The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-05-10

deer which inhabit Germany Its flesh is
the daintiest venisoD known to the cpl
cure The roebuek may be killed at
any time except during March and
between October 18th ard December 18th.
koedeer live close to cultivated fields, and
as they destroy the grain the thrifty peasant
makes note of it aud assesses damages on
the lessee. For this reason some of the
best hunting leases command but a small
rental, some being as low as $50 20 year
1or nearly 1000 acres, but the lessee pays In
addition from $1,000 to $1,000 for damage
done to crops by his hares and deer. The
law which holds the game proprietor re-
sponsibe for its depredations removes from
the farmer the temptation to destroy it.
The reliable, everyday game of the
average German sportsman is the hare. 1t
resembles the American field rabbit. but is
much larger and the flesh is greatly
superior. Ii never burrows, but lives
altogether above ground, its protection
being clod or stone, and sometimes 1t
resorts to thickets and small woodlands.
but very seldom to deep dark woods. In
the open fields of Southern and Western
Germany it swarms IL is not greatly in
favor with the rich for table use, but Is a
coveted luxury with the poorer classes and
in some markets Is always in demand. Tie
mother hare bears annually two
AND SOMETIMES THREE
Litters of from eight to dozen leyerets.
and, although many die from cold wet
weather or are killed by foxes, hawks and
other enemies, they multiply until they are
as plenty as field mice. A few are killed by
sportSmen during the time of partridge
shooting, but the great slaughter takes
place in December, when the great bat
tues or Griye-hunts are made. They are
less destructive to trees and gardens than
our rabbit but they are so prolific that they
are source OF great anxiety to the
farmers. For this reason the law COM
pels the lessee to drive-hunt the en-
tire area of his holding not less than
once each year. These drives are not
very Sportsmanlike, but they are jolly and
social. In these drives, unlike those SINH
larry conducted in the United States, shoot
ing the hare is permissible, and it is no
uncommon occurrence for party to kill on
short winter day upon 300 or 400 acres of
wheat and beet fields, within half an hours
drive of Frankfort, from 400 to 500 hares.
AS these will average about 8 pounds each
in weight, the result Of the days shooting is
about two tons of game. The game.dealer
pays from 80 to 70 cents each for
harcs in Germany, and they retail
in Paris for from to francs.
which pays yearly millions of francs for
game brought from beyond the Rhine. By
the sale OF his game the lessee OF shooting
grounds rec0upS, more or less fully, his eX-
penditures for rent and keepers. and the
money goes finally to the peasant or landed
proprietor upon whose premises it was
grown. From the beginning of the hunting
season until the end of December, 1890,
there were killed in Prussia alone, accord
ing 10 official statistics, 100000 hares,
which, at $50 marks each, the usual whole
sale price, represented an income of $780,
600 marks, or nearly $1,500,000.
In Germany these hunts are made the oc-
casion of much social festyity The ques-
ton for us TO consider is: Could the Ger
man system be introduced successfully and
prOfitably in the United States, and. If so,
would such introduction be desirable?
There are many questions of detail which
such an experiment would Involve, and it
could only be done by making game pre-
serYation easy and withal profitable
to the owners of the land. 1t need
not be expensive. A dozen pairs Of part
ridges, pheasants and hares, imported from
Austria or Germany. turned loose upon any
American farm and protected for three or
four years would multiply so that they
would be able to hold their own against any
reasonable and snOrtsmanlike pursuit The
hare is very different animal from the
American or Australian rabbit and its mum
bers can always be kept within safe and
reasonable limits.