The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-17

food: in fact oompl.ts instructions are
given. 30 that any ons with n little car~
may have q brood % pheAaAntS TO start
the work % stocking a farm with a ffne
brced Of game bird. Reports alrcady
rpcsived at the farm from thoss who
have received eggs this ssAson are en-
oouraging.
One 81 tho hA rOieSt problsms with which
Supt. Rogers has To contend u the pro-
lection or the birds against mink. akunks.
hawks. owls and other large birds. The
small mesh wire fence that l. sunk in the
ground nearly foot deep all around the
farm enectually keeps out rata. mink.
Weasels. wondchucka foHea and sk,Inks,
as they cannot easily burruw under the
fence. Then n Gordon 81 traps surrounds
the fence: These are halted sometimes
with live birds so placed that even after
the animal enters the trap and In caught
ne cannot reach the bird. The trap il
one 81 Mr.. RoRerS's own devisinR
Hundreds OF predatory animals are
caught. including many house cats. They
are ali shot. The house cat. 10y the way &.
II one Of the superintendent chief aver
zions and IL regarded 10y him n the great
est enemy Of the game birds "a well "a
every other form ~ small bird life when
Mr. Rogers went to the State game farm
MANY ~ the adjoining farms owned from
one to five cats. Hardly a Wild bird was
IT. be found nesting on the farm They
/ had heen frightened away hy the cats
Since then many IL not most % tha cats
have heen killed The result 81 killing
| On the cats ~ we'll other bird enemies
u ss--n this year nv the hundreds 20 birds
nests thar are everyw here on the farm
/ In the front yard II Mr. RoRers's home
there were nearly twentv robins nests.
besides many other varieties meadow
lark. which IL one 81 the shvest 81 ahv
/ birds regards ita neat. has boldly built
on the ground not Ave feet from a phea. =
ants coop.
! Scattered about the pheasant enclosure
l are number of poles twelve or fifteen
feet high On top Of each pole l. a steel
! trap fastened 20 the pole by q strnng
chain An owl OF hawk in search 81 prey
ALWAYS seeks a point Of vantage from
which TO survey the field The birds do
not suspect that on top 81 the poles there
are traps. and zwooping down they lieht
| on the poles 10 pick out the particular
birds which suit their fancy In each
case the result IL the same There IL q
clasping 81 steel Jaws and the bird Will
bother tho flock no more. AZ many as
two dozen owls and hawks have been
| caught in a single night.
| A short time ago Mr.. Rogers captured
I an owl that weighed nearly ten pounds
! Around the post where the bird had huns
in the trap before i was killed there were
marks that looked as though = hungry
hora~ had gna wed the post The owl had
evidently put up hard fight against
death and had torn the soft wood with
beak and claws until exhausted.
! On the Illinois game farm IL a dog patrol
that helps TO destroy all four footed pests
and Mr.. Rogers IL planning eventually
| 10 have the system in Use on this farm
/ The way he will work IL IL 10 string a wire
| completely around the farm. Rings will
he placed on this wire and ropes attached
To the rings The dogs are TO he tied To
the roDs-s and started away at intervals
around the outside Of the fence.
| The dog trolley service will be main
tanned in RELAYS throughout each OF the
! twenty four hours ~ the day. The rope
should he long enough for a dog 10 grab
| the animal trying 20 enter the enclosure.
but not long enough for the dogs TO be-
| come sntangled with each other
| All the grain for the pheasants IL rnised
on the farm. and about 1000 bushels
81 wheat. harley and other grains will he
! produced this wear Besides that. over
one hundred tons ~ hay IL grown and a
largr quantity of other marketabl. prod
uce harvested that helps TO make the
farm self-sustaininR. Several other
States are planning on n game bird farm
next year. and Kansas. Missouri and Okla
homa have already ordered quantities ~
pheasant eggs for next years start.