The Devils Lake world., 1911-01-27

tion in the case Of antelope came almost
too late, hut in sections where no ille-
gal shooting has been done their num-
bers are steadily increasing and there
is hope that they may yet be saved.
Our law makes no mention of elk or
moose, presumably for the reason that
normally we have none of these ami
mails in the state, but during the past
two years several of these animals
have wandered into the state from ad-
jacent territory and have been killed.
AS matters now stand the board is pow
crless to protect or punish in cases
of this kind. It would be very desir-
able to have these animals coming in.
to the state and breed here. Their COM.
ing should be encouraged, and also in
spirit of cooperation we should
throw the mantle of protection over
the animals that our sister states are
STRIVING so hard to preserve.
Fur Bearing Animals.
The fur resources of North Dakota
;nc by no means a negligible quantity
aud are we'll worthy Of the serious
consideration of our legislators and
D,.r citizens. We believe the law touch
ing these matters is good, as far as it
goas, bul in another part of this re-
port we will point out fov things
that, in c.r Judgment, shoult be Civ
en- consideration by our law makers.
The wi. dom of the closed scason OIL
beaver i,as teen demonstrated. These
animals, cncc very scarce in this state,
have increased even to point where
tic people in some sections Of the state
are complaining of damage done by
them Thriving colonies Of beaver
may be found in many parts of the
state, and in mos esections the residents
are proud Of the fact that these build
ers of dams have chosen to dwell
among them. Many of our people do
not appreciate the economic value OF
these animals, nor are they impressed
with the fact that in other states thous
ands Of dollars are now being spent
each wear in almost forlorn hope tc
propcpate beaver. We are fortunate
indeed, that, merely by prohibiting
their killing for a term Of years, w
| have been able to make such stride:
toward conserving these interestin:
and most valuable animals.
/ Of course, the greatest revenue pro
ducers among the fur bearing animals
of the state are the muskrat and mink
In fact the muskrat as a revenue pro
Queer now takes second place in tn
worlds fur market. For the reaso7
that the fur is so valuable and for tn
further reason that this animal is play
ing such large part in the conserva
ton of the other and scarcer fur-bea1
ING animals, the muskrat is worthy o
more consideration than has been give
him in the past. The world must hav
furs, and, as stated by David E. Liant;
assistant in the bureau of biologica
survey in Washington, although tn
outlook for future fur supply ado
ouate to the world IS needs, is unpron
ising, it is by no means hopeless Fou
ways of increasing the present suppl
suggest themselves.
"1. The use of pelts Of domestl
animals as a substitute for wild fur
In some parts of the world dogs, goat
horses and cattle are now bred prime
pally for their pelts, which are used fc
both clothing and rugs. The full deve
opement of this idea would involv
prolonged experiments in producing fiji
er peltages by finer breeding.
"2. Breeding fur bearing anima
under protection, either in state
domestication or in semi-wild col
dition. Such animals would prove e
, pecially valuable for restocking par
of the country from which any specie
has been exterminated by excessl1
trapping.
: t3. Investigations to discover
: any animals now considered valuab
fir fur have pelts fr fur that may (
, utilized in the manufacture of clothin
"a. Conservation of the present SUI
: plv. IF furs from the three sources 8
, ready mentioned can gradually be mac
! to supplement the present output, mue
5 will be gained; butt he chief depe1
t dence' after all, must be one OF a mo-
careful conservation of the natural su
ply. This may be saved by laws r
, stricting the taking of fur bearir
2 animals to proper seasons and protec
ing them at other times; and, in Il
!. case of species that are becoming rar
by laws forbidding their capture for
series of years. In addition, syster
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