350 
Turkey  Farming. 
Bearing  in  view  what  has  already  been  stated  as  to  the  class 
of  turkey  which  yields  the  best  table  bird,  the  farmer  should 
select  as  breeders  well-developed  specimens  of  the  Cambridge 
Bronze  variety,  long  and  deep  in  body,  wide  across  the 
shoulders,  with  large  powerful  wings,  and  standing  well  on 
short  legs.  The  cock  may  be  deeper  in  body  than  the  hens. 
They  should  be  muscular  on  the  breast,  and  he  tight  in  the 
plumage.  The  lighter  in  bone  the  better,  so  long  as  it  is  stout 
enough  to  carry  the  carcass.  As  all  breeding  birds  should  be 
in  hard  condition,  that  is,  not  fat,  the  weights  for  cocks  may 
he  from  18  lb.  to  22  lb.,  and  for  hens  from  12  lb.  to  17  lb.,  in 
accordance  with  age.  One  male  bird  to  eight  hens  is  a very 
good  proportion.  To  bring  the  birds  into  good  condition  they 
should  be  fed  from  January  onwards  upon  good,  stout  oats, 
which  will  have  the  effect  of  getting  rid  of  surplus  fat,  and 
ensure  greater  vigour  in  the  germs  of  eggs  and  the  chickens 
when  hatched.  Even  of  oats  it  is  possible  to  give  too  much, 
and  the  object  is  to  supply  any  deficiency  in  natural  food,  for 
which  the  birds  should  be  encouraged  to  forage.  The  oats  are 
better  if  scattered  among  litter,  and  not  merely  thrown  on  the 
ground. 
Houses  and  Roosts. 
Much  has  been  written  in  favour  of  what  is  called  the 
natural  method  of  keeping  turkeys,  namely,  allowing  them  to 
breed  in  the  woods  as  they  would  in  a wild  state.  There  can 
he  no  question  that  such  a system,  where  possible,  ensures  a 
greater  amount  of  vigour  in  the  stock  and  in  the  young  birds 
than  if  kept  upon  an  ordinary  farm,  whilst  there  is  a flavour  in 
the  flesh  thus  produced  which  is  exceptional.  For  the  purpose 
of  securing  fresh,  virile  blood  this  plan  is  deserving  of  all 
support.  But  turkeys  bred  under  these  conditions,  so  far  as 
my  observation  goes,  do  not  attain  the  size  required  upon  the 
markets,  and  they  would  not  take  at  all  kindly  to  fattening. 
Further,  it  is  questionable  whether  tiirkeys  can  be  produced 
profitably  in  this  country  under  such  conditions. 
The  drawing  of  the  perch  shown  (Fig.  3)  is  that  used  by 
Mr.  Gage  Harper  for  his  young  turkeys  after  they  are  three 
months  old.  These  perches  are  made  of  tree  poles  about  one 
and  a half  inches  in  diameter,  and  are  three  feet  above  the 
ground.  They  are  placed  below  trees  and  under  the  lea  of  high 
hedges.  The  chief  risk  of  this  system  is  from  foxes,  which 
have  a fair  field  for  their  depredations  under  such  conditions. 
Reynard  may  be  circumvented  to  some  extent  if  the  ground 
around  the  trees  and  the  roosts  is  thickly  strewn  with  gas  lime 
and  asafoetida,  over  which  he  will  not  pass.  But  should  these 
not  Ije  renewed  as  often  as  required,  so  that  the  pungent  smell 
is  evident  at  some  distance,  then  the  turkey  breeder  will 
