230 POULTR?-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 1st 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 brotlers, 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. 
