Evening star., 1923-10-23
CHEAPER TURKEYS
FOR THANKSGIVING
Record Number Raised This
Year-7,377,000 Pounds
Held Over in Storage.
BY j. C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, October 23.-Requests
for "a little more white meat and an
other piece Of the leg" at the Thanks
giving dinner table this year need not
cause undue alarm so far as the tur-
key supply Is concerned. Practical
ly every turkey raising district will
have a good crop this year and some
states will have the largest crops
ever There will be plenty of birds
TO go around for those who can af-
ford to buy them, and indications
point to generally lower prices than
In 1922, according to large dealers.
Splendid Growing Season.
There has been an unusually ia
vorable growing season in many
parts of the country. Many growers
, who had the market break under
them late last season carried over q
goodly portion of their birds for
as, one of the largest producers. Will
have the biggest crop ever known, es-
timated by many experts at double
that of last year. The birds have been
aided materially by the prevalence
of insect pests particularly grass
hoppers
Oklahoma. Kentucky, Minnesota,
Michigan. Oregon and Washington.
and the New England states, will
have fine, large crops. In Missouri.
Alabama and Wisconsin the produc-
tion will be we'll up to normal, while
smaller production is expected In
Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska and Colo
RADIO. The middle and southeastern
Atlantic states will produce more
turkeys than in 1922.
The supply for Thanksgiving is de
pendent largely on the number OF
birds breeders determine TO withhold
for Christmas and New Year but
the weather has been SO propitious
that the birds are well developed, and
it is likely that large numbers Will
be tagged for November shipment.
Lower Prices Expected.
Prices probably will be lower than
last year both at wholesale and re-
tail, according TO Charles r. McNeill
of Chicago, one of the largest whole
, sale poultrymen of the middle west.
Prices at Thanksgiving time last year
ranged from SO to 80 cents wholesale
and from 60 to IS cents retail In n, most
sections This year Mr.. Mcneil and
other poultry dealers forecast 40 cents
wholesale and SO cents retail as the
prevailing figures. These Egures
were confirmed by poultry prognost:
Gators of Thomas F.. Wilson x Co
and other large packers.
Prices, however, are matter OF
weather and transportation. If there
is an unusually long spell OF warm
weather just before Thanksgiving many
birds will arrive at market in bad con
dition and prices for fine birds Will be
higher. If a railroad tie-up should de-
lay shipments. it would affect the mar
ket similarly. On the other hand. large
shipments to any one center would
break the price there.
Huge supply in Storage.
dn addition To the turkeys now ION
the hoof." the season started with
1877, 900 pounds of turkey in cold stor-
age. the largest ever known at this
time of year. comparing with 3.204.000
pounds last year and a flve-year aver
age Of 2.253.000 pounds. Most of these
birds in storage will have TO be sold
will he withdrawn from refrigerators
for the Thanksgiving trade. This means
that fresh turkeys will have more COM
petition than ever. Then too. about 500
packages of dressed birds are now ar
irving weekly from the Argentine and
some birds are being shipped to Pacific
coast ports from Australia.
It is extremely likely that few birds
will be shipped to reach market earlier
than a week before Thanksgiving, as
raisers will utilize all the time possible
20 mature and fatten their birds
Bitter Feud stH Prevails.
The bitter feud between producers and
poultry commission men again is rails
ing it's head, the former charging that
their cars, sent on consignment, have
been held in outlying yards and kept off
the market until after the holiday, so
that prices could be maintained, and
the latter declaring that the producers
are guilty in some cases of 'stufting''
their birds with sand and gravel to in
crease their weight.
(Copyripht 10g3