The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-11-01
~BcB WHITE, FARMERS FRIEND
Partridge Destroys Many Noxious
Weeds and nlsects-Should Be
Projected.

\
some popular errors regarding Bob
White and is strong plea for his
There are half dozen varieties OF
quail in the United States, tie hand
soonest being these OF the Southwest
and the Pacific slope, where they are
slate blue in color and handsomely
crested. But the principal interest in
this best known Of all game birds is
that it is valuable asset of the farm
er and helpful rather than destructive
to the growing crops.
A thorough study Of the bird has
been made by the department without
finding any evidence that it is harmful
to crops. 1t eats principally noxious
weed seeds and bugs injurious to the
crops. It does not trouble either the
sprouting grain, as do the crows and
blackbirds, and does not feed on the
standing crops or forage among the
stacks When it does eat grain it is
only what it CLEANS from the harvest
ed fields. 1t prefers weeds and does
not eat wheat and corn if it can get
sumach, ragweed and bay berries.
A close calculation was made by the
department Of the number of Bob
Whites in Virginia and North Caro-
lima, the total approximating 354,S20.
1t is known from a long series Of ex-
periments that the craw Of the bird
holds about half an ounce, Of which
fully SO per cent. is weed seed. AT
this rate from September 1 to April
80 in Virginia and North Carolina
alone, the birds eat 3,341 tons Of
weed seeds.
Among the insects on which the
birds habitually feed are the Rocky
Mountain locust, the Colorado potato
bug, the boil weevil, the cut worm,
the army worm and two sorts Of cot
ton worms. The chicks are even more
highly insectivorous than the OH
birds.
The department urges all land own
ers to realize the value of the Bob
White. 1t says that with proper man
agement some farms of 500 to 1000
acres would yield more revenue from
Bob Whites than from poultry. 1t is
estimated that between 100000 and
| 400, 900 sportsmen go out from the
cities every fall to hunt the Bob
White. and this, of course, means a
big revenue, most Of which goes to
the farmers.
Paradoxical as it may seem, sports
men exercise a powerful influence IN
protecting the birds. Many big pre-
serves are maintained where the quail
are used only for field trials for dogs
and are either not shot at all or shot
under very close restrictions. Some
clubs maintain preserves Of 10000 to
10000 acres, and many sportsmen
have their own preserves exclusively
For dog trials. The demand for live
quail for this purpose is steadily in
creasing, and there would be good
revenue if the Bob White could be
bred in captivity on any extensive
scale. This has been tried and proved
difficult, but the birds can be protect
ed from their natural enemies, snakes
skunks, oowls, hawks and cats, and
they can be fed.
Every few years, on the recurrence
of unusually severe winters with
| heavy SHOWS which cover the food
supply, great numbers of Bob Whites
perish, and sometimes in the northern
part Of it's range the bird becomes al
most extinct. This unnecessary loss
of life could be largely prevented II
land owners and others interested
would scatter a little grain in suitable
places This is done in some localities,
as at Sandy Spring, Nd, where II. H.
Miller drives out over the snow COW
cred country scattering grain for the
starving quail The practice is worthy
of general adoption. 1t is necessary
only while the ground is snow-bound
and especially after sleet storms
The game laws in the several states
vary greatly, and in some States vary
from county to county, but the de-
partment advises all States to limit
their open season to one month.
The department of agriculture OBJ
tanned three pairs of Bob Whites from
Knasas, which after five months cap
tivity are almost as wild as when first
Gagged, and show no signs Of mating.
Experiments in the domestication OF
Bob Whites are well worth trying,
however, because Of the demand from
clubs and individuals for live birds to
restock their grounds. SO great has
become the demand in recent years