340 



Breeding and Rearing of Turkeys, [august, 



rats suffer from swine-fever, but because it is possible that they 

 may convey infected material from one sty to another. 



6. When affected pigs have been the subject of post-mortem 

 examination, care should be taken that no material from the 

 carcase comes in contact with healthy swine, and all assistants 

 at the operation should properly disinfect themselves. 



THE BREEDING AND REARING OF TURKEYS. 

 J. W. Hurst. 



Until comparatively recent years English turkey-raising 

 for market* was practically confined to the eastern counties, 

 the greater proportion being marketed from Norfolk and 

 Cambridge. Latterly, however, breeding has become more 

 extended, and outside competition has considerably increased. 

 On the other hand, the demand has also increased, and there 

 has been a noteworthy lengthening of the season. Turkeys 

 may now be said to be in season from November to April, and 

 turkey poults from about July to October. The special demand 

 for large birds is chiefly limited to the periods immediately 

 before and after Christmas, when the value is dominated 

 by weight, and the price per lb. rises with increasing 

 heaviness ; but birds of medium weight meet the require- 

 ments of the majority of consumers at other periods, and 

 hens of from 10 lb. to 14 lb. are in increasing demand. 

 As regards the provincial markets, much valuable information 

 regarding the periods of demand and weights required will 

 be found in articles on the "Marketing of Poultry," which 

 appeared in this Journal in February and May, 1908. 



There is no class of producer so favourably placed for the 

 breeding and rearing of turkeys as the farmer, indeed 

 it is scarcely possible for others to undertake their pro- 

 duction successfully, for without his opportunities of space 

 and facilities for feeding it is difficult to produce healthy 

 stock profitably. Turkeys require an ample range and home- 

 grown food, without which the cost of keeping them becomes 

 excessive on account of the length of time between hatching 

 and marketing. 



