Introduction. 



The Department of Agriculture has the privilege of pre- 

 senting in this bulletin what it believes to be an unusually 

 valuable statement of practical results obtained in raising 

 turkeys in Massachusetts. It is well known that in recent 

 years the production of turkeys, not only in this but in almost 

 all the other States where turkeys have been raised, has fallen 

 off so that in most of these States turkey raising is, or soon 

 will be, a lost industry. The facts stated in this bulletin in- 

 dicate that the principal factors which have been preventing 

 the successful raising of turkeys can be combated and that 

 there is hope for a re-establishment of this important industry 

 in many, if not in all, the localities where it has been abandoned. 



The question of publishing the material presented in this 

 bulletin was first taken up with the Poultry Department of the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College, and was referred by that 

 department to this office. The kindness of the authors and of 

 the trustees of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agri- 

 culture is hereby gratefully acknowledged, and makes possible 

 the publication of this bulletin without expense to this De- 

 partment other than the cost of printing. 



A. W. GILBERT, 



Commissioner. 



