106 TURKEYS. [No. 



may have meal and grain, but still they always love 

 the curds. 



173. When they get their head feathers they are 

 hardy enough; and what they then want is room to 

 prowl about. It is best to breed them under a com- 

 mon hen ; because she does not ramble like a hen- 

 turkey ; and it is a very curious thing that the turkeys 

 bred up by a hen of the common fowl, do not them- 

 selves ramble much when they get old ; and for this 

 reason, when they buy turkeys for stock, in America, 

 (where there are such large woods, and where the 

 distant rambling of turkeys is inconvenient.) they 

 always buy such as have been bred under the hens of 

 the common fowl ; than which a more complete proof 

 of the great powers of habit is, perhaps, not to be 

 found. And ought not this to be a lesson to fathers 

 and mothers of families ? Ought not they to consider 

 that the habits which they give their children are to 

 stick by those children during their whole lives ? 



174. The hen should be fed exceedingly well, too, 

 while she is sitting" and offer she has hatched ; for 

 though she does not give milk, she gives heat ; and, 

 let it be observed, that as no man ever yet saw healthy 

 pigs with a poor sow, so no man ever saw- healthy 

 chickens with a poor hen. This is a matter much 

 too little thought of in the rearing of poultry ; but it 

 is a matter of the greatest consequence. Never let a 

 poor hen sit; feed the hen well while she is sitting, 

 and feed her most abundantly when she has young 

 ones ; for then her labour is very great ; she is ma- 

 king exertions of some sort or other during the whole 

 twenty-four hours ; she has no rest ; is constantly 

 doing something or other to provide food or safety 

 for her young ones. * 



175. As to fatting turkeys, the best way is, never 

 to let them be poor. Cramming is a nasty thing, 

 and quite unnecessary. Barley-meal, mixed with 

 skim-milk, given to them, fresh and fresh, will make 

 them fat in a short time, either in a coop, in a house, 

 or running about. Boiled carrots and Swedish tur- 

 nips will help, and it is a change of sweet food. La 



