Fattening Turkeys, Ducks and 
Geese 
HE methods for fattening turkeys 
must be a little different from those 
for fattening chickens and fowls, because 
of the nature of the birds. Turkeys will 
not thrive in close confinement; if fed 
heavily, and at regular intervals, they are 
not so much inclined to roam, and will 
soon learn to come to their meals. Some 
feeders give whole grain, mostly corn, in 
small quantities. Turkeys pick up a 
variety of feed in their wanderings, but 
as they are fattened late (after much of 
their natural food is unavailable) it is better 
from the standpoint of health to give them 
a little more variety. A mash made of 
cooked vegetables thickened with ground 
corn and oats and bran, with a little beef 
scrap, makes an excellent morning meal. 
Milk is a valuable addition to this mix- 
ture. 
Pulverized or finely granulated charcoal, 
given two or three times a week, aids diges- 
tion and prevents disease. This should 
be fed as early in the morning as possible, 
before the turkeys are off for their range. 
The rest of the ration, usually two meals, 
may consist of whole corn, with the addition 
of wheat and oats, or a little: barley and 
buckwheat. Corn and oats are the most 
valuable for fattening. Old corn is best; 
if it is necessary to use new corn, feed it 
moderately at first. 
Three to four weeks of heavy feeding 
should put the hens in good condition. The 
toms usually require a little more time for 
maturity, and may not be in the best con- 
dition for ‘Thanksgiving. In this case, 
better feed them a while longer for the 
Christmas market. The greatest demand 
is for medium-sized turkeys. 
TO PROPERLY FATTEN DUCKS 
A properly fattened duck is one that 
has been stuffed from the time it was a 
day old. There are several large estab- 
lishments in this country that make a spe- 
cialty of raising ducks for market. Almost 
without exception, the breed is the Pekin, 
which, when nine or ten weeks of age, are 
made to weigh from five to six pounds. 
They are then considered best for market. 
All the fat possible should be put on. 
To do this, confine the ducks in rather 
small yards where they have water for 
drinking only. Feed on mashes, a good 
one consisting of about four parts of ground 
corn and oats, three parts of wheat bran, 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
one part of middlings, one part of beef 
scrap, and one part of clean sand and 
charcoal. Milk is excellent for moistening 
the mash. Green feed or steamed clover 
should be given, but this can be omitted 
toward the end of the fattening period. 
Two weeks should place young, voracious 
ducks in good condition for market. 
GEESE FOR CHRISTMAS 
A thrifty young goose may be fattened 
in about two weeks. Where large numbers 
are handled, divide into flocks of not more 
than a hundred each, a smaller number being 
better. Steamed or soaked corn is good 
for a portion of the ration. The mash 
may well have a large proportion of corn 
meal, with the addition of bran, middlings, 
or ground oats or barley, with about 15 
per cent. of beef scrap. If the birds are 
very thin at the beginning of the feeding, 
more than two weeks will be required. 
Fattening geese is an industry by itself. 
An extensive establishment a few miles 
from me handles many carloads every sea- 
son, buying them from the raisers as far west 
as Missouri, and from Kentucky to Canada. 
Many of these are very thin, but will often 
nearly double in weight during the feeding 
period. The greatest demand for geese 
is at Christmas. 
New Jersey. F. H. VALENTINE. 
Ornamental Fruits in Winter 
Seventh article in the series “Ornamental Fruits for 
Every Month” 
OST of the fruits disappear when 
severe winter weather sets in and 
but a comparatively small number brave 
the wintry storms and are still conspicuous 
about and after midwinter. As such may 
be mentioned Berberis Thunbergit, which 
easily takes the first place as regards the 
resistance of its beautiful fruit against the 
influence of the weather; other kinds of 
barberries; the high cranberry-bush; some 
of the wild roses, as Rosa lucida, R. humilis, 
R. nitida, the memorial rose (R. Wichurai- 
ae 
| 
CSOT TRESS EUR T HT 
The bright red fruits of Rosa rugosa form a charm- 
ing contrast to its dark green foliage 
DECEMBER, 1908 
ana) and R. multiflora, with its pale red 
pea-sized hips; the privets; the  sea- 
buckthorn; the species of ilex; the fire- 
thorn; several cotoneasters; the cockspur 
thorn and Washington thorn; the red choke- 
berry; the wax work; and among those 
not previously described the greenbriar 
(Smilax rotundifolia) with black berries; 
the bayberry or wax-myrtle (Myrica Car- 
olinensis), with its small grayish white 
berries clustered along the branches; and 
the Japanese Rhodolypos kerrioides, with 
its shining black berry-like fruits arranged 
in fours at the end of the branchlets. 
The fruits of some shrubs are partly 
dried up or discolored by midwinter but 
are still a conspicuous feature of the bare 
shrubs. Such are the English hawthorn, 
the purple chokeberry, the sheep-berry 
and the black haw, the Tupelo, the buck- 
thorn, the European dogwood, the Virginia 
creeper with its clusters of bluish black 
berries and some of the roses, like R. villosa 
R. rugosa, R. canina, R. cinnamomea and 
a few others. 
Massachusetts. ALFRED REHDER. 
The choke cherry (Prunus Virginiana) has red or 
amber-color fruits the size of peas 
A Desirable Shade Tree for the 
South 
\\iy Ee our native type of black locust 
or false acacia (Robinia) is more 
frequently used as a shade tree, it is also 
valuable for landscape work where trees 
of large size and rapid growth are desired. 
The improved forms give a variety of col- 
ored flowers which make these trees unusu- 
ally conspicuous by the profusion of droop- 
ing racemes. 
In R. Decaisneana, the flowers are of a 
bright rose; bella-rosea, pale rose; Neo- 
Mexicana is of medium height, with rose- 
colored axillary racemes; and in semper- 
jflorens we have short, heavy racemes of pure 
white flowers during the whole summer. 
Georgia. Pe Bs 
