PRI2E ESSAYS ON TURKEY CULTURE. 145 



placed in a basket, and with the hen, removed to a remote 

 part of the farm. Triangular pens, made of three boards, 

 twelve feet long and one foot high, are placed in the fields, 

 where it is intended the flocks shall stay until nearly 

 grown. They are not located near together, lest the differ- 

 ent flocks attract each other's attention. But four or five 

 of the pens are put in a twenty-acre field. The little tur- 

 keys or poults are put in one of these pens with som,e 

 dough, and the hen is gently placed beside them. In re- 

 leasing the hen, Mr. Tucker takes pains to step quickly 

 back toward the wind, that, if frightened, she may go in 

 a direction in which the cries of her young may be heard 

 and bring her to them. The pens are removed to fresh 

 ground frequently. Care is taken that the pens are placed 

 on ground free from hollows that may hold water, for 

 some turkeys, when hovering their brood in such places, 

 will remain in them while they fill with rain and the 

 brood is drowned. After five or six days, when the young 

 are strong enough to follow the hen without being worn 

 out, and have become so familiar with the attendant that 

 they will come when called, they are let out of the pen# 

 and allowed free range. 



In feeding and looking after this number of turkeys, 

 the attendant, usually one of Mr. Tucker's daughters, has 

 to walk about three miles to go the rounds. Until four 

 weeks old their food consists of corn meal mixed with 

 sour milk, and they are given sour milk to drink, no water 

 being given them. When four weeks old, cracked corn is 

 mixed with the meal, and the quantity is gradually in- 

 creased, until at eight or ten weeks old their feed consists 

 of cracked corn moistened with sour milk. Until June 1st 

 they are fed three times each day. From June 1st to 

 July 15th they are fed twice a day. After this Mr. Tucker 

 used to give them no feed until they commenced to come 

 to the house, in the latter part of September, when a lit- 

 tle whole corn was given them daily, but of late years, he 

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