
tiVity among the members Of the med
ical profession on the last Friday OF
each November-the turkeys again
coming to the front as an object of
interest. He is interesting the man
who grows him, the man who sells
him, the man who denudes him of the
covering nature gave him and the in
terror furnishings installed by the
same agency. the housewife who en-
ters his purchase price in her mousse
hold budget and the man whohopes'
eventually to eat him.
The indications of the 1921 Thanks
giving turkey market are not definite
vet The eastern market will have
good deal to do with supply and
demand and price in Kansas, and the
weather in Kansas will have an even
larger effect.
Same Price As I'm 1920.
Thus far, it would seem that the
supply in the state will be pretty
plentiful. and that the price will be
about the same as the prices last year
from so to so cents per pound for
the birds, dressed and ready for the
rooster.
Farmers are receiving approximate
ly the same price for their turkeys
this year as they were receiving at
the same time last year-about 80
cents a pound. live weight. By the
time the birds is ready for cooking, he
will cost between so and so cents
pound.
Two or three things may happen
to make that price soar between now
and turkey day. The chief test of
these is the weather. If bad weather
hits Kansas, the farmers in the in
terror can't haul their turkeys to mar
Bet, and there will not be enough to
go around. OF course in that event,
the price will go up. On the same
side Of the ledger figures the fact
that whenever there is a cold snap
the consumption of poultry and poul-
try products increases. There seems
to be something about cold weather
which makes the average citizen and
citizeness and all the little citizenettes,
want fowl for dinner.
Eastern Market Strengthening.
Leaving these out of the calcula-
ton ir-would seem that the price
will not alter n great deal between
now and Thanksgiving The price
trend in the eastern markets at the
present time is upward. and that Will
have it's effect in Kansas. Kansas |
produces more of practically every |
food commodity than it imports. and |
turkeys are no exception. There are
more turkeys shipped out of the state |
every year than the Kansans eat.
Kansas seems to have as many tur- |
keys for export this year as normal, |
but it is reported that there is a, short |
n ge of between 90 per cent and so |
per cent in some of the southern |
states which produce more turkeys |
than Kansas does.
There is plenty of corn in Kansas |
this year and it is cheap enough to be
devoted proftably to the fattening of
turkeys-a fact which apparently did
not occur to Secretary Wallace when
lie issued his advice to the farmers to
burn their corn.
Only one thing will initiate against |
the quality of the Kansas Thanksgiv- |
ing turkey this year being of the high |
est quality-the warm and open fall
weather. AS a result of the warm
weather which has held sway this fall, !
some of the turkeys have not yet shed
their pin feathers. and for that reason |
they are harder to pick than the birds
Y hich have had their pin feathers re-
placed by the adult covering. This. |
however, WI not prevent the quality
of the birds from being unusually !
high, and affects only their prepara-
tion and not the meat as it will even
tually appear on the Thanksgiving
dinner table.
VIII Cat Many Turkeys Here.
There will be from 1900 to 1900
turkeys eaten in Topeka on Thanks
giving day according to the estimate
Of Frank Cope. who for twenty years
has been in close touch with the poul- |
try market in Topeka.
1T is little hard to say, but I |
think the demand will not be much |
below that of last year. altho the in
dustrial depression and the unemploy-
ment of the past year will prevent |
some of the workingmen from eating
turkey who ate turkey last year. There
were people in Topeka last year who !
had turkey and who had never tasted
turkey before, and may never taste it /
again" Cope said.
Cope urged the people who plan to
have turkey on the table November
"A to get their orders to their dealers |
early, in order to assure themselves
of having 1t.
"A day or so before Thanksgiving. |
when we think that we have the de- |
mand in Topeka looked after. the
surplus is shipped to Kansas City or
some other market farther east and
then it is hard to get a turkey Cope
said 1T would be much better if the !
dealers could know a few days in !
advance. what to count on"
The supply of ducks and geese |
which will supplement turkeys on the |
Topeka Thanksgiving dinner table is |
adequate, and the price will be about ,
the same as that of 1920, Cope saws. /
Farmers are now receiving about % |
fifteen cents per bound for their |
ducks
The trimmings for the THANKSGIVING |
dinner will be more of a problem than !
inc turkey TINS year commission |
merchants say that cranberries are |
higher than they have ever been be- |
fore. and that there is such A scar
city of them that they will not be re-
duced, nor viii there be enough of |
them to satisfy the demand at anv |
price. They are selling now at SIS |
per barrel of 100 pounds. Cranberries |
never sold in Topeka for more than /
81 per barrel before. And still there !
is a demand for the cranberries which |
cannot be supplied. They will not go |
higher. dealers believe. but there will /
not be enough to go around.
There is a plentiful supply OF ap-
pies on the market. but they are high |
priced, and will remain so. There are |
plenty of oranges at a reasonable |
price.
Grape fruit is one of the exceptions