Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-06
URGES REARING DEER
Expert Favors It as Employ
nnent and Investment.
DISCUSSED IN A bulletin
Present Game Laws Declared a
Hindrance to Propagation.
MAKING WILDANIMALS USEFUL
Antelope Becoming Extinct in Many
of the Western States, MI.
Lantz Says.
DISCUSSED IN A bulletin
W1LDANIMALs USEFUL

Rearing game animals, especially deer,
I'm the United States is recommended as
an employment and an Investment by
David Lantz of the Department of Agri-
culture In bulletin the department has
just issued covering the subject. Mr..
Lantz says that the present game laws
Of many states do more to hinder than to
help the propagation of game. as the re-
strictions against selling the meat and
the animals are uselessly severe.
He says. however, that there is an
abundance of waste land, unsuitable for
general farming or stock raising. where
game propagation under suitable laws
could be made 4 good investment, and
there is no reason, he adds, why there
should not be enough venison raised In
this country to make it as cheap on the
now is. an unheard-of luxury to 20 per
cent Of the population.
In discussing the general question of
rearing wild animals Mr.. Lantz says that
they can be made useful for food, fur
and sometimes even as working animals,
although this latter is restricted to GER
tain portions of the world. He says. how
ever, that the esthetic motive should not
be lost sight of. and that there are a
number of animals, as we'll as birds, that
have become extinct within historic times,
and that the rapidly diminishing families
of other animals should be protected and
encouraged. In this connection, he cites
the disappearance Of the quagga and the
blaubok, the latter a relative of the small
roam antelope of Africa, and the danger
Gus diminution of the American bison,
the African elephant. the American an
telope, the Gland, the walrus and the sea
otter.
prong-Horn Becoming Extinct.
The antelope, or prong-horn. used to be
almost as numerous as the bison in this
country, but there are now many west
ern states where it recently was plentiful,
but is now extinct. In the state where
it remains there have been game laws
passed protecting it, either indefinitely or
for a term OF years. This animal. Mr..
Lantz says, is hard to propagate in cap
tivity. but where an individual is tanned
1t cannot be driven away from the house
where 1t is fed. and becomes as affec-
tomato as a dog. following it's owner on
walks for hours. This has been shown
almost wherever it has been tanned.
The bulletin goes extensively into the
breeds of deer and the elk and moose
members Of the deer family. A summary
Is given Of the game laws in the states
having them and suggestions are made
as to how these laws could be modified
to advantage
Mr.. Lantz speaks especially favorably
Of the moose, which, he says, is the
largest of the American deer, but says
that while 1t is most desirable there have
been q great number OF failures in at
tempting to rear 1t in captivity. How
ever. hs says that individuals. when do
mesticated. show more sense and less
nervousness than any other member of
the deer family. He peaks of a pair
raised in Maine and trained to draw a
sleigh, which they did with great steadi-
ness and swiftness.