Norwich bulletin., 1912-12-27
THE NEW INDUSTRY OF
 CAME PROPAGATION
New York State Farmers and Sports
 men Raised 10000 Pheasants.
(By Herbert K Job. State ornitholo-
 PiSt


 gist.)
 The fact that the farmers and sportsmen of New York state last summer raised to maturity 10000 young Oregon pheasants from 10000 eggs distributed from the state game farm, aided by a simple leaflet of in structions, is full of suggestion for us in Connecticut, as well as for the peo- pie everywhere.
 Here. for instance, is a good, respon- sible young man, farmers son, who wants to earn money to go to college. He applies to the game farm and re- ceives 20 pheasants' eggs. These he sets under a common hen and hatches say 15 chicks. He keeps them shut In with the hen for few days, till they learn the hens call. Then he lets them range with the hen protecting them from cats and vermin. feeding them little, but letting them pick up most of their living themselves. About 10 of them, according to the average of returned blanks, survive accidents and grow up. At the approa oh of the rest less period. before they wander off. he entices them with grain into a pen, and he has a nice batch of valuable game birds, with hardly any trouble or expense. Perhaps he sells them, or perhaps keeps some for breeding next year. when, as each hen lays upwards of TO eggs a season. he raises many more birds.
 Sale of Game Birds.
 Recent experiments indicate that the same will shortly be done with quail and other game birds. When we have our central state game farm of Con necticut. with branches over the state, to distribute game birds and their eggs to the farmers and snorts- men, there will be more game birds in our covers than have been seen for many years. AS more people do this, of course the present high price of game will drop, but the market de- l mand for game Is enormous, and will always be. Laws must be passed at once to permit the sale of game birds artlfleiaIly reared, as in other states. Game bird rearing on a small or mod crate scale can be practieed with very little expense. The young are reared In the open and do almost no harm, but feed mainly on insects. Such work will provide a valuable food supply and prove a source of extra ] revenue. The average farm of fair l size should shortly, under proper en- | couragement by the state, be able at | least 10 pay Its own taxes through | game birds.
 The way to begin is in the small | way above outlined. first to learn how | To start in on large scale is to in- vite disaster. AS a business, on any 1 considerable scale, the matter must be studied, even more than in the poultry l industry, as there are even more dan 1 gers. The thing is new, but there arc | 1aef f@v A1,. .A,-,- Il, l are real experts in rearing game birds l on large scale, possessors of a sort l of natural tact in handling birds | They cost more than a chore boy but | are well worth the difference. One of 1 these should be secured here in Con- | necttcut, both to propagate game birds 1 for distribution to stock up the state l and to instruct others in his method so that the state may have a supply ot | expert men who are realty needed and for whom there is large demand | At our agricultural college and Storri experiment station We have worked out the general method, on 2 smal scale, and could use to great advan- | tage such a man as above.
 Demand for Trained Men. A demand has arisen for trained l men to propagate game and increase l bird life on game preserves and larg, estates. We have on file application | from some of the richest men ant 1 clubs in America for trained propa gators of game birds and wild fowl Therefore the trustees of the colleg, are asking the cooperation of tn, commission of fisheries and game tt pay the salary of such man, wh, will both raise birds and eggs for dis 1 tribution under the commission, and t. help train students and others for DO
 sitions or to raise game birds on tn
 farms of Connecticut. By such an ar rangement in & comparatively shor
 time we could put number of the son
 of our own agricultural families int
 positions with good salaries which ar
 even now ready for them.
 A new commission of fisheries an,
 game is to be appointed by the gov
 ernor this winter. The farmers. tn
 grange organization and the sportsmel
 should see to it that no person is ap
 pointed to this commission who vii not absolutely pledge himself in ad
 vance to this progressive policy of tn
 encouragement and extension of tn
 propagation of our American gam
 birds in the interest of the people a
 large.