Evening journal., 1900-04-02
RAISING OF PHEASANTS.
EGGS INcUeATED BY LITTLE
BANTAM HENS.

Experiments With Mechanical incu-
bators Have Proved a Failure
Why It is Economy to Use the Do
mesticated Hen for Setting.
The Eastern Shore English pleas
ant preserve Of Mr.. John Harrison.
on the Chesapeake shore, in Dorches-
ter County, has been entirely re-
stocked with a vigorous lot of birds
taken from the wild on the ranges
of De Guise, in New York State. Mr..
Busick, manager OF this extensive
Maryland game preserve, had much
difficulty last year in securing a
strong stock Of pheasants, the fatal
difficult operation of bringing the
introduction of new birds to the rang
es.
Thirty-hve new breeds Of the pure
ringneck or English strain have ar
rived at "The Moors," and are now in
winter quarters in the breeding pens.
About 100 wild birds are also in the
natural covers, and will aid material
ly the breeding stock.
Mr.. Busick is an exceptionally sue
cessful pheasant fancier, and is prob
ably the only one on this side of the
Bay who has successfully pursued the
difficult operation of bringing the
birds to state of maturity on a large
scale. Pheasants are probably more
difficult to propagate than any other
bird grown in this country, and In
producing them successfully a scien-
tific knowledge Of the subject is most
essential. The practical methods in
use at the hatcheries Of The Moors"
differ materially in many respects
from those pursued by many of the
large Northern fanciers.
The breeding pens at "The Moors'
cover over an acre of ground, and
are furnished with dense artificial
coverts Of green cedar. Each Of these
runs is occupied during the spring
and summer months by six females
and a cock bird, and from these pens
/ come all the eggs used in the plant
Eggs. on being taken from the pens
! are entrusted to the care of bantam
hens, Of which large stock of good
sitters is required in the Matching
house during the incubating season.
Experiments and mechanical incu
bators in this department proved g
failure. and after several breeds ol
| chickens, including the leghorn and
games, had been given trial witt
the delicate pheasant eggs. Sea
brights and bantams were awarded
the contract of bringing out the
young birds from the shells. Aftel
Matching the hens are kept with tn,
young birds until the youngsters star
out a full covering Of feathers. II
large ranges covered and incioset
young birds begin active life, remain
ing under the protection Of the wir,
until their legs and wings are stronl
enough to enable them to escape tn
hawks and carnivorous animals
among which the opossum, weasel an
mink figure conspicuously, and all O
which seem to regard pheasant mea
with high favor. When reared in thes
contracted ranges the birds ar
necessarily thrown in contact wit
lntlI httpcI uuCu VI luc lllltg al
become as tame as chickens; but
strange to say, when they are libel
ated from the pens their wild instinc
comes suddenly to them, and one o
two days is sufficient to make them a
wild as If they were reared by thei
mothers in the wild state without tn
aid of man.
The object of incubating and real
ing the young pheasants with bantar
hens is to keep the pheasant hen
laying during the time when, If the
we're allowed to retain the eggs, the
would be occupied with sitting. A
the current price Of pheasant egg
for Matching purposes is from SO {
So per dozen, it is great economy {
utilize the domesticated chickens i
doing the work for the pheasant hem
Baltimore Sun.