The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1909-10-29

men VINO 40 not TcdlILc TIC
~ Importance of burning old
\ dead he ither in order to
provide food for grouse.
there are nevertheless many moors.
especially in the Highlands, where
the system adopted to attain this end
leaves much to be desired. The ad-
vantages of burning In autumn are
not as a general rule appreciated. and
on several moors the burning Is con-
Quoted in such haphazard fashion
that valuable cover Is destroyed In
places where there is little or no shell
ter for the birds, while on other beats
rank heather Is much in evidence
The objects OF heather burning are
twOfold. In the first place, it Is nee
essary to remove the old and long
heather through which young birds
fail to find their way. being subse-
quenty separated from their mother
and lost. while it Is scarcely neces-
sary to mention that the second and
principal object Is to provide young
shoots. tender and succulent for the
food supply of the grouse. old and
young During a long experience Of
the management of grouse moors. the
writer has been much struck by the
rapidity with which well-burnt moor
RECEIVERS from disease. and how a
shooting managed Systematically on
modern lines often escapes the dread
ed malady. while its neighbors on
either side are suffering. The fact
Is that disease, which Is In most
cases caused by the ernal parasites.
attacks only birds which have. through
some cause. become weakly. and fire.
quently the, predisposing cause IS
merely starvation While the young
shoots OF heather on which the
grouse are dependent during the
spring and early summer are slow In
appearing II the heather is old and
rank. the tendency of young heather
is to produce green vigorous shoots
at an earlier period.
keeper or sportsman. on being
placed I'M charge or taking possession
OF q new. moor, naturally examines
the grOu nd with some care to ascer-
tain to iwhat extent his predecessors
have pei formed their duty in this re-
spect. II he finds the moor we'll
burnt. young. vigorous heather grow
ing alongside the recently-burnt feed
ing grounds, and the whole present
ing hat patchwork appearance which
so glal lddens the heart OF the grouse
presearver. his task will be fairly sim
pie. sHe has now only to burn the diff
ferepit strips or patches in rotation.
according to the quantity Of cover in
to feeding grounds which
he } deems necessary II. however, he
fnAds that the moor has been neg
ltected, that long. rank heather pre-
dominates. that young heather is
escarce and that a dead. wiry appear.
high grounds. a more drastic method
Of treatment is required. Larger
strips may be burnt and these in
their turn. some years later. may be
divided into cover and feeding
grounds. Sooner or later the bulk
OF the rank heather must disappear.
and during his first few seasons all
that is not required for cover must
be got rid Of. The dead heather on
the high grounds may be burnt
wholesale. for 1t Is useless either as
cover or food Much Of the rank
heather probably will not burn clean
to the ground. and a second burning
in the following year, the sooner the
better, will be necessary. 1t is on
such q moor as this that the system
of burning In autumn proves Its value
The rank heather may be got rid of
In the autumn and the second burn
ing will be performed the following
spring. The dead heather on the
high grounds. where In all probability