TURKEYS— THEIR CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



43 



of the producers marketed their own birds. They used to 

 leave thrir homes from one to three days before the holiday 

 season and drive overland to Boston, Providence, and the 

 larger New England cities. The whole family assisted in 

 dressing the turkeys, and the wings were generally left on. 

 In fact, at the present time, a good many Rhode Island tur- 

 keys come to market with the flight feathers left in the tip 

 of the wing. They are in great demand by old-time house- 

 wives to be used as brushes, and are famous for some special 



the commission houses and either from stands erected by 

 themselves, or from wagons and push carts, make such sales 

 as are possible to the more gullible of the city's population. 

 Their greatest trade comes, as a rule, from the lower classes 

 of Italians and other imported peoples. The board of 

 health furnishes an inspector whose duty it is to look up all 

 cases of unfit poultry and other market products. It often 

 seems that, in the case of poultry at least, this inspection 

 must be made with not more than one eye and without any 



Down-to-Date Bronze Turkeys— By Seu/ell. 



kitchen uses. In some of the best markets there is a con- 

 tinuous demand for turkey wings to be used for this purpose. 

 At the present time, as in the past, any farmer or poultry 

 dealer may, by making application to the superintendent of 

 ' markets in Boston, procure the right to certain stands where 

 his wagon may be drawn up without interference from 

 others, and such stock as he has may be retailed direct to 

 the consumers. Not only the farmers and regular dealers 

 take advantage of this permission, but many cheap dealers 

 also avail themselves of the opportunity, and ring in under 

 the pretense of being growers of poultry and other produce. 

 These men buy the cheapest grades of poultry which come to 



sense of smell. However, from the apparent health and ani- 

 mal thrift of the buyers it is evident that no great harm is 

 done through the consumption of this ill treated and over 

 ripe sort of poultry. 



Another factor which has influenced the poultry market 

 in New England is the entrance of the western beef dealers 

 into the business of killing and dressing turkeys and other 

 poultry, and shipping direct to their branches in the larger 

 eastern towns and cities. Whereas, only a few years ago, 

 the small middlemen and dealers were to be found in every 

 such place, now the trade is largely given over to these 

 branch houses, who combine the poultry sales with their beef 



