Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 184, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1915 — TO INCREASE GAME by BREEDING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TO INCREASE GAME by BREEDING

by L.M. BENNINGTON

fSE American Game Protective association, the national organization of the country’s sportsmen is bending every effort to a solution of the problem of increasing the game supply. To that end a meeting was recently held in New York to discuss breeding and preserving of game birds. It was agreed that the saving of the remnant of game birds and mammals of America, estimated at ten per cent of the number which existed at the time of greatest abundance, could only be accomplished through the provision of refuges or sanctuaries for wild life and the adoption of means of forced production through the medium of the game J farm.

P e n n sylva n la. under the dire cll o n of an excellent conservation commission. Is probably the leading exponent of the large s a n c t uary idea, and is now establishing refuges on 1.000,000 acres

of public lands distributed among 30 counties and running in area from 120,000 to 516,000 acres. lowa, Washington, Illinois and California are conspicuous among the states that are establishing wild life sanctuaries in practically every community or every county within their confines. The first named state has already set aside refuges totaling more than 300,000 acres in area.

A number of states, by establishing farms for the rearing of game in captivity, have blazed the trail in the direction of breeding game birds in captivity and subsequently liberating them in the country that will afford food and cover and thus increase the supply of game. Among these states are California, Delaware, Connecticut, lowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon. New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin. New York has two farms and a third has been provided for by legislative action, but has not yet been actually started. Massachusetts has also several farms, and is carrying on valuable experimental work. Recently the American Game Protective association sent a blank to the various states having game farms asking information as to tbeir activities. The species of game bred on the various farms were shown to include the ringneck pheasant, wild turkey, California valley quail. Hungarian partridge, Mexican quail, our own bobwhite, Canadian geese, mallard, black and wood duck, golden and silver

pheasants, rabbits, elk and deer. California, since the establishment of its game farm, has distributed more than 1,000 wild turkeys, and 884 eggs of this species, and 5,000 ringneck pheasants, among Its citizens for propagation purposes.

The New Jersey game farm at Forked river is one of the most interesting and best equipped in the country. This farm is under the general supervision of Commissioner Ernest papier, and is rapidly proving Itself a model. The product of the first 'year of this farm was 4,400 ringnecks, 400 bobwhite quail, 35 wild turkeys. 5 Canadian geese, 180 mallards and 20 deer.

Game breeding, however, is not confined to state activities. Individuals and associations of sportsmen are doing their share of the good work. Game farming is urged by those interested in increasing the country’s supply because it admits of forced production. A few facts will show how much greater that production can be made per unit than it is in the wild state. Take the quail. In the wild state the hen lays usually from ten to eighteen eggs in a season, while on the New Jersey state game farm last year 46 eggs were laid by a single hen. That was a record, but 25 Is probably a conservative estimate of the production of the average hen quail in captivity. The hen is robbed of her eggs as she lays them and they are placed un-

der domestic hens for incubation. Robbed of the eggs, the captive birds keep on laying in an endeavor to secure enough for incubation. The pheasant and other game birds can be treated the same way, and the percentage of the brood brought to maturity is much greater owing to

the protection from vermin that is afforded when the chicks are hand raised. Emphasis is placed on the fact that every game farm refuge, club and private preserve forms a valuable refuge for song and insectivorous birds as well as the game species. When it is considered that the country’s crops are damaged yearly to the extent of $1,200,000,000 (United States department of agriculture figures) by insects, of which our birds are the most efficient destroyers, the more game movement assumes an important economic aspect.