Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-12-17

by DR.. MIDDLETON GOLDSMITH.
From the Turf, Field and Farm.

-
= From the Turf, Field and Farm.
If The question is often asked, when discus
Is ing the matter of game laws for this countr
&c how much of wealth could be added to OF
I land and water products by the adoption
# game codes ? The question is difficult, b.
a cause, even in England where game
r perhaps the best preserved, the data fo
framing an answer to the query are somt
% W vague and mostly matter of est
IN s.
The quantity ot iish and game sold in th
: the markets i'll England is not recorded
What il imported and what is exported
, easily learned from custom house returns
but what Is reared and sold for consump
ton IN Great Britain cannot be accuratel,
determined Very much OF that which i
consumed is not sold This rsmark applie
ye unegohly to various kinds of game
Ec4v lt.le Of the venson is SOLD at all L
i mostly consumed 10 the region where i,
Is killel, OF is given away Even in this
country the quantity sent TO market is no
auueaSufemeht oi that hiiei VI grouse,
partridges and pheasants a larger propor
ton than ot the yension finds its way To
game dealers shop
Ut ali the game killed in the British
Isles. rabbits come IN greatest numbers to
the dealers. and IN the proportion greatest
a. 10 the quantity killed. and for the reason
that rabbits are not eaten by the upper
50 much as by the working classes. The
head ami antlers Of the royal stag go to adorn
the master dining hall while the carcass,
minus, perhaPs the saddle. is distrihut-
ID among his retainers. 80 that. with the
exception oi rabbits, the number of the diff
( ierent Kinds 0t game sent to the dealers is
~ more certainly the pumber killed than is
/ Tie number sent to DdrGct in this country
| the number killed
II So happens 10 regard to rabbits that
! then skins are utilized Tor various purpOses
| They are dyed. and cheap tars are manu-
iactlre1 IRON them. They are sent to Rus
sia and Northern China where among other
u-e~, they are made to cover the walls of
the living rJoms Of houses They are work
ell up by luriers. OithOse manufacture din
u lurs-i. c.. muhS, collars, capes, etc-uo
estimate can ho made. OF those sent to
Russia and china ;he numb er Is not Dub
l,'hed but Of those finding their way an
nusily 70 the turriers IT is known that there
are at the lowest estimate 80, 900 200.
That th.s IS not the whole rabbit crop NAV
be easily believed. when 1t is stated by the
game dealers that 10 them the skins are
~Orthles,, or. 40 other words, that a rabbit
with sSin on Is not sold for any more
than one with the skin OIL that the
ska Wien taken on IS worth only
about "a cent and halt or two cents at
most and that therefore they are hardly
worth the trouble OfSaying, stretching and
drying that skins are yalueless to the fur
ric:s when taken from the rabbits killed out
OF season, and that great Numbers Of rabbits
are taken by pnacherl and from servants.
where u sell the skin might act 10 disclose
the p0aching
Rabbits weigh lrom two pound, to two
pounds and "a halt apiece. ana are sold at
wholesale Tor at least twelve cents pound.
Taking the 30 600 600 of skins sold to fur
Tles and manufactured or exported as the
measurement Of the crop, the meat pro
duced Is 10000 ton, and is worth $40, ,0OO.-
900 The inr ObtaiaeI Is worth SO, 80 900 |
making the crop produce Sl3, 80 900.
II appears also that there are sold by the |
game dealers something ike one hare for |
every fifteen rabbits. This would add TO
our list > 600 coo hares and would represent |
about lj.000. 600 more pounds Of meat,
worth, as near as can be reckoned. 81 500 |
600.
The supply OF grouse is about one grouse |
ior every ten rabbits. This would give |
5000 900 grouse. worth about 81 ,OGO ,OOO |
more.
1t Is Impossible 10 form an estimate Of /
the number oi phossant- and partridses /
and other winged game. The rabbits ,bares. |
and grouse may he safely put down at /
Z e. I.ll i.l q -,
add 90 this the other game OF the country /
and give the hest heed to the consideration |
mentioned above, it will be evident to the |
most cautious observer thar the game pro |
due. OF the British Isles exceeds rather than |
goes under SD, O,000. 900 annually, reckon |
lng the produce as food alOna The reason
aben,s- OF this estimate IS attestod by an
other series OF isct-.
Ii may he saiely assumed that the land |
q Great Britain Is made 10 bear all the
game which can be borne upon il without
prejudice % the farmers crops Now it is
in evidence before the select committee that
one hare 20 every four acres slavery common
stock he smallest number named by any
ot the witness as being that which could
be borne by the land without damage to
the crops one hare to every ten acres
The area Of the British Isles Is. in round
low, aoc0rIing 10 the lowest estimate,
500 900, or allowing for the area of cities.
900 .0oo Of hares 10 be produced annually
without damage to crops
A. to the winged game it would hardly be
thought that one bird. pheasant, grouse or
partridge 10 every two acres would be
high estimate for the whole crop of the
country. This would give 81 900 600. or,
putting it one bird for every four acres,
would give Is geo. .0JO. That this Is a mod
crate estimate would seem to be apparent,
when 1t Is stated by various witnesses that
the shooting rents Average at least - cents
to tho acre through the whole kingdom.
Ii i known that the deer shooting of y
forests iu Scotland yields about one million
yearly in rentals There is to be added to
this all the venison raised in parks, all the
produce OF warrens, and the woodcock,
black game. plover, waterfowl, etc, Of
which 50 large amount is constantly
seen 10 their seasons in all the game-deal
ers shops.
All Of these facts seem to Indicate that
the above mentioned estimats Is a reasonable
one. This Immense wealth, tor immense
1t o., at the lowest reckoning. is one aceru-
ing 10 the nation almost wholly by the
operation oi the game laws That all kinds
OF game would be practically exterminated
# there were NJ game laws is attcsted by
the opiniou oi every witness OF whom the
4 ae~ti5n Wa asked. and is shown by the
wants ot the continent consequent upon the
temporary suspension of all game laws save
hat OF securing the shooting to the tenant
Of the soil. Ii is well to bear in mind that
all this great produce Is borne upona land
where it, agricultural use Is the dominant
use, and in Il country where, IN the interest
1i food. every available acre is put to use
all this on an area not equal To New Eng
and OF New York and Pennsylvania. Ii We
the game capacities OF each by the
areas abandoned to scrub, or swamp, or l
Orest. then the game area of the New Eng |
and States alone is more than double the
game area of all Great Britain. There is to be
added to these considerations the fact that
while i'll Great Britain only that Is remitted
10 the exclusive occupation OF game which :
is ht for no agricultural use, in New Eng {
and the land thus transmitted Is such that,
with the English capital and culture. would /
almost all ne ii.lable or pasturable land 1
From all this there Is nu violence done to ,
IN asserting that. vast as is the
rame product Of the British Isles, that of
New England might be yastor still were
sc to give 10 came ard the rights Of game
i1es
Ia Brief.
King Alfonso IS raising mOu-hche
Vice President Wilson's lie was insured
or 50 800
The Prince hlwsrI Island harbors are
rnyen and many ur,Juce-l laden ya-ssis ara !