Evening star., 1923-11-25

from the farm, for a great many of
the birds had been in cold storage for
several months. some of them much
longer than that, according to Off
cialS.
MO less an authority than Andrew
S. Weiant. for number Of years
scientific assistant in animal hus-
bandry, bureau of animal Industry of
the Department of Agriculture, says:
Turkey raising, as ordinarily en-
gagged in, is a side line upon the gem
era1 farm. Through the middle west.
where most of the turkeys are raised,
it is unusual to see a flock of more
than fifty on farm, although in
Texas, where more are produced than
in any other state, f1ocks of several
hundred are rather common. In sec
tions of the southwest and on the
Pacific coast. a few persons have en-
gagged in turkey raising on large,
scale, producing thousand or more
every year. There are not, however,
turkeys enough raised on the Pacific
coast to supply the local demand and
this is true also of the Atlantic coast
states. The production in New Eng
land, once famous for it's turkeys, is
greatly reduced.
For several reasons, the number
Of turkeys in the United States is de-
creasing. According to the census of
1900, there were on farms in the
United States at that time 6,594,6s5
turkeys. while by 1910 the number
xo nd
1920 to 3,627,028. The principal cause
of the decrease is that as the popula-
tion of the country increases farming
becomes more intensive and every
year the area OF range suitable for
turkey raising is reduced. Many tur-
key raisers have given up the busi-
ness principally because their tur-
keys range through the grain fields
of adjacent farms and thus cause the
i'll will Of the owners.
Furthermore. the high mortality
among them as ordinarily cared for
on the farm and the outbreak of dis
ease, particularly of blackhead, among
the turkeys in certain sections of the
country, together with serious losses
resulting from the presence of preda-
tory animals in other sections, have
tended greatly to discourage the tur-
key industry.
For those who are favorably sit
uated for raising turkeys a more
profitable sideline can hardly be
found. Given plenty of range, tur-
| keys will readily find grasshoppers
and other insects, green vegetables.
the seeds Of weeds and grasses, waste
grain and acorns and nuts of various
| kinds. In this way the cost Of raising
them is very small and the profits are
large. Grain and stock farms are par
ticularly we'll adapted for turkey rais-
| ing. and it is on such places that
I most of the turkeys are found.
PLENTY - range is essential to sue
cess in turkey raising. Little has
! ever been done in the way OF raising
| turkeys in confinement, and when it
has been tried the results have been
| discouraging.
"All domestic varieties Of turkeys
are descended from wild turkeys
| originally found in North America
| from New England to Arizona and
Florida, and still found in the more
unsettled sections of their former
range, particularly in the mountain
Gus parts of Texas. New Mexico and
Arizona. and in the large swamps and
hummocks of the gulf states. 81,
| wild turkeys differ somewhat in
| color. the extreme of which is shown
| by the Mexican wild turkey found
in Arizona, New Mexico, western
| Texas and northern Mexico. and the
common wild turkey found in the
eastern part of the United States.
These two varieties differ in that the
| eastern turkey is Of q brilliant cop
perish bronze, with the tips Of the
| tail coverts and main tail feathers
yellowish- brown, while the Mexican
| turkey is of darker color. the
| bronze being shaded with black and
the tips of the tail coverts and main
| feathers white.
Ak 4
se A MOTHER species Of wild turkey.
found in Central America and
] known as the Honduras turkey, Is