284 Farm Poultry 



ton Fair. Since then they have been so shy that 

 we were unable to secure another lot. They take 

 flight immediately if a suspicious movement is 

 made. They will be more easily caught later in 

 the season. The wild blood gives the cross an 

 astonishing ability to care for themselves. It is 

 apt to have the strongest influence in breeding. If 

 first crosses are bred together the stock resembles 

 the pure wild, and after several generations cannot 

 be distinguished from the pure wild by good judges. 

 The older the bird grows the more he shows the wild 

 blood. Crosses have much of the superior game flavor 

 of the wild and command a higher price for the table. 



"Some wild bronze crosses that are half and three- 

 quarters wild blood are as large as the pure bronze 

 turkeys. Several years 7 crossing, however, with the 

 selection of the largest for breeding each season, 

 gives the greatest size."* 



Domesticated turkeys partake largely of the 

 nature of the wild stock from which they have de- 

 scended. Many of the domesticated flocks have been 

 crossed with the wild fowl within recent years. 



Turkeys that are commonly reared for profit on 

 farms are of a roving disposition and do not thrive 

 well when closely confined. On this account, they 

 are not suited to rearing in large numbers on small 

 areas. Owners of small farms or village lots, there- 

 fore, are practically debarred from rearing large 



* Bulletin No. 25, Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station. 



