The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-17
RAISING ENGLISH PHEASANfS
STATE EXPERIMENT WILL BEN
Eft GUNNER AND FARMER.
tho Bird Farm 90 sherbaFae . Year Osd
Ten Thousand EEEs and Many Birds
Already sent Out-Good hesuits IN.
Peciesi Guarding the Game Birds.

, Already sent Out-t:OOd nesuits IN.
Peciesi t:usFsttnG the Game Birds.
SHERBrRSE, y. Y. July 10 The state
game farm AZ Shsrburne has h~en In
existence a year Il was established
through the efforts OF the state Forest.
Fish and Game Commissioner. James \.
Whipple. and IL intended To meet the con
ditions caused by the growing scarcity
Of game birds With an appropriation
made by the Legislature from the money
received from the sale Of gunner licenses
Mr.. Whipple purchased farm ~ 2m
acres In ChenanRo county. one mile from
Sherhurne; started raising English pleas
ants there and installed Harry 7 Rogers
az superintendent MIR Rogers II one Of
tn. experts In game bird propagation
who have made the great Illinois gam"
farm one ~ the most successful In the
country
English pheaSants were held 10 I've
the most suitable birds for propa cation
in this State and over five hundred adult
bir IL were purchased This year the re-
suits have exceeded expectations. About
ten thousand pheasant eggs have been
sent To all parts Of the State to he Matched
by common harnyArd hens: q large num-
her OF young and old birds will hs sent
out. and before the season closes AZ least
Zoo more eggs will 20 out.
The Fir glish pheasant was selected lie
cause Of its Rdaptability 10 the climate Of
this State. II h also pronounced one Of
the finest game birds In the world, and
IL il furthermore a great destroyer OF
all kinds 81 insect life and therefore an
ally 81 the farmer. II IL we'll established
fact that irsectivoro,R birds are n, '-ied
successfully to combat the forms Of In
sect and worm life which are detrimental
TO agricultural interests.
The English pheasant IL insectivorous
as long AZ there IL an insect 20 feed upon
Wire worms. potato bugs and hundreds
NJ others find their way into It's appar-
emily Unsuitable crop. and one pheasant
that was killed and opened on this farm
showed moro than one hundred and fifty
wire worms in it's crop
That he birds are abundantly able to
care for themselves In winter 10 shown
nv the fact that when deep snow covers
the ground the pheasant feeds on buds.
seeds or any other food that can be oh
ia med A. night. IL no other place il
available. IL digs into a snowhank and
night in summer
The cock bird II large weighing from
az 20 I pounds. and;is one Of the most
beautiful 81 birds His plumage is
brilliant His head IL notified with red
and blue. with dozens Of shadings. AZ IL
in faC' the whole body 90 the long ma
jestic tail that sweeps out from Is tn 70
inches hehind him The female bird
il smaller and much less handsomely
coIored The predominating coror IL
gray. which IL shaded and notified over
the entire body In flight the pheasants
are swift and graceful.
In the western par. Of this State pheas-
ants have already secured a good foothold
through private propagation and are 20
rapidly increasing that brief open
season will ~ allowed each year. In
most parts ~ the State. however. q closed
season will b~ maintained until 1919 The
birds. although they must 10 protected
nv law and encouraged by farmers. are
very strong and hardy and with half way
favorable conditions they will multiply
very rapidly as they are prolific breeders.
Each hen matches about twenty chicks
in a brood and usually has two broods
in a SEASON Nearly all reach maturity
One 81 the strongest points in favor Of
the pheasAnts il the fact that they will
not wander They remain near the farm
where they were raised, and though
they will wander over the fields in search
Of food and will take 10 the woods in
winter, they remain where they are placed
unless scared away by dogs. Shooting
does not greatly alarm them for any
length Of time.
ON the State farm the old birds are con-
fined in wire enclosed cages or pens about
IONsxs feet. -Four or i've hens and
cockerrl are in each pen and the eggs
are collected daily BY gathering the
eggs the hens arr led 20 continue LAYING
until about seventy-fve are laid Then
their work for the year " over
The eggs that are not sent out for
propaRation elsewhere are used on the
farm, common barnyard hens doing the
inc,lbatinR which requires about twenty
four DAYS From twenty To twenty-five
eggs are placed under each hen The
eggs are very fertile, over ss per cent
Matching
When the young birds pick their way
from the shell they are strong. husky.
little fellows and at once take up the
duty Of life finding something 70 eat
A forty acre lot il enclosed in ten foot
wire fence and scattered around the
Geld are the coops hundreds 81 them.
containing the foster mothers. while the
Young ones are allowed Ia roam al will
Here the youngsters show a remarkable
homlng instinct During IN" day one 81
them NAV wander half mile down the
stree, OF scoops. but when IL decides to
return home IL will pass hundreds 81
other coops and pick out it, own, although
all the coop- are apparently alike a. two
peas
70 roam az will around the farm. finding
their own feed and calling IN. youngsters
NV a cluck As they would their own chick
ems They will also hover them at light .
keeping them covered and guarding them
with extreme care.
The Young hiris and hens are usually
kent together until the former ar" from
a 10 3 weeks old During the first week
the bir,la sra fed on ctIrtard mad" from
eggs and milk boiled together. They
aIso use choose cIrd. After that their
food IL shifted 90 small grain and seed
such as millet. cracked corn and buck
wheat This the birds supplement with
insects and worms. II 10 often possible
10 aea from $3.50 10 1000 young birds
roaming over the big enclosure hunting
their meals.
When the phef.santS are about four
weeks old they begin 10 refuse 20 roost