The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-29
MUST REAR BIRDS
Artificial Propagation of Game Birds Made Necessary
 by Conditions.
NUMBERS FALLING OFF
Necessity Not Only on Account of Shooters. But Because of Others
 Interested in Them.

The great increase in the number of hunters in southern New England makes the artificial propagation of game a necessity. Whenever n poor breeding season, or bad winter, greatly reduces the numbers of the game birds the numerous shooters give the birds little chance to recover their numbers in subsequent years even though the shooting seasons be shortened.
 A close season of five to ten years duration would give the birds chance; but experience shows that no legislature will pass such a law. and even were it passed and enforced q bad season at the end of the five or years might reduce greatly the num- Der of the birds and nulllfy the effect of the law Undoubtedly Q continued close season for the entire year Ua0S1 would have been effective but it was impossible 10 secure this in the only two New England states which had legislative sessions this year.
 But, it may be asked. who except the gunner or sportsman is interested in the protection of game, and why should the general public concern it. self in the matter? Ill reply to these questions it may be said first. that the pursuit of game and it's sale in- terest not only the hundreds of thous- ands of hunters in New England, but also their guides and hoatmen. the dog dealers and breakers, the farmers on whose land the game ranges and feeds, the marketmen who sell the game. the hotel keepers and res taurant keepers who serve it the peo- pie who eat game, and, last, but per- haps not least, that great body of nature lovers who enjoy seeing, hear ing and watching the game but never shoot at all.
 Also it is of the utmost concern to the whole people that game be con- served, otherwise people are sure to make game of insectivorous birds and thus destroy the best friends of the farmer and so indirectly increase his insect foes and render the cost of llv- ing greater 10 every man. woman and child. If you doubt that this danger to the small birds is a real one let me tell you that gunner beating the meadows and finding no game birds, shot thirty swallows for practice and never even picked mp one. and that q party of sportsmen in New Hamp- shire shot into a flock of black birds, killing nearly one hundred. Young men and boys who fail to find game must shoot something and go even the little chickadees suffer where game is scarce. While most real sportsmen in this country would scorn to molest song birds there are many gunners who are not SO scrupulous.
 The dcartn of good birds has caus- cd our marketmen to look abroad for game and the result Is that our mar kets are largely supplied from Europe, where after ali the bird destruction of many centuries, they still have game enough for their home demands and a gerat deal to spurt for our use. Eng | land and Scotland teem with yame birds and wild fowl The question of game supply must he solved here. os there, by artificial propagation Most native wild ducks and geese can he reared in confinement as easily as chickens. The young of our native up. land birds arc more tender and require greater care. They contract certain animal parasites and contagious dis, eases from poultry, and these diseases are far more destructive to game bird, and turkeys than to chickens ant 1 pheasants. But we must learn how tc | control these diseases, or we must real our native game birds where they will not be contaminated by nearby poul try The Massachusetts commission, on fisheries and game have experiment cd enough in rearing quail. grouse anr | turkeys to know tho nature and caus, of the diseases that infest the youn! birds, Year after year they are addn, to this knowledge by further experi ments. Last year animal parasites car rled off the young birds, This yea chicken pneumonia was the chic cause of their demise. Dr. C. r. Hodpl of Clark university has been able f. breed both quail and grouse, but can not yet control fully their diseases. Dl shaw or New Bedford MT. Coffin q Whitinsville, Mass, and Wilton Lock wood on Cape Cod are all engaged f rearing native game birds, and II nov looks as if Massachusetts would lea
 the country in this new enterprise Plans are now under way looking to ward the establishment of reservation for the protection and propagation Q game birds and wild fowl where thes birds will he defended against the hunt CTS, their natural enemies and disease and where they may increase In n,im bers and restock the surrounding coun try Such reserves will afford an on portunitN to demonstrate the possibil ity of doing for the benefit of the pub lie what has been done so long con, merclally In England in the way a breeding game birds The complet
 success of all these experiments certain eventually, if they are only fol lowed up wits such persstency as shown by Inventors of automobiles an aeropanes, Whenever artificial propa gation becomes feasible on large sral private preserves will be established |
 all the eastern states. All the Atlanti
 coast states should be producing withi few years liberal supply of gam
 birds to replenish the depleted forest
 streams and fens