The Bismarck tribune., 1924-11-20
LUCK FAV0RS
TURKEYS, WILL
LIVE LONGER
Few North Dakota Turkeys
Will be Sent East For
Thanksgiving. Ii Is Said
SEASON UNFANORABLE
Turkey Shortage Is Recorded
Throughout Northwestern
States. Ii Is Said

While few North Dakota turkeys
will grace the tables of eastern peo-
pie Thank sgiving Day, il is quite
probable that they will provide the
food for lots OF eaSternrrs ut Christ
mas time, according to persons in
this section OF the state familiar
with turkey marketing conditions.
The turkeys in western North Da-
kota are going to have Il little longer
to live than usual, as comparatively
few will be shipped east before
Thanksgiving. The crop in this sec
tion is estimated to be about 20 per
cent Of last year, the cold, late spring
season proving poor weather, for tur-
keys while it was good weather for
grain crops.
There was huge crop of turkeys
in Oklahoma and Kansas, it is said,
and this crop is expected to make up
the shortage existing in Northwest
ern states. Prices now are charac-
terized by buyers as reasonable, and
they think this is !! good sign from
North Dakota standpoint. They
feel that with prices reasonable in
the East, there Will be more turkeys
eaten Thanksgiving, and this "clean
up will cause IL good demand for
North Dakota turkeys when they go
East for the Christmas trade.
There is Il big crop of turkeys in
the extreme western part of North
Dakota and eastern Montana, but
less turkeys than last year east of
the Missouri river, it is said.
Season unfavOrabie
The season has been unfavorable
for all kinds of poultry, one market
expert said today. The vitality of
chickens is declared lower than US
ual, so low that an embargo was plac-
cd on shipment of live birds to the
East.
J. K. Redditt. poultry specialist of
the North Dakota Agricultural col
lege, in statement today:
"The Thanksgiving shortage IN
North Dakota will be taken care Of
by importing turkeys from the South.
The market for Thanksgiving trade
does not open until Il week before
Thanksgiving. so the price on tur-
keys is now very low, about II cents
a pound 1t is expected that the
Thanksgiving prices will be about 40
cents pound. according to Mr.. Red
dit.
North Dakota is progressing as a
turkey producing state, even though
the 1924 crop is but 20 per cent Of
that of the previous year. At present
she ranks as fifth in turkey produc-
ton in the United States Mr.. Red |
dit stated.
The production could be increas-
ed still more if the farmers would
give the most careful attention to
the growing turkeys" he declared.
"CarelessneSs results in the spread
OF the blackhead disease.
Rotation System Good
eve have theory that by using
the rotation system this danger
could be eliminated. This means hav-
ing three turkey yards instead of
one, moving the turkeys each year
'he" q he" !"io, "hu putting Il cIop
OF grain into the discarded one, so
that when its turn comes to function
again as turkey yard it will be
completely cleaned out.
'It has been said that turkeys
were first brought into the state as
control measure for the grasshop-
per pest. Although this is an ex-
aggerated statement, it is true that
turkeys are extremely frond of
grasshopper diet, and gobble down
every one that crosses their paths"
said Mr.. Redditt.