Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-07-05
GAME IN GERMANY.
SYSTEMATIC WAY IN WHICH HUNT
ING is MANAGED THERE.

In Prussia the game law allows the own
sr Of every piece of land that is inclosed by
u fence or wall the right to shoot birds or
animals on it or to rent the privilege out
to those from the towns and cities. All
of the land less than 200 acres in extent
which is not Enclosed may belong to one
according to law, but the shooting privi-
lege is owned by the commune in which
the land is located. The result Is that
there is not free and indiscriminate hunt
ing. 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 de-
termines largely the price he can obtain
for the shooting privilege. A great deal Of
the shooting land is owned by the farmers,
who do not tnclose it, and the communal
authorities usually have the renting of the
shooting privileges. These renting privi-
lcgcs amount to many millions of marks
every year, and they constitute very i'm
portant revenue of the agricultural class.
The communal authorities credit to each
al in proportion to the area of his land
The leases of the shooting privileges are
usually from to 8 or 10 years. and by
furnishing proper financial guarantee that
the rent will be paid the privilege goes to
the highest bidder at public auction
The club or individual leasing the land
then assumes all responsibility, both as to
the rearing and preservation of the game
n 1On1pup TO rir,rr
Two communal assessors determine the
amount Of damage done to farm crops by
the hares birds or deer, and they levy the
tax to be paid to the farmers Generally u
local gamckeepcr watches over the small
preserve to see that the game is not mo-
Tested.
The great principle which has been in
culcatcd by this system is that the game
birds are just as much private property as
the poultry or cattle Of the farmer and that
1t Is just as punishable an offcnso to kill
| them without power from the authorities
as 1t is to rob a henroost or kill farmers
COW or pig. A long course of public cdu-
cation would be required in this country
before people could be induced to look upon
wild game in this light. Naturally there
is poaching in Germany the same as there
doubtful if the former is much more gem
eral than the latter. Moreover, by this
system the farmers crops are protected
from all injury by irresponsible depreda-
tors in search of game. The law forbids
hunting on the farms when the crops are
growing. The field shooting begins late
in the fall when the crops are all harvested
No one is allowed to wander over the
Nt-ith n oh nd &c
terments without u license from the local
authorities. In order to secure a license
the applicant must be man in good stand
ing and not under IS years of age These
licenses to shoot on certain fields cost from
rs cents to SO q year. Any infraction Of
these rules is punishable by fines, connsca-
ton OF the gun and accoutermcnts and by
imprisonment. Poaching is thus kept
down, and the professional bird and ami
NAL killer is abolished.
Sportsmen who pay for shooting privi-
leges arc not governed by any unwritten
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. On
some of the best preserves the returns from
Men of limited means can in this way en-
joy shooting to their hearts content by
using little business shrewdness in con-
Quoting preserve. without this system
many lovers of the sport could not afford
to indulge in the chase at all. Tho game
is plentiful and very gentle when the shoot
ina season begins, and every owner feels
assured that the multiplication Of the birds
nj 10 will 20 M NUi
ence from poachers.
The principal wild game in Germany
are the stag, the deer, hares and rabbits,
pheasnnts, partridgos, snipe, woodcock,
wild ducks, swans, foxes, badgers, fish OF
tiers and many others. The hare is the
great national game animal, hunted alike
in every part Of the empire by the plain,
average German sportsman. 1t Is n SUI
perior animal, both in size and quality, to
the common brown American rabbit. 1t
does not burrow, but seeks shelter in
cold weather behind stones and roots of
trees. The small animal is in great abund-
ance, and 1t forms staple article of food
for the lower classes. They are very pro-
life, one mother often bringing out from
Is to "a young ones in one season. They
are preyed upon by hawks, foxes and other
enemies besides man, but they multiply so
rapidly under the fostering care of the
laws that in December, when the shooting
begins, the hunters find plenty of game.
Paris Is great market for hares and it is
not unusual for gamekeepers in one place
to order a special car each day during tho
shooting season to send straight through
to the French capital. In Prussia alone as
many as $500, 600 hares have been killed
In one season, representing an income to
the agricultural classes of nearly 81, $780,
900.
The gray partridge of northern Europe,
found in considerable abundance in Ger
many, greatly resembles our quail, only it
is larger. 1t is one of the most gamy field
birds, and its flesh is highly priced by the
epicures. So carefully are they protected
that they live upon the open fields and
meadows close to the farmhouses. The
birds bring forth two broods in one season,
and the hunting begins in September. On
most farms of $50 acres in extent, 200 or
300 birds are killed in one season, and on
some very good ones the average score has
run up to 1000 birds. Toward the end Of
the shooting season they become wilder
and harder to bag, and considerable sports
mans blood is required to shoot many
Country Gentleman.
The Lesson of Neatness.