The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-12-31
Turkey Premier Cash Crop
.OfNOrfhern Oklahoma Farm

farms throughout tho entire state,
| turkey raising Ia not followed at all,
At Thanksgiving and Christmas
times the markets here and else
where throughout this section OF the
country, find II difficult to supply
tho number OF turkeys needed. They
make long drives into other COM
munitles, making every effort to find
the birds IN sufficient numbers, and
always the market falls short The
result II that the national bird has
gone up So In price that the dish is
llmoSt prohibitiYe on the tables OF a
| majority OF the people, It Ia esti-
mated that in the four counties that
center In this locality. the total num-
ber or turkeys grown the past year
VIII not number over five thousand.
At the beginning OF 1920 there
were 153,5S9 turkeys on the farms I'm
oklahoma, and tho estimate Is that
| there has been no material increase.
Al that same time there were 1900
turkeys IN this (Kay) county, which
stands near the head, however in n
general poultry way. In 1920 the
etate board OF agriculture estimated
that the total value of all Oklahoma
/ poultry, including turkeys. was a
! S5O,OO0,OO0 Industry, which, two
years later, had grown 10 n $4,000
. *.
however, It is declared that but a
small per cent OF this increase is In
/ turkeys
! Throughout the entire United
/ States, according 10 the official re-
iports OF the United States census de-
/ partment, there was a considerable
/ decrease IN the number of turkeys
on tho farms of the country during
[ the lO-year period that existed be-
/ txNA AL
/ ures for 1910 were 3,6SS,70S turkeys
and for 1920 they were 3,627.02s, or
q decrease OF over sixty million. In
dollars and cents, tho decreased
number IN 1920 was twice the value
/ OF the greater number In 1910. The
value IN the latter year was S6.6O5. -
SIS while In 1920 the value OF the
lesser number was Sl2 9049S9, or an
| increased value OF $6,299,ITl. In
other words, the value OF turkeys In
creased from $3.50 a head In 1910 TO
over $3.50 a head IN 1890. II Is now
I estimated by dealers that tho aver
age today would be near IS q head.
Turkeys Bought Fine Cows.
That Is pays to raise turkeys is
/ demonstrated also by AIra Frank
Frye OF the Mound Valley nelghbor~
/ hood uf Usage county. From the
money she received from the sale Of
market and during the last l2
pure bred ShOrthorn cows. and from
these exhibited, two premium taking
calves az the Usage county fair this
J fam Her success with turkeys was
such that last spring she purchased
/ rive hen turkeys at $50 each and
bought tom that was a Missouri
prize winner. Two OF the hens took
prizes at a fancy poultry show in
kansas City.
In addition 90 her turkey farm.
Mrs Frye is interested also IN pure
. bred chickens and In this connection
she stated recently; "Our grocery
bills do not bother US, for we make
the hens pay them"
Mrs. r, +. Richardson, who lives
on q farm near Duke. iu jackson
county began growing turkeys two
years ago, from a flock OF six birds.
Last fail she sold S542 worth be-
tween Thanksgiving and Christmas
and kept eleven birds with which TO
raise another flock this eason
Was Long Home OF Wild Turkeys.
Old oklahoma and Indian terrftor-
les were long the home OF the wild
turkey following the settling up OF
the surrounding states and it Is said
boy old hunters, that the Usage Coun
Try was the most prolific turkey see
tion that the southwest has ever
J known. They were In droyes that
numbered hundreds. They were
50 plentiful throughout the entire
/, territory that frequently they com
posed all the meat that the army
posts had for weeks at TINA