64 POULTRY BREEDING 
direct descendant of the wild fowl, although seemingly it 
has decreased somewhat in size, as wild ones weighing 
60 pounds are recorded. There were three varieties of 
turkeys in America at the time of the discovery: the wild 
turkey from which our Bronze variety comes, a smaller 
Mexican variety, and still further south a variety which 
lacked the tuft of hair on the breast but has a crest or 
aigrette consisting of a single row of feathers on the head. 
The latter is indigenous to South America and is easily 
domesticated, but does not endure removal to colder cli- 
mates. 
The Bronze Turkey is the heaviest of all the varieties. 
It requires two years to get to full weight at which time 
it should weigh 36 pounds for cocks and 20 pounds for 
hens. 
Narragansetts.—This variety was largely bred around 
Narragansett Bay a few years ago, but has largely been 
replaced by the Bronze of late years and pure-bred flocks 
are hard to find. This variety is not as bright-colored as 
the Bronze, being more inclined to whites and blacks. It 
was highly esteemed as a market fowl by the turkey 
breeders of Rhode Island and Connecticut, but disease 
began to invade that region and to invigorate the stock 
Bronze blood was largely mixed into the pure Narragan- 
sett flocks. Full-grown Narragansett cocks weigh 30 
and the hens 18 pounds. 
Buff, Slate and Black.—These varieties are variations 
bred from selections, all of the color from which they get 
their names and smaller yet than the breeds already men- 
tioned, adult cocks weighing 27 and the hens 18 pounds. 
White Holland.—This variety is another example of 
misnaming. There is no known reason why it should 
have been named after a country in Europe. as white 
