Few of our readers but are aware that immense quantities of game are disposed of in our markets, daily, at this season of the year. And this amount is vastly augmented on the annual recurrence of the time-honored festival of Thanksgiving, as will be seen by a perusal of the figures given below.
Dealers inform us that there has never, on any previous anniversary, been so extensive demand for every variety of food, as during the day preceding Thanksgiving of the present year. The supplies are mainly furnished from the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Solano and Sonoma. The valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, however, contribute their quota, particularly of web-footed fowl, which are found in innumerable abundance during the rainy season in the marshes, and estuaries, and along the shores bordering on the streams. In fact, throughout the state there are few localities in which game in vast quantities and of delicious flavor, is not to be had for the next three months. The forests of Klamath and the lakes of Siskiyou — the marshes of Mariposa and the sands of San Diego — can all furnish game fit for the sensitive palate of the gourmand.
The unusual abundance of quail and other small birds, has so reduced prices as to place those delicious luxuries with the reach of the humblest. The same remark will also apply to every description of wild fowl.
On entering the markets, early on yesterday, we found them crowded with every class of our population — old and young, rich and poor, high and low. Here might be seen an obese landlady pressing her thumb on the breast bone of a gobbler; there a fastidious connoisseur inspecting a brace of mallards; and anon a plainly clad laborer, inquiring the price of a pair of chickens. Everybody must have had a fowl dinner, yesterday, to judge by the demand at all the stalls where winged specimens were to be obtained.
The subjoined is a list of the number of turkeys, geese, brandt, chickens, quail, prices, &c., which we obtained from the vendors, whose names are also given. These are the principal dealers, and yet do not constitute all of them, for, scattered throughout the city, are many provision and other stores, which, sell on holidays, every description of fowl. Then, too, we have not a few amateur sportsmen, who scour the country for days prior to Thanksgiving, and come home laden with game, which is distributed amongst friends and acquaintances. So that we can safely estimate the quantity of game consumed in this city yesterday, at double that shown by the annexed figures. These sales include the day prior to as well as Thanksgiving day.
Turkeys. |
Chickens. |
Ducks, Geese, Small Game. |
|
Louderback |
500 |
- - |
350 |
J.H. Lourie |
20 |
50 |
25 |
Cook & Co. |
300 |
100 |
1000 |
D'Harmony |
75 |
200 |
600 |
Antonio |
50 |
75 |
- - |
Strasser |
32 |
- - |
50 |
Gurbinier |
150 |
150 |
60 |
Lemoine & Co. |
125 |
300 |
100 |
Conley |
40 |
25 |
- - |
A. Thompson |
200 |
100 |
1000 |
Hart & Raymond |
225 |
150 |
500 |
1717 |
1150 |
3985 |
Turkeys sold for two dollars a-piece before the demand grew active, but after the rush commenced were held as high, in many instances, as five dollars. Forty cents per pound was usually the ruling price. Quail readily bought $2.50 per dozen; ducks, from 50 cents to $1.25 per pair; chickens, $10 per dozen, and pigeons, $5.50 per dozen. Immense quantities of eggs were sold, one firm disposed of 300 dozen at retail. Amongst the gallinaceous specimens in coops of Hart & Raymond, we observed some two or three hundred dozen of Guinea hens; rather a rare fowl in our markets.
It is fair to presume that of the seven thousand or more fowl sold, there was enough for a good "square meal" for the entire population, including men, women, children, and Chinadom.
November 27, 1857. Daily Alta California 9(220): 2.