The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-30
E Knight sperry, of This City, Has Privilege on Finest Nat ural Quail Ground in
 the State.
COVERS ABOUT 1.200 ACRES
Mir, Sperry Greatly Interested in the Propagation of Gamc-lWcntOr of the Spcrry Feeding
 Rack.

HlalN N lHdHH VI hdIll' Rl'H'lNt ll'N' James n. Whitmoro an offer of an even larger prcserya n Hampton was made by E. Knight spclTy of this city, Mr. sperrY's preserve is one of the finest natural grounds in inc state and covers some 200 acres.
 Approached Ky Journal-Courior representative last evening Mr. Sperry said hc thought tho game privilege on the land could easily be turned over to the state and gave the fol- lowing interesting description of tho property:
 The land. lying in tho township of Hampton, is owned by several individ- uals, and Mir Spcrry has had tho game privilege for good many years. In all the tract covers solid area Of about l,2OO acres, and IS conceded by all familiar with it to be the most natural quail and partridge ground in the state, Not alone is the ground naturally adapted for tho birds to nest on, but there la much natural food something which is Very scarce In most parts of tho state.
 on the southern odgr of the tract is Cedar swamp, what is known as a "hottomiass swamp Thus hunters cannot enter it and the birds are quite safe there. owing Co the nature ot thc swamp, it is quite warm and pro tccted thern in even the coldest weather and the birds live ln tho dense thickots during tha winter The owners of the property, most of whom live on il. have always been very enthusiastic in the preservation of the birds and have never allowed any shooting on the land IL is also woll posted and it might be said gun Is not fired there once in half a dozen years. Mr. Sperry's kennels hayc also been there for many years and his keeper has done much Co watch and protect the birds
 What is of special importance is the fact thai the tract is already well stocked with native birds and indeed quite a bit of the surrounding country has bccnm stocked from qu9l bred here. in thc condition In which thc 1 preserve IS at present it would ra- quire absolutely no outlay by tho state to pit it in condition for it is al- ready we'll equipped with feeding racks. etc
 Four times in all. Mir sperry has l had to rcstoeE tho preserve when blIg2arda have killed off the birds but this hasn't happened for several wears and is not llrl} to happen again. ov- ing to the nature and present oqulp- i mont of the grounds Mir. Spcrry found to bis cost that birds imported i from he Indian Territory and okla homa can never br successfully bred here Even if brought here in the au- tumn and kept in captivity. thet do not breed the first season ana ai tho first cold snap disappear, probably migrating tO the south
 Several years ago, through Charles ] Paine. of Wichita. he secured several I pairs or Bob White quail from narth- ;. rrn Kansas These bred spIaudidy j and have increased every year. until i they fairly overflow the tract Tne ] preserve now contains about 90 birds I divided into four Hoaks As Mr. Sprrry said he haa had success with these, but Connecticut could be bond ei to its limit and then not have sur. ncient money to pat southern birds 1 here enough of which would stay to stock the Qunnipae meadows.
 As noted above Mr Spcrry had kept his dogs here for years and the public field trials were held on lhD preserve. In thls way many sports. mon throughout the state nave bo. come well acquainted with the land and think lt an Ideal spot
 Mir Sperry was much pleased tc learn Of the lease of the Whitman tract and considers the Idea an excel. lont one, Of course there has 10 bc a twenty-five year lease of the gam, privilege but he Sees no reason whl this cannot be easily secured Mr. Spcrry himself has had the lease ro, almost that long and is sure the own. CTS of the land, who have always don, all they could to lelp him perfect th, preserve, woull he willing to turn oyer the privilege to the state. Thi. is a movement which he has alway, favored and a few years ago Mir Sperry drew up and had presented q bill for the setting aside Of preserves Unfortunately the value of tae move was not appreciated and the bill fain cd to pass inc legislature
 Mr, Spar% is very anxious that th, state shall take up this matter and ls deeply interested in inc work of in, game commissioners. The work whicf they are doing ana thc ideas whicf they would like to have carried out he considers excellent and worthy O the attention of the state, and ever vitally necessary for tho preservation Of our game birds
 In connection with this proposition of MT. Sperry's, 1t is interesting tc note that he Is the inventor of waa Is known as the "Spery feeding rack" This rack Is one of the bes and cheapest and is extensively use. in the east and middle west Consist Ing Of q series of boxes in an inclined trough, covered by V shaped roof it has proved its excellence i'm many severe storms, lt is very easy for th birds to get at any they can fly al
 most directly up from it in storm