The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-05
SHALL HARES BIZ SHARED?
a CURIOUS PROBLEM FROM THE
MAINE FORESTS.

Enasrous Nun bers Of Harcs Eaten by
French ansdians-Lumbermen Seek
10 Protect the Animals Because The,
Help the Pine and spruce Growth.
OBoNo, Me April l.-Such Of the $1,000
French Canadian residents Of Maine as
have learnt about the new law forbidding
the sharing oil mares nj any time are very
angry at the Legislature, and will vote
hereafter for any candidate in favor OF
restoring the ancient privilege. As not
moro than 10 per cent have heard anything
about the law as yet, ard as most Of them
viii not understand the mt aiming Of the
enactment until a game warden iniicts
hnes upon them, the sharing will go on
the same rs usual. ard in thousands OF
homes along the St John. Allagash and
Aroostook rive 70 there will be hare ste VS.
for the children every night. while the
older ones in the families will at frio ass d
hares and grow strong and rich from saving
on butchers bills
In the economy Of nature the hare il the
one creature that stands between most
Of the carnivorous animals and starvation.
In the northern woods. where snow lies on
the ground for more than half the year,
IN where vegetation is Of slow growth,
the hare serves as q machine for convt rting
dry birch twigs into muscular. lean meat
and providing it In such quantities that
hawks, owls. wildcats. weasels and foxes
can live in comparative luxury.
Until the middle OF the eighteenth century
the siesh -eating birds and mammals con-
trolled the consumption Of hares from the
Al, ,tic ssabo1rd to the st. Lawrence River.
When Gen Wolfe. at the head OF his British
troops, captured Quebec in October. 1853,
the defeated French settlers scatter d all
over the northeastern part OF the CONT
nent Having but few fire arms and scant
supply OF ammunition for killing deer ard
moose, and wishing TO preserv their lev
domestic amin ais for the milk ard wool
which they provided, the French refugees
Get snares In the forest urdt thrush and
caught hares to keep the mselves In MI At.
and this habit has chung to the race until
to-day, when more than 100000 hares
are caught and eaten by Maine Frenchmen
every year.
The number OF hares which one family
will consume seems almost incredible to
those who are not familiar with the cir
cumstances. During the past winter Joe
Bulduc and his wife and Ave children OF
Oropo have averaged two dosen hares every
week from December until April, and will
continue TO eat stewed and fricaseed hares
and hare soup until the spring dandelions
com, and green's may be had for the digging
Most of the Bulduo supply was caught
by the two boys. who set and attended TO
thar snares before and after school. When
the boys had a surplus Of meat on hand they
frczs up the hares and kept them In cold
storage until time OF scarcity. or sold them
10 other families for five cents carcass
In this manner the boys, the elder OF whom
is IL, have cold enough hares to buy salt
some little spending money besides. II an
eouiyslent amount Of nutrition had been
purchased at the markets the expense would
have been about $500.
The strangeet feature o. the case Is tnat
the face Of the State, and the French;
Can adams are multiplying rapidly and
subsisting almost wholly upon hares, the
animals seem TO be as plentiful now Is they
S:ss b.. . S'p s 4r .SH " %sess Boiisa
csug6t az hares In the winter OF 1873. and
lsst winter Bolieu's grandsons caugnt S3o
herss on tho same lot with the same NUMBER
Of snares.
must remember that the great northern
hare IA a very prolific animal which WIN
soon supply the woods with game II has
any sort Of chance In the struggle LOT ex-
isteuce. A pair OF hares. under ORDINARY
conditions, will produce three naeis OF
from four to six young ones. AZ the young
born In May will produce offspring IN sep
tsmber, and a. hares live to be ten or twelve
years OF age, the progeny OF pair o. hsres
viii amount to more than 10000 Individual
hares at the end Of four years, while In TED
wears the number will run up 70 millions.
Land owners and experts In forestry
MANAGEMENT are coming to believe that
the survival Of Names forests OF spruce
and pine depends upon the perpetuaoon
Of the haree As soon as softwood growth
~ Cd or burned over. the land springs
up TO berry bushes, which hold the ground
for two or three years and then give way
TO aspen birches. popars and red cherry
When this deciduous growth reaches a
heisht Of ten feet and In able to ehade the
ground during summer droughts, the
Seeds OF pines and spruces are able TO strike
root and survive the heat OF summer and
begin life with the prosIect OF eeoC Whils
the evergreen trees are growing In the
friendly shade. the aspen birches have
choked out the cherry and poplar trees,
and have formed very dense thickets. which
would soon choke the growth OF the spruces
and pines II the haros did not girdie their
trunks In quest Of food and eat on tne tops
Of the young birches, thereby destroying
the trees, letting In more light and giving
the eyerereens q chance to overtop their
former nurses and monopolize the land.
n Ia the opinion of lumbermen that while
the new law il, no doubt. wise one ana
intended for the preservation OF vaiuapie
timber trees, no enactment o. TINS kino
are furnished with some cheap substitute
Tor THAR IN vorita article OF diet.