430 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE STANDARD VARIETIES OF DOMESTIC TURKEYS. 



The Spaniards have the credit of taking the turkey from Mexico to 

 Europe. Mr. Dixon says that they first reached England in 1525. From 

 the Mexican variety the turkeys of England were bred, and what is known 

 in England as the Norfolk variety we call the Black turkey. Quite likely 

 this variety came from England to us, and was used as the foundation for 

 the cross with our wild turkeys to establish or create the Bronze turkey. 

 Audubon says that to his own knowledge the wild turkeys would come from 

 their haunts and feed and breed with the domestic or tame turkeys, and the 

 half-bred birds were finer in size and hardier in constitution than the domes- 

 tic stock. To this day we strengthen the blood line of our Bronze turkey by 

 making a cross with the wild turkey. The influence of the light markings 

 of the Mexican turkey is shown in the plumage of some of our domestic 

 varieties. 



Six standard varieties . — Six standard varieties of turkeys are more or less 

 grown in this country, viz: Bronze, Narragansett, Buff, Slate, White, and 

 Black. The main differences are in size and color of plumage. The Bronze 

 and the Narragansett are the largest, the Buff and Slate are the medium, 

 and the Black and White the smallest. Of late so much improvement in size 

 has been made in the Whites that they have moved up to contend for third 

 position, some of them having passed the thirty pound mark. The same 

 statement may soon be made of the Blacks, as they have greatly improved 

 during the last few years. 



In addition to the foregoing there is a nonstandard variety known as the 

 Bourbon Reds. They might well claim the position now held by the Buff 

 turkeys, being quite like them and more largely grown for market than are 

 the Buffs. There is scarcely enough preference shown in the open market 

 for any one of these varieties for table us© to cause it to be favored in pro- 

 duction of turkeys for market. There is, however, a strong preference at 

 all times for the best grown and best finished specimens of all varieties. In 

 Rhode Island, where the highest quality is produced, there does not seem to 

 be much preference for any particular variety. 



Origin of varieties. — Our domestic turkeys have all been bred from the 

 wild turkey of the United States and Canada and the wild turkey of Mexico. 

 Climatic conditions have prevented the Honduras, orOcellated, turkey from 

 playing any considerable part in bringing the domestic turkey to its present 

 state of development. The wild turkey of North America has for the most 

 part been used as the foundation from which size and vigor in our domestic 

 stock have been gained. The lighter shades of color found in the Mexican 

 turkey may have lent their aid in the markings of the Narragansett. As to 

 the origin of the White variety, nothing that may be classed as authentic is 

 recorded. The Blacks may have come from either of the wild varieties as 

 sports, and the same may be said of the Whites. We know that white indi- 

 viduals have come as sports from both the Bronze and the Narragansett va- 

 rieties. Such sports do not have the pink shank that is demanded in 

 true-bred Hollands, but, when crossed with them , may be brought within 

 color demands through selection. 



