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HIS Is tho season of tho year whon
tho prospoctB for tho turkey crop
outweigh nlraoBt all other questions
in the minds not only ot produce
tnon. but In the estimation of tho
creat mass of householders. Tho
supply, and consequently tho prlcos.
of turkeys have fluctuated so wldo
ly In different years vlthln tho past
decade or two that there Is always
an uncertainty In tho minds ot tho
ultimate consumers akin to tnai
mystery that invariably envelopes
the -poach crop" early In tho season. This ex
plains In a measure why many far-sighted citi
zens to whom n fow cents per pound difference
In prlco Is ever a source ot worry now mako It
a praCtlco to ordor their Thanksgiving turkey
long In advanco and it explains, too, why many ot
tho turkey buyors who handlo tho blrdB on a
largo scaJo begin their rounds of tho poultry
farms earlier In the Benson than was onco their
wont and keep close tab on tho growing fowl.
This 'scouting" by tho purveyors of our prin
cipal Thanksgiving delicacy Is a wlao move for,
bo it known, weather con
ditions throughout the
spring, summer and au
tumn havo A most import
ant bearing upon tho tur
key crop at the end ot
November. For Instance,
if a wet spring be encoun
tcrotl great numbers ot
tho yoUng turkoya suffer.
In Bomo Instances they
are almost literally
'drowned out" Tho au
tumn Is a yet more
crucial time In tho tur
key-raiBlng Industry. A
open autumn,, oven if It
"be mild, Is fairly auspi
cious, but tho Ideal condi
tion is found in cool,
crisp, bracing weather
which Inspires the tur
keys to roam Id search ot
food and causes them to
keys constitute the most profitable class of poul
try If properly handled. As a matter of fact,
from tho tlmo tho turkoy In six weeks old ho
virtually makea his own livelihood, wandering
arolind nnd eating bugs, grasshoppers, wasto
grain and other eatables that if not an actual pest
arc uboIcbs to tho farmers. To bo euro, some of
the fancy turkoy rulsers are crodltod -with fatten
ing their Thanksgiving offerings on milk und
chestnuts and othor dollcacles, but they got for
such fancy fowl prices sufficiently higher than the
regular quotation to recompense them for their
trouble.
An export who recently mado an Investigation
of ,tho turkoy. raising Industry on behalf of tho
United States government declares that turkeys
con,- It grown in a favorable locnlUy, bo mado to
return a profit to tho growers It sold aB low as
eight cento por pound, llvo weight, whereas tf
thoy bring thrco or four cents por pound above
that figure. aB they usually do, the turkoy grower
Bhould feel well satisfied with hla occupation.
Now, as a matter of fact, there are fow suctions
ot tho country where at Thanksgiving tlmo tur-
mmmM
.1 , ,
fatten In prlmo condition. Such weather condi
tions also lighten the cares ot tho farmer who
does not devote his entire attention to turkoys,
and who usually has so many other responsibili
ties that he Is mighty glad when the turkeys can
shift for themselves to say nothing of tho bene
fit to his pockqtbook. These farmers and poul
try raisers, It may bo added, aro nbolit tho only
classes In our national community who never
need give a thought to n bird for tho home table
on Thanksgiving. There U always some sort of
a turkey for the gathering round the festivo board
at tho homoBtead. Wo may digress for a moment,
too, to add that In late years there has como a
great change In sentiment on tho part of many
of the farmers as to tho Thanksgiving turkeys
for their own tables. In days gone by thero
was often a disposition to regard almost any old
gobbler aa sufficient for tho homo folks. All tho
choice birds were sent to market, because they
would bring tho best prices, and tho farmer and
hlB household not tntroquontly had to put up
with tho loavlngs. aa It were. Latterly, however,
as greater prosperity has como to so many of
the farmers thero Is a growing disposition to re
gard tho best as none too good for tho kings of
tho noil, nnd this applies to turkeys as to . every
thing else. Consequently It Is usual for tho
progressive farmer to retain one of his tenderest
birds for the kith and kin that breuk bread with
him on Thanksgiving, and not Infrequently the
chosen bird has been singled out from tho others
long In advanco and Is specially fattened Id ac
cordance with the tastes of the family,
Thero has been much discussion on tho part of
tho public In recent years regarding tho compara
tive scarcity of small turkeys that Is six to eight
pound birds In the Thanksgiving market. There
is no difficulty in fixing tho responsibility for this
disappearance of the small turkeys, It is duo to
tho growing tendency among turkoy raisers to
devoto their best efforts to tho "bronzo" variety
of fowl tho largest variety of tho bird. Tho
lure of the American love of bigness baB mado
itself felt In tho turkoy realm, and tho 30 to 30
pound birds which have attracted so much atten
tion at fashlonabla hotels and on banquet boards
havo como to bo regarded as tho most deslrabto
specimens of that fowl, which becomos for one
day each year our nntlonal bird.
,4. , , ,v ' -j -V; -.AW y "rr
It must bo admitted, however, that the bronze
variety of turkey not only holds the,poat of honor
becauso of Its size and Its rich plumngo but also,
in the estimation of many epicures, becauso ot Its
flavor as well. There Is no doubt that tho size of
the bronzo variety Hb standard weight ranges
from 1G to 3G pounds Is to bo attributed to the
fact that the birds of this family originated from
n cross between tho wild nnd tho tamo turkey.
For that matter, tho wild turkey of North Amor
lea was the ancestor ot all our present-day do
mestic turkeys, but tho "crosEcs" which havo
been mado In tho cabe of tho brouzo variety have
been particularly fortunnto In inducing mammoth
stzo. However, ono of the officials of tho depart
ment of agriculture recently declared that tho
bronze turkey had been developed too much In
tho direction of bIzc, and tf ho can convert the
turkoy raisers to his way of thinking wo may
see some yenrs henco an era of smaller bronze
turkeys of even finer flavor than thoso regarding
which such onthuslusm hns been manifested by
lovers of tho good things of life.
Of course tho vaunted bronzo varloty Is not tho
whnlo thing In turkeydom, for thoro are six other
standard varieties, tho branches of the family In
addition to the bronzo, being, tho Narrugnnsett,
the buff, the slate, tho whlto, and the black.
Many peoplo who think that wo have been en
Joying pretty appetizing turkey from tlmo out of
mind may bo surprised to learn that the prestige
of the turkey as an artlclo of food was seriously
threatened a few years ago through carelessness
and laok of foresight In breeding methods, Not
much was said about It. except In tho poultry
papera and at tho conventions of poultry raisers,
but tho monaco was sufficient to arouso tho more
progressive turkey raisers, with tho result that
thoy mended their ways, put a ban on Inbreed
ing and went In for tho purebred or standard
bred turkey, with tho welcome outcomo that rich,
new, vigorous blood made Its lnfluonco felt In
infusing strength nnd vigor In turkoy flocks all
over tho country.
In tho caso of growers who havo had the bene
fit of enough exporlcnco to qualify them for the
work, turkey raising Is, under favorablo condl
tions, a highly profitable occupation. No other
kind of llvo stock wll return bo largo a profit to
tho successful producer as will poultry, and tur-
keyH do not bring two or oven throe tlmca tho
eight conts that Undo Sam's expert has aet down
as n figure that will yield a profit. Ot courso,
tho farmer who can sell his turkeys direct to
housowlvoa can got from 25 cents por pound tip
according to tho state of tho market and tho
quality of the fowl but oven the growora who
mat hot through commission merchants, aa most
of them do, ought to not from 10 to 20 cents per
pound, providing tho sales agont 1b not allowed
to pocket more than his share of tho sales prico,
Of course, for tho grower to net 20 or 24 cents a
pound, It Is necessary to have tho choice, special
ly fattened turkeys that bring top-notch prlcos
In tho murkots catering to tho wealthy class In
the large cities.
Recent years have witnessed n change In the
methods of shipping turkey to market. Many
fowl aro yet hauled to town, as In days of old, In
tho farmer's wagon, but tho largest sliare of tho
turkeys for city markets aro now shipped by or
press. Junt nt Thnnksglving time when turkeys
nro coming to market In car-load lots many of
tho birds mnko the journey by fast freight, but
under such conditions a man must bo sent along
with each .car load to food tho J birds, so that In
the end It Is likely to bo Just as cheap to Bond
tho birds by express, tho transit thus being ac
complished In a fow hours and no feeding en
roulo being noccEsary. To carry out tho presont-
day policy of hnsto In transferring tho turkoys
from the farms to tho dinner tnblon of tho folk
In townn and cities, wo find special automobile
trucka waiting at tho railroad stations to recolvo
tho crated blrdB as they nro unloaded from tho
cars, and these motora rush tho turkeys without
loss of tlmo to tho commission houses, hotels or
other destinations. A few yenrs ago a car load
of llvo turkoys was a shipment of such unusual
sl7o as to cause comment. Nowdays such con
signmcnts nro handled by tho hundreds at
Thanksgiving tlmo, and a car load of llvo tur
koys was, on ono occasion, Bont from Now York
to 8uu Francisco, the rental of tho special car for
this Journo amounting to $70, Iri Chicago thoro
are dealers who receive a dozen car loads of tur
keys a day at Thanksgiving tlmo, and ns many as
25,000 birds havo boon rocelvcd In that city In
ono day at tho height of tho rush to stock larders
for Thanksgiving,
Coat of Mail in Garment
Whllo rummaging In some boxos to
which bo had fallen heir from a for
mer tenant of tho houso he lives in at
Lander, Wyo., Pat Curry camo across
what appeared to bo an ordinary bluo
serge coat. Ho tried to haul It from
the box and it roqulred both bands to
got It out.
Curry at first thought ho had found
a treasure coat and that It contained
gold coin. When be lifted it out of
tho box It gave forth a metallic rattle.
He slit ono ot the pockets and discov
ered that between tho sorgo and tho
heavy Bilk lining was concealed a com
plete suit of steel armor. The Btoel
plates are two inches square, a six
teenth ot an inch In thtcknoss, perfor
ated at ono end and sowod, lapping
each other, on to a cloth framework
that exactly fits tho Interior ot tho
garment
No one can bo found in Lander who
can gtvo any cluo to the identity ot
tho owner of tho strange suit or ar
mor. 'It. la thought by many that it is
a relic of the days ot tho Overland
mall and was worn by some ono who
feared attack from Indians and that it
came to Lander In the early days.
Others believe It belonged to some
ono who had a mountain feud on his
hands and feared an ambush by tho
onemy.
The Soldier's Wit.
A veteran or the Civil war, having
received from the government a now
cork leg In place of tho one lost In
battlo, perpotratod this witticism In
bis return letter of thanks:
"'Tls sweet to bo re-memberod for
what I have done."- Llpplncotfe.
AMERICAN POPULAR IN CHINA
On account ot present conditions
and nlsu for tho Bake of broadening
bin education tho Infant Emperor ot
China, Pu Yl, may bo sent to America.
In the evont ot this happening tho Im
portant mission ot caring for tho royal
babe may bo entrusted to Dr, John C
Ferguson, tho eminent American, who
Ib adviser to tho Chlneso board ot
communication. Mr. Ferguaon, al
though nn American, Is ono of tho
most trusted officials of tho Chlneso
government and onjoys tho special
favor of tho royal family.
For yoara Dr. Forguson baa studied
China Its probloms nnd Its people.
'Ho has spent tho best years ot hla
llfo among them and has galnod gront
prestige In tho land ot tho colostlals.
Ho Is looked up to and admired
throughout tho country nnd In this In
stance, when the Bnfoty nnd welfaro
of tho most sacred person In tholr
empire Is at stnko tho Chlnoso soom.
to know nb ono whom thoy cnti bettor
trust than Dr. Forguson. During his caroor In China Dr. ForgUBon hn
boon sont on uome very important missions by tho Chlneso government. In
1001 ho was Bant on a spoolal mission to Investigate tho commorclnl scIiooIb
ot the United States nnd Europe. In 1002 ho was chosen secretary of tho
Chlneso ministry ot commerce nnd Blnco 100.1 ho lifts been chief socretary to tho
Imporlnl Chluuso railway administration. Ho has also filled tho Important
office of foreign adviser to Chlnoso viceroys. SoVornl times Dr. Ferguson was
aont as special representative from China to tho United States.
f lJr
WU FAVORS REVOLUTIONISTS
Dr. Vu Tint;' Fang, former Chlnoso
minister to tho United Stntos, haB ac
cepted tho post of secretary of torolgn
affairs in tho now Chlneso cnblnot,
throwing tho weight ot his vnat expo
rlonco In statecraft to tho revolution
ary cabBo. Won Tsung Yno, uuothor
prominent Chlneso, hns Jolnod tho
robot cnusc, News ot tho action ot
theso stntosmou cnuBcd a sonsatton
In Washington.
Tito weight of Minister Wu's Im
mense lnfluonco thrown to tho revo
lutionary movement ban startled tho
Pokln government. It moans to n
groat extent tho Amoricanlzatlon of
China.
Whllo reproaching his country In
America ho took n vltnl Intoiost In nil
things American. Ho was a closo stu
dent of tho United Stntos republican
form of government nnd Ua institu
tions nnd Waa thoroughly Imbued with
American Idoaa. Tho Chinese nro de
manding n republican government
with ovory chnnco of bucccsb. Under tho leadership of Mr. Wu bis Amorlcnn
training Is bound to hnvo a tremendous lnfluonco on tho now Chlnoso lnstttu
tolns. It spoils progress for China, for Mr. WU'a Idonla are far In advance ot
tho vast majority In his own country.
Mr. Wu trnvolod nil over tho United Stntou, Interrogating every ono, oven
hla Interviewers, about tho country, picking up n vast amount of Information.
Ho undoubtedly Ib tho boat known Chlnnman In America and enmo closest to
tho hearts of tho people thoro through his rcmnrkablo wit and wisdom. Ills
nctlon has Btlrrod tho Unltod States to a keen Intorost in the buccosb of tho
revolutionists,
LE1SHMAN DONS A UNIFORM
Tho American colony In Dorllrx
iias been mildly excltod over Am
bassador Irishman's rovlval of the'
custom of wearing a uniform when'
appearing beroro tho kaiser. TIiIb cus
tom was introduced by Ambassador
Towor, who woro n uniform with the
permission of Prosldont Roosovelt. It
wns discontinued by Ambassador Hill,
who considered It undemocratic. Mr.
Lolshmau has provided uniforms for
all tho members of tho embassy staff
who may appear before tho emperor.
Inquiry Is bolng mndo everywhere to
find out IfMr. Lolahmnn enjoys a mil
itary or naval title which would war
rant him In departing so far from tho
custom prevailing among Amorlcan
diplomats for many yenrs, It is re
called that Charles Pagp Hryan, orBt
while minister to Hruzll and Portugal,
and now minister to Japan, was onco
a colonel on tho staff of tho governor
of Illinois and nppoarcd at court func
tions In a colonel's full dreas uniform.
Ambassador field nt Iondon makes his uppuaranco at court functions clad
In kueo brooches and silk stockings, with tho regulation full dress coat,
und Ambassador Held occupies a post where fastidious dreas Is roqulred.
Mr. Lelshmun wnB formerly minister to Turkoy, nnd later ambaBBador to
Italy, Whllo ho wan In Turkoy io received a Fjood deal of publicity on a
charge mado by Mrs. William Warkentln or KantjnB, who nccuscd him of
I6thargy for not inking an active hand In obtaining tho punishment of tho
man who murdered hor husband,
YOUTHFUL SHAH OF PERSIA
Tho 13-ycar-old shah of Persia, Sul
tan Ahmed, has a troubled time slnco
hla occcBslon'ln July, 1900. His ra
ther, Shah Muhammad All, had grant
ed his peoplo n parliament to avert
threatening symptoms of rebolllon. It
was, however, ondowod with only
nominal powers nnd tho shah soon
had nnother uprising on his hands. Ho
bud almost crushed It when tho pow
erful llnkhtlarl tribo, practically Inde
pendent brigands ot southern Persia,
helped tho revolutionists to snatch vic
tory out of dofoat and force tho mon
Bhah's abdication. Slnco that tlmo tho
ex-shah has boen constantly Intriguing
to regnln his throno, but was complete
ly routed last month and his principal
general was executed by tho Porslan
.government.
Tho youthful sultan is a pathetic
figure, powerloss In tho hands of hla
advisors nnd unablo to gratify his nat
ural affection for bis father, for
whom he cried bitterly at tholr farced
soparatlon. Judging from his manly nppenranco ho would be more at home In
tin Amorlcan playground romping with companions of hla own ago than In th
seclusion or the louely splendor or tho "King or Kings."