230 PO UL TR r- CRAFT. 



(5). An All Corn Ration. (CUSHMAN). " Successful Rhode Island growers as a 

 rule feed their turkeys from start to finish on northern white flint corn, which they grow 

 themselves. They take great pains to feed nothing but well seasoned old corn, because 

 they have found that new corn causes bowel trouble. Turkeys not only like northern 

 flint corn best, and fatten best on it, but it makes their flesh more tender, juicy and 

 delicious. That given the little ones is coarsely ground, and mixed with sweet or sour 

 milk, or made into bread that is moistened with milk. This is gradually mixed with 

 cracked corn, which when they are about eight weeks old, is fed clear or mixed with sour 

 milk. In the fall whole corn is given. After June ist those at full liberty are usually 

 fed but twice daily. They are hunted up and fed in the fields, that they may stay away 

 from the farmyard, and outbuildings. Many give the turkeys no food from August ist 

 until cool weather. They get their own living until they come up from the fields in 

 September or October. Upon the approach of cold weather they come to the house to be 

 fed, and thereafter roam but little. 



"To fatten them for Thanksgiving, they are fed in November all the whole corn they 

 will eat three times per day. It is not necessary to coop them. The full feeding causes 

 them to rest and sun themselves. Dough is not much used for fattening in Rhode Island. 

 One grower who gives it every morning, and whole corn at night, mixes condition 

 powder with the dough, and finds it causes them to eat more and gain faster. Some 

 raisers give a little new corn mixed with the old at this time, but most consider it safer 

 to feed clear old corn. It is not best to heavily feed turkeys that are to be held for a later 

 market, or those to be kept over for breeding." 



339. The Market for Turkeys. The heaviest demand for turkeys 

 comes at the winter holiday season. The bulk of the crop is marketed in 

 about two months. Usually the best prices of the year are obtained for 

 " Thanksgiving turkeys." Through the remainder of the year there is a 

 limited demand, and it will happen once in a while that prices are as good 

 in the late winter as at any earlier time. It would be no object for the grower 

 to hold marketable turkeys over the period of best demand, in expectation of 

 better prices ; but good prices in February and March may give him better 

 profit on any late turkeys he may happen to have. 



At some of the eastern summer resorts there has lately arisen a demand for 

 turkey broilers, ten or twelve weeks old. At the prices obtained, growers 

 near these resorts may find it as profitable to sell the turkeys at that age as to 

 mature them for the winter trade. This demand is confined to a very few 

 places, and it is as yet impossible to say whether it is likely to continue and 

 become more general. 



The description given in ^[ 276 of the kind of chickens in demand, applies 

 also (with some slight changes which immediately suggest themselves), to 

 turkeys. The popular demand is for medium to small turkeys. During 

 Thanksgiving week twelve to fifteen pound turkeys command the best prices ; 

 but good stock of ten pounds (or even less ; the buyer finds) weight brings 

 good prices. Very large birds as is the case in all kinds of poultry 

 go mostly to the hotel and restaurant trade, and do not bring as good 

 prices as stock of the same quality in the weights required for the family 

 trade. 



