6 TURKEY CULTURE. 



that we French people do not always tell boastful stories or 

 propagate hoaxes." 



Doubtless many would be opposed to giving whisky 

 or any spirits to poultry for any purpose, and this may 

 not be necessary, even to insure success. Mr W. E. Steven- 

 son, of Arkansas, writes the Reliable Poultry Journal that 

 he trains his turkeys to sit at any time, and succeeds with- 

 out administering either corn or grape juice. He treats his 

 turkeys kindly, so as to have them very tame, and uses 

 hens that are from three to ten years old. In the winter, 

 when he wants to set them, he makes a nest in a barrel or 

 box of suitable size, then warms six to ten china eggs and 

 puts them in the nest, and puts the turkey on them. This 

 is done in the evening, or when it is growing dark. A 

 sack or quilt is hung over the opening, to darken the 

 nest. He feeds very lightly for three days. By the third 

 day he can tell whether the turkey has become broody. 

 If she has, from twenty to thirty eggs are given her, 

 according to her size. Turkeys, under proper care, car 

 be depended upon to keep to their nests for ten weeks, 

 but for best results should not be made to do this work 

 over six weeks. Mr Stevenson thus successfully sets his 

 turkeys at any time, without violating his Prohibition 

 principles. 



Mr. Samuel Cushman says, from his own experience, that 

 turkeys can be made to sit whenever required. A young 

 turkey hen that never laid an egg was shut on a nest of china 

 eggs, and there was no trouble in getting her to settle down. 

 The first two times she was put off to feed, she was caught 

 and placed on the nest and shut in, but after that the nest 

 was left uncovered and she came off when whenever she 

 chose. We never found her off the nest. The shed in 

 which she was set had a slat front, so she was confined 

 and could not go out of sight of the nest or get away. 

 This turkey was not a tame one, by any means. We can 

 control our turkeys better if set within a large building 



