Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-29
PHEASANTS IN NEW YORK.
Big Brood Liberated for Second Time in
Twelve Years at Geneseo.

Geneseo Letter in New York Tribune.
For the second time In decade Maj. W.
A. Wadsworth of this village has liberated
a big brood of pheasants. with a view of
restocking the fertile fields of the Genesee
valley with the lame which once teemed in
its hills and woods. The first stock num-
bered 500 birds, and they were let go to
the wild in 1891. The second freeing that
of June 2 to July 4, this year. sent $500
sturdy young birds into the open. Besides
these pheasants, Maj. Wadswcrth. aided by
George Bleistein of Buffalo and the Fail
Brook Sportsmens Club, has freed several
hundred quail. These birds are protected
by law until 1905, and ii is expected that
by that time their numbers will have in
creased enormously.
The GeneSee valley was originally well
filled naturally with game birds, such
pa rtridges woodcock, snipe and quail. In
1883 the sportsmen began to see that the
unrestrained banging of green hunters from
the city and villages had practically shot
out all of the game birds from Portage TO
the rapids at Rochester. Maj. Wadsworth
whose devotion to sports of all kinds has
been recognized as one of his most notices
able characteristics, decided that the only
way to save the valley from total denuda-
ton was to restock 1t. He consequently
employed a skilled English gamekeeper,
and under his advice imported a large num-
Der of quail from Kansas and Monaghan
pheaSants from Oregon. These birds were
set to breeding, and a year later he set
free his first batch of pheasants. These
birds soon accommodated themselves to
their surroundings, and penetrated all
through western New York, to the surprise
of many farmer who was puzzled to de-
eide what kind of bird it was he saw in
the pasture lot. The Wilderness with which
the birds have ranged is seen by the fact
that only the other day flock of pleas
ants was discovered in the fields north of
Webster, in the upper part of Monroe
county, nearly fifty miles distant.
In 1898 George Bleistein liberated about
800 quail on the east and west banks of the
GeneSee. They were Kansas and Nebraska
birds, and according to all reports have
thrived well. Several of the winters have
been excessively severe, however. and the
birds had hard time of it. Their state
was somewhat mitigated, however by the
Brook Club, who scattered many bushels of
corn where the birds could get at 1t. The
little fellows f1ocked around these feeding
places by the hundreds and became tame
and approachable, and few of them died.
1t is probable that each year young birds
will be liberated In various numbers and in
another five years the valley, 1t is hoped,
will once more be stocked
The breeding pens of the pheasants are
kept filled with old birds the proper
ton being forty hens to sixteen cocks, d.
vided up into sixteen pens. Each hen can
be depended on to lay about forty eggs a
year. These eggs are Matched under or
binary hens, the pheasant hen refusing to
set in captivity. If possible. bantam hens
are used. as they 90 not injure the young
birds by clumsiness. The young pheasants
are hardy youngsters and can care for
themselves in four or five weeks after
Matching. They are fed on ordinary chicken
provender. Maj. Wadsworth's birds at
present are half English and half Oregon
in numbers The latter birds are largey
and sleeker than their English cousins.