The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-29
GAME PRESERVES IN GERMANY.
Farmers Make Money by Taking Care
of Birds and Other Amin ais.

of Birds and Other Amin ais.
In Prussia the game law allows the
owner of every piece of land that is in
closed by fence or wall the right to shoot
birds or animals on it, 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 incloSed may
belong to one according to law, but
the shooting privilege is owned by the
commune in which the land is located
The result is that there is not free
and indiscriminate hunting. The sports
men from the towns or cities, however for
a 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 can obtain for the shooting
privilege. A great deal of the shooting
land is owned by the farmers, who do not
lnclose 1t, and the communal authorities
usually have the renting of the shooting
privileges. These renting privileges con-
Stltute very important revenue of the
agricultural class. The communal authori-
ties credit to each farmer his due share of
the aggregate rental in proportion to the
area of his land, says the Country Gentle
man.
The leases of the shooting privileges are
usually from six to nine or twelve years,
and by furnishing proper financial guar
anty that the rent will be paid. the privi-
lege 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, and to the damage done to
growing crops. The 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 local gamekeeper watches over
the small preserve to see that the game is
not moleSted.
fields with Shotgun and hunters accou-
terments without a license from the local
authorities. In order to secure license
the applicant must be q man in good stand
ing and not under Is years of age. These
licenses to shoot on certain fields cost from
70 cents TO So a year Any infraction of
these rules is punishable by fines, confisca-
ton of the gun and accouterments and by
imprisonment. Poaching is thus kept
down and the professional bird and animal
killer abolished.
Sportsmen who pay for shooting privi-
Ieges are 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.
The principal wild game in Germany are
the stag, the deer, hares and rabbits,
pheasants. cartridges, snipe, woodcock,
wild ducks, swans, foxes, badgers, fish OF
ters 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 $500, 900
hares have been killed in one season, rep
resenting an income to the agricultural
classes of nearly 81 500, 900.