The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-05-18
LANES ~ TUE DESERT.
ney Are Deadly TRAPS Tor Ducks and
Have Oth~v Sarieus Effects.

just a. irrigabls and irrigated lands
will produce better and more certain
crops than lands which depend upon rain
fall for moisture. 10 ponds ~ lake- made In
arid landr are the test duck ponds in the
world. Never on any Northern bOdy of
water are Wild fowls packed together a. on
these artificial sheets.
The reason u simple They are the
only waters within many square miles OF
territory and ducks and gec~e 20 to them
because there 10 no where else 10 60
Within nine miles of the city 81 san Anto-
MO. Tex. tsa lake or pond. Of th. character
called Mitchells Lake 1t Wa- msdeb by dam
ming up the lower end II a natural landfall
and this dam resulted In a pond a milo long
bv q half mile wide and shoulder deep n
the centre
L, SOON became rich In duck gra-- and edi-
bic weeds and sone Wild ne Was planted
in Il. Then ducks visited 1t IN tens %
thousands.
They were confined in 20 narrow . space
that killing them was no trouble at all. IL
driven way by repeated gunrre. they
few SOIL. mlier to tie south or west
md, finding no other water, returned
1lus on shooting days at AltchelIs LAKE
there was n constant egreS- and ingre-s
~ u tANA NHfN
their heads achcd
M. axe defended upon rainfall and in
dry s.aSuns there Was sometimes not more
than two inches ut water IA it, centre anu
much OF it, bottom wa dry. IT, thee Sra
sons JscksniJe preferred II and settled upon
its fiat IN ~ arms.
MANY tines a hundred msllAIds have been
kil,-i by IA angle gun at MitcielIs LAKE
between dsy hight aud lat" breakfast and tire
sui,. have BEEN taken un y 10y tie gtuS-.
a Ia. ,untl I@. lLH fIIlrs altAe the lrUlt
coast aid j. a stopping place Tor bifds
wlnch make the salt water their winter
home.
Nin. miles south Of San Antonio. near
IN. Old Spanish mission and not Tar from
the sail Antonio River, some men have
pup .hased 30 acres and Will make a pond
similar to AitChell'- Lake. IL II Intended
SOLELY for a ptN ate shooting a-sJcistioh'
Among the members ale tulla Heikc-, a
| professional trap--ho'. and T., hOugh, a
SPORTSMAN and uoN eIIsi
TL.-r Ionds arr nov Icing built In many
rla,,s through the West aud Sou,hwcst
The and in those regions II cheap and
| much u II /, not III for any thing save to
lie put under water.
Where the course a. = dry creek can he
found. a creek d Training a good bit Of tern
| tory when ther" IL ANYTHING 70 drain, the
construction Of = shooting axe az This kind
II. not costly. The dirt may 10 had n low
a. - al acre. and building n dam amounts
To- lutle.
However small q lax u' this kin nav
l.. and however far IN the deseIt. the Mid
| Iou h find II a. soon az u hss water and dnCk
feed. They do this though II IL. zoo miies
| OF IN. regular air lance which they travel
Ia going south or coming north, the two
route bang dis'inc' and widely separated
Alwavs. loo. around these ponds, there
/. a glca, increas- 81 Wild life and v'ge-
tatinn seems "a sprlng w to shelter Il
! Ougils. hlus and brown, ss"k the vsters.
a. 10 Wild TURKEYS and dove J~aCksnII--
ind IL ns readily A. dc he ducks, g',-e
md swans small hirl- Nv 20 u from lao
one knows here aud u'~t 10y n
Occasionally fu out on ia" brown tahle-
land. . duck SppSETs which H. rarely
seen away from salt water, sud- 10 the ale
wife. or .outh--putherly q the~ap-nkc
BAY. though Why and how hey get there
y one ~ The many unexplained mysteries
about fowl q ghts
A. tho hards visit tho nov lake predatory
faura follow them sud Ind ~ the mes
I quite and catclaN which L. sparse al hr~'
foxes, hobtail"d cats, ot-lots, skurk-
and 80 on. : son acres Which twelve
| months before we're hut = part az n dusty
waste, untcnapied save by the tsrantula
nd cen'iJ-ir. show every form 81 Wild
lie az v Inch the " ~ ~ capable