The Somerset reporter., 1905-10-19
The Food of Wild Deer.

Several Maine papers have been cast
ing unfavorable reflections on the SIN
cerity of the Bangor lumberman, who
has said that the deer of the Naine
woods are working great harm TO the
deciduous trees Naturally very much
depends upon how wide range gwen
herd of deer has. All animals have de-
cided tastes for certain KINDS of food i,
though NEST of them will accept that
which is uupalatable to them sooner
than go hungry. This fact is brought
out very plainly among such animals rs
have become domtstcattd The dog is
from nature and from cho ce carnivor-
ous animal, but in the absence of frek h
meat, the average dog not only thrives
tut grows fat upon plain brown bread
while biscuit aud cakes are eaten greed
lily Down among the Maine islands
many sheep get through the winter by
stroiling along the chores and picking
up sea wIack. II cludlng snalls and mus
Sc and sea worms, as well AS algae anu
kelp sheep 40 not have TO be very
hungry 10 eat frozen tomcods-n"t 80
1avenuus az men would have To be IL
do the same thing Mos eats Will Eat
soil bread and cakes ut various Klnds
though The nature OF the cat KIND L.
carnivorous.
Nlthin the past teo Years We have tax
en- cOnsiderabie pains to learn all " {
could about the kluds Of plants. which
deer select WHEN roaming wild II It
perhaps safe 10 say that Ter nearly ha
the year the Maine deer select aud sub
sist upon the lips and tender sprouts al
birch. They stem to like tn smai
gray birchts better than the yeIlow
brches, though they will take either II
preference to beech or aeh or mapie
! he clearngs which bear suckers where
the basket or canoe biTches have beef
cut away, are much trcquented by deeI
AT all times of the year, except wheI
the snow is very deep. Turn a herd oi
deer free among hard woods and they
viii select the different species q
bIIches almost 20 The exclusion of any
other trees, seeming 10 choose the
small gray birches sooner than any
others
After the grass has sprung up and is
green and lush. deer will noise about in
the fields, picking out the clover and
the beads of herds grass They will eal
oats Oner than barley or wheat hey
do not seem to care for turnips or cab
hages SO much as for lettuce and p, a.
and beans. They will eat the leaves and
crowns of strawb berry plants, and the
leaves and tender twigs OF raspOeTries
aud black berries; they do not trouble
/ blueberfles, III tts very hungry. Deer
FRI queunug WOODS near cleared fields,
Will take clover peas and beaus before
any til bg e,se lie next choice SEEM
to be the tender ups and leaves al
hirchts, though at times they Will tor
sake birch growth 10 get at raspberry
or straw btry leaves MOI until they
are very hungry will they nlbble at any
hard wood tee other than the birc
During the deep SHOWS OF winter detI
hide away III cedar swamps and sub
sist upon the pungent leaves, though
they grow poor aud dark-mea ed upon
this diet. They will at tunes eat heart
lily of hemlock tWgs, even IN the sum
mer, when more nourishing food IL
abundant. One winter we brought a
par OF deer through in good health 10y
fet ding them on oats and clover hay.
Though they had The run of large or
chard they did not mp the apple tw1gs
or eat from the scattering gray birchts
that grew IN the orchard. 1t is our be-
lief that deer will subsist upon any
food thai viii keep sheep alive.
In view of the foregoing results, VIII ch
have been gained fIom personal observa-
ton, confirmed by many ta'ks with uum-
erous hunters and lum bermen, We can
not think that The Maine deer present
any serious menace to the hard wood
forests of Maine. The gray birch is If
no practical valu-, either as fuel or tim-
Der. The trees seldom grow more than
20 feet high, or reach diameter of six
inches at The butt AS nurses tor small
pines and spruces they perform most
useful service in the economy of nature,
though their intrinsic value is mex tu
nothing. HAD The Inn herman who has
been quo ed asserted that the moose
were enemies Ia uiire hardwoods. he
would have come nearer stating facts
DURING the timr Whsn the snow iip-
deep On the wooilafd moose strip he
bark from viii naples AID few other
trees wouDling or killing macy saplings
in the run # year Bu An for the
real injury worked upon he hardwaods
of this STATE by wild deer. such talk is
not borne out by facts bangor Ne1es
n4 dyspepsia bane of human existence. BUR
dock Blood Rt;ers cures it, promptly, peTma
nently. Regulates and tones the stomach