164 THE TVEKEY. 



ease " is only to be counteracted by liberal nourishment. 

 If let loose at this time, they will obtain much by foraging, 

 and still be thankful for all you choose to give them. 

 Caraway seeds, as a tonic, are a great secret with some 

 professional people. They will doubtless be beneficial, if 

 added to plenty of barley or Indian meal, boiled potatoes, 

 chopped vegetables, and refuse meat. And now is the 

 time that turkeys begin to be troublesome and voracious. 

 What can you expect else from a creature that is to 

 grow from the size of a robin to 12 or 15 lbs. in eight or 

 nine months? They will jump into the potato ground, 

 scratch the ridges on one side, eat every grub, wireworm, 

 or beetle that they find, and every half-grown potato. 

 From thence they will proceed to the ruta-bagas ; before 

 the bulbs are formed, they will strip the green from the 

 leaves, thereby checking the future growth of the 

 root. At a subsequent period, they will do the same to 

 the white turnips, and here and there take a piece out 

 of the turnip itself. They are seldom large enough 

 before harvest to make so much havoc among the 

 standing grain, as cocks, hens, and Guinea fowls, or they 

 have not yet acquired the taste for it ; but when the 

 Indian corn begins to ripen in August or September, and 

 the young wheat comes up in October and November they 

 will exhibit their graminivorous propensities, to the great 

 disadvantage of the farmer. The farmer's wife sees them 

 not, says nothing, but at Christmas .boasts of the large 

 amount of her turkey money. One great merit in old 

 birds, (besides their ornamental value, which is our 

 special recommendation,) is, that in situations where 

 nuts, acorns, and mast are to be had, they will lead off 

 their urood to these, and comparatively, (that is all,) 

 abstain from ravaging other crops. It is, therefore, not 

 fair for a small occupier to be overstocked with turkeys, 

 (as is too often the case, and with other things also,) and 

 then let them loose, like so many harpies, to devastate 

 and plunder their neighbors' fields. 



FATTENING-. 



On the first of October, it will be time to begin to 

 think of fattening some of the earliest broods, in order 



