434 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



light, pinkish white shanks add to their appearance, and with them, as with 

 all white poultry, the pin feathers show less than in darker varieties. The 

 very largest turkeys are not the most profitable either to grow or to sell. 

 The medium sizes — from nine to eighteen pounds dressed— are most desira- 

 ble for family use. 



THE BLACK TURKEY. 



Description .—'\^h\s variety was for a time almost forgotten and quite 

 neglected, but of late more attention has been given it, greatly to its advan- 

 tage and improvement along the lines of valuable market qualities. The 

 Black turkey of today is almost as large as the Bronze and fully its equal in 

 many ways. This is due to crosses made with Bronze turkeys, and to proper 

 selection thereafter. This variety is much the same as the English Norfolk 

 turkey. No turkeys are more desirable for table purposes. When dressed 

 they present the yellow color of skin and meat and the plumpness and finish 

 that are desirable. The Blacks round up nicely at an early age, are quite 

 hardy, and mature in time for the early markets. They dress to the most 

 salable sizes, and by Christmas the young stock, if properly cared for, will 

 attain the live weight of from fourteen to twenty pounds. 



Characteristics . — The Black turkeys, like the White, are more contented 

 about home than most of the others, and while this is very desirable in some 

 localities, it has its disadvantages in others where the large expanse of 

 country furnishes suitable feeding grounds for the turkeys to forage over. 

 The young are quite hardy when produced by strong, healthy nonrelated 

 parents. When it is desirable to grow turkeys of the smaller sizes, and 

 upon a rather confined area, one can not do better than select the Black 

 variety . 



SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF BREEDING STOCK. 



There are some rules that must be followed in the selection of turkeys for 

 breeding, if it is hoped to succeed. Careless neglect has given no end of 

 trouble to turkey raisers. In some instances which the writer has investi- 

 gated, all the turkeys owned in onej.locality have descended from the one 

 original pair purchased many years before. In one case it was said that for 

 twenty years no new blood had come into the neighborhood. If this foolish 

 procedure had been continued it would have resulted in the destruction of 

 the constitutional vigor of the turkeys. 



RULES FOR SELECTING STOCK. 



A few plain rules which may be observed to advantage are as follows: 

 First. — Always use as breeders turkey hens over one year old. Be sure 

 they are strong, healthy, and vigorous, and of good medium size. In no 

 instance select the smaller one. Do not strive to have them unnaturally 

 large . 



Second. — The male may be a yearling or over. Do not imagine that the 

 large overgrown males are the best. Strength, health, and vigor, with well- 

 proportioned medium size are the main points oE excellence. 



