Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-09-12
DEER TOO NUMEROUS;
FARMERS ANNOYED
INCREASE RAPIDLY WITH VERY
CLOSE PROTECTION
Agricultural Districts overrun anc
Constant Vigilance Is Necessary
to Save Crops from Being
Trampled

BRATTLEBORO, VT, Sept. flowing
TO the close protection that deer are re-
ceiying on account of the game law they
have increased so rapidly as to become
menace to the lesser agricultural interests.
The deer seem to realize that they are
protected and that they may trample at
will upon the small farmer. All the pro
lection he has is his own watchfulness In
keeping the animals out of his crops.
The latest story of the ravages OF deer
comes from Newfane. There a small
farmer has a young red astrachan apple
orchard, the fruit of which is just getting
ripe 1t was noticed that few apples were
on the ground in the morning, and 1t was
thought at first that thieves were making
away with them A watch was kept and
the thieves proved to be herd of deer.
Not content with eating from the ground,
the animals reared up on their hind legs
and with their forefeet against the tree
picked apples from the branches. The
story is vouched for by several credible
witnesses.
f. L. Houghton,' editor of a paper de-
voted to the interests of the breeders of
Holstein- Friesian cattle in America, says
he has seen deer do the same thing. While
sitting on the piazza of his farmhouse in
Putney one afternoon he says he saw
three deer standing under an apple tree.
One of the animals was large buck, and
was seen to rear up and pick off the APP
pies from the branches.
The method of ascertaining and col
lecting damage done by deer is so compli-
Gated that it is hardly worth while, the
farmers say, to make an attempt to re-
cover.
State to Pay Damage
William Tanning of New York city, who
owns a farm in Dummerston, will be paid
SIS by the state of Vermont for damages
done by deer. Almost as soon as the early
vegetables began to sprout through the
ground deer tracks were seen in the gar
den. When the young shoots began to
grow the deer began nibbling there.
Mr.. Tanning finally began to tire of the
depredations, and called upon the state
authorities for a settlement Commission
err Roswell p Frost called upon Mr. Fan
ming, and 1t was agreed that S25 would he
about right This is the second case in
Windham county where the state has paid
damages for mischief done by the ami
mails. The former case was thrashed out
in the last session of the Vermont legis-
lature and f. K. Barrows, owner of a
large apple orchard on Ames Hill, was paid
500 for damages which deer had done 10
his young trees. Warden Frost was called
to the town of Stratton last week at a
request from Selectman toreSter TO LOOK
over damage to Mr.. Forester's corn and
potatoes for which deer 1t is claimed,
are responsible
Protected as they are by the stringent
laws of the state, deer have increased
rapidly the past few years. One of the
largest seen in this vicinity was observed
near the headwaters of the Whenstone
brook by Judge E. W. Gibson and a party
of newspaper men who were making trir
to Wilmington. A large buck was seer
standing in among the trees only a few
rods from the road. The horns, growing
straight back from his head and not vel
beginning to crook, were more than TWEEN
| ty inches long.
The deer paid no attention to the auto
mobile, but when one of the party alighteC
with camera it took fright and took t.
| the woods.