348 
Turkey  Farming. 
vei-y  pleasing.  In  this  country  they  are  regarded  as  delicate, 
but  probably  this  is  due  to  in-breeding  and  preparation  for 
exhibition  rather  than  to  natural  weakness.  As  a market 
turkey  they  are  scarcely  kept  at  all.  In  Southern  Europe,  how- 
ever, they  are  regarded  as  equally  hardy  with  other  breeds. 
Narragansett. — In  the  New  England  States  of  America, 
more  especially  Rhode  Island,  a variety  is  popular  w'hich  is 
called  the  Narragansett,  after  a tribe  of  Indians  who  occupied 
that  part  of  America.  It  is  not  quite  so  large  as  the  Bronze, 
and  is  shorter  in  the  leg.  The  plumage  is  black,  but  each 
feather  has  a broad  band  of  light  steel-grey,  edged  with  black. 
They  are  said  to  be  excellent  layers  and  toTnature  quickly,  for 
which  reason  they  meet  a demand  for  sjiiall  birds  in  the  pre- 
Thanksgiving  days  of  the  autumn,  and  even  for  later  killing 
at  live  or  six  months  old. 
Italian. — Large  numbers  of  turkeys  are  sent  from  Italy  to 
the  United  Kingdom  in  the  autumn  and  wdnter,  but  these  are 
small  in  size  and  dry  in  flesh.  The  type  of  turkey  seen  in  Italy 
is  dark  grey  in  colour,  not  much  above  the  size  of  well-grown 
fowls,  and  the  largest  specimens  I have  seen  in  that  country 
did  not  exceed  12  lb. 
In  addition  to  the  varieties  named  above  there  are  Buff  or 
Fawn,  Slate-colour  or  Lavender.  The  former  is  frequently 
seen  at  Continental  exhibitions,  and  are  large,  well-developed 
birds.  At  one  time  Copper-coloured  turkeys  were  often  met 
with  in  East  Anglia,  but  neither  they  nor  the  Slate  are  at 
present  kept  to  any  extent  for  marketing  pifi'poses. 
The  Question  of  Soil. 
Turkeys  are  essentially  farmers’  fowls,  as  they  require 
plenty  of  space,  both  during  the  growdng  stage  and  as  bi*eeding 
stock.  Experience  has  abundantly  proved  that  if  bred  under 
restricted  conditions  they  are  delicate  and  stunted  in  size. 
Hence  this  class  of  poultry  is  more  suited  to  occupiers  of  large 
farms  than  upon  small  holdings  ; for  not  only  is  it  essential  to 
success  that  full  liberty  be  given,  but  there  should  be  room 
enough  to  permit  of  annually  changing  the  ground  upon  which 
they  are  kejit  and  reared.  To  this  point  too  much  importance 
cannot  be  given.  Even  upon  large  farms  it  is  necessar}*  from 
time  to  time  to  give  the  land  a rest,  in  order  to  bring  the  soil 
into  absolutely  fresh  condition.  The  principles  w'hich  are 
applied  to  cultivation,  as  expressed  in  the  four-course  system, 
should  be  equally  adopted  in  respect  to  fowls,  more  especially 
when  kept  thickly  upon  the  ground,  as  is  usual  with  poultry 
of  all  kinds. 
It  is  not  every  part  of  the  country  that  is  favourable  to 
turkey  growing.  Climatically  there  is  no  serious  hindrance 
