TURKEYS AND PIN-MONEY. 



Raising Common Turkeys for Market Brings a Supply of Pin-Money to Many a Farmer's Wife— Breeding Thorough- 

 bred Birds Means an Increased Supply— Methods Employed by a Successful 

 Woman Fancier of Bronze Turkeys. 



By Mrs. F. A. Hargrove. 



OMB SIX years ago, much to my disappontment, 

 we moved to the farm, and a friend presented 

 me with a trio of Bronze turkeys of just or- 

 dinary breeding. This trio of birds, with 

 some Barred Rocks, became a great con- 

 solation to me in my loneliness. From early childhood 

 I was not fond of the farm, with its many laborious tasks 

 calling one from early morning to late at night. Perhaps in 



wisdom. You know one never really is wise till he becomes 

 conscious of the fact that he knows but little. My first 

 stepping stone to success in raising turkeys was in supply- 

 ing myself with poultry journals and books pertaining to 

 turkey raising compiled from the experience of other turkey 

 breeders. 



Last spring a neighbor became very enthusiastic about 

 turkeys and started in the spring with nine hens and one 



The Flock of Mrs. Hargrave. 



the east one's peaceful rest is not disturbed so earjy and so 

 late— I hope not. But here in the west we still display the 

 hustling nature inherited from our forefathers of a gener- 

 ation ago, and time has not much decreased it. Perhaps 

 this is the reason that in 1890 Illinois ranked first in turkey 

 raising with 1,043,947 turkeys to her credit; Iowa, second, 

 940,849; Missouri, third, 928,751; Kansas, fourth, 530,397, and 

 Texas, fifth, 535,916. 



My chosen occupation, teaching, took me early in life to 

 my coveted place of abode— the city. There I taught for a 

 number of years previous to taking up housekeeping and 

 poultry raising. 



All women will understand from intuition why I took up 

 poultry raising, and especially the raising of turkeys. But 

 for fear the men may not guess aright, I will say it was to 

 replenish my empty pocketbook. I greatly missed my regu- 

 lar monthly income and took this method of overcoming my 

 loss. Pardon this personal reference, but I feel my case 

 does not differ materially from that of a thousand other 

 women who may read this book and my experience will per- 

 haps be of help to them in solving their problems. 



MAKING THE START. 



I lost two of that first trio, one hen and the torn, and I 

 raised nine out of the eleven that hatched — seven pullets 

 and two toms. During the raising of these I was gaining 



torn, boasting that she would raise as many turkeys as her 

 neighbor. The season passed and "turkey gathering" time 

 came. A flock of twenty- three turkeys was the result of 

 her season's efforts, besides which she lost part of her breed- 

 ing stock. 



Conversing with her one day, I said: "What was the 

 trouble?" 



'0, I don't know, but when hatched, I put them in a pen 

 and the mother in a coop and tried to keep them there till 

 .four or five weeks old, and they just kept dropping off till 

 they were nearly all gone." 



"What did you feed?" 



"Anything and everything they would eat — the same I 

 fed my chickens." 



"Bid you keep grit for them?" 



"Grit? No, what do they need grit for? I never give 

 my chickens any." 



"Do you take any poultry paper?" 



"No, I am so busy I would not get time to read it and 

 besides/ I had put my money into turkeys and had none to 

 spare for a paper." 



"Did you ever raise turkeys before?" 



"Some little, but I never kept only two or three hens and 

 a torn and they took care of themselves." 



Dear reader, this woman failed and condemns turkey 

 raising except for only those who are "lucky." There is 



