The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-08-15
GAME PRESERVES IN GERMANY.
Farmers lake Money by Taking
Care OF Birds and other Animals.

Farmers Make Money by Taking
Care of Birds and other Animals.
In Prussia the game law allows the
owner of every piece of land that is
inclosed by a fence or wall the right
to shoot birds or animals on 1t, or to
rent The privilege out to those from
the towns or cities. All of the land
less than 200 acres in extent which is
not Enclosed may belong to one ac-
cording to law, but the shooting priv
ilege is owned by the commune in
which the land is located. The result
Is that there is not free n tndiS-
criminate hunting. The sportsmen
from the towns or cities, however, for
mere nominal rent, can find excellent
hunting by hiring from any of the
farmers along the line of the railroads.
The game is generally preserved and
fed by the farmer until the shooting
season, for the abundance of the game
determines largely the price he a
obtain for the shooting privilege. A
great deal of the shooting land is own
ed by the farmers. who do not inclose
t, and the communal authorities usual
~ - IN &iltIhS VI tiS ShootihS
privileges. These renting privileges
constitute a very important revenue
of the agricultural class. The commu-
nal authorities credit to each farmer
his due share of the aggregate rental
in proportion to the area of his land.
! The leases of the shooting privil-
eges are usually from six to nine or
twelve years, and, by furnishing prop
/ pr inn n.ipI ON rn n " thnt thn ,nnt will
be paid, the privilege goes to the high
est bidder, at a public auction. The
club or individual leasing the lana
then assumes all responsibility both
as to the rearing and preservation of
the game, and to the damage done to
growing crops. Two communal as
SCISSORS determine the amount of dam
age done to farm crops by the hares,
birds or deer, and they levy the tax
to be paid to the farmer. Generally
a local ~gamekeeper watches over the
small preserves to see that the game
is not molested.
No n is allowed to wander over
the fields with d shotgun and a hunt
er's Announcements without a license
from the local authorities. In order to
secure a license, the applicant must be
a man of good standing and not n
der Is years of age. These licenses
to shoot on certain fields cost from Toe
to So a year. Any %infraction of these
rules is punishable by fines, confisca-
ton of the gun and accoutrements
and by Imprisonment. Poaching is
thus kept down, and the professional
bird and animal killer is abolished.
SpOrtsmen who pay for shooting
privileges are not governed by any
written code, such as prevails In
America, that it is not good form to
sell their game in the open market.
In Germany they kill the game for the
sport, and then sell it to help pay for
the expenses of the preserves.
The principal wild game in Germany
are the stag, the deer, hares and rab-
bits, ~pheasants, partridges, snipe,
woodcOck, wild ducks. swans, foxes,
badgers, fish offers and many others.
The hare is the great national game
animal. hunted alike in every part of
the empire.
In Prussia alone as many as $780,
900 hares have been killed in one
season, representing an income to the
agricultural classes of nearly 81 ,5OO,-
0OO.-COuntry Gentleman.