CHAPTER XIV 



TURKEYS, DUCKS, GEESE, GUINEA FOWLS AND 

 PIGEONS 



TURKEYS 

 Turkeys are ordinarily raised on general farms rather 

 than on an extensive commercial scale. Years ago New 

 England was famous for its turkeys; but, as the country 

 developed, the number produced grew less until at the pres- 

 ent time but comparatively few are found throughout that 

 section. The majority of turkeys are now grown in the mid- 

 dle and southwestern states. Plenty of range is the most 

 essential factor for the successful production of turkeys. 

 This, together with the fact that turkeys do best in a semidry 

 chmate, is one of the reasons why Texas ranks first as a 

 turkey-producing state. 



VARIETIES 



All our varieties of domestic turkeys are descended from 

 wild turkeys which are natives of and are found in North 

 America. The six varieties of domestic turkeys as recog- 

 nized by the American Standard of Perfection are as fol- 

 lows: Bronze, White Holland, Bourbon Red, Black, Nar- 

 ragansett, and Slate. 



Bronze. This is by far the most popular and widely 

 known variety and in appearance resembles the wild turkey. 

 In color it is a rich brilhant copperish bronze against a back- 

 gromid of black and brown. The tail coverts and main tail 

 feathers have clear white tips. As will be noted from the 

 standard weights, the Bronze is the largest of the several 

 varieties, the standard weights being as follows: Adult 

 cock 36 lbs., yearling cock 33 lbs., cockerel 25 lbs., hen 

 20 lbs., pullet 16 lbs. 



White Holland. As the name would indicate, the plum- 



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