Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-08-01

Conservation of the fauna including
the game birds Of the United States
requires the strict enforcement Of laws
intended to control the shooting and
marketing Of wild birds, and necessar-
lily limits both the period during which
they may be hunted and the number
available to supply the increasing de-
mands Of those who desire those table
luxuries.
This lack may be remedied by the
product Of aviaries, preserves, and
private parks, devoted to rearing of
domesticated game. the marketing of
which under suitable safeguards is
already permitted in several Of the
States, indicating that American mar
kets will open more and more to these
domesticated substitut g to the fast
disappearing wild game.
At present there Is no lack Of de-
mand for pheasants for various pur-
poses. Owners of private preserves,
and state game officials pay profitable
prices for certain species for stocking
their covers. geological and city parks
and owners Of private aviaries are
ready purchasers Of the rarer and
more beautiful species, and large
numbers of dead pLeasants are annu
ally imported from Europe to be sold
for several times the price they bring
In European countries. The demand
for pheasants Is increasing.
Ringneck pheasants have long been
established In Oregon. Washington.
and British Columbia and are less,
common In the wild state in Mass
cllusetts. New York. Indiana ami
Kansas.
Efforts to acclimatize pheasants in
the United States are of comparatively
recent origin, though earlier than II
popularity supposed. More than Il
hundred years ago, Richard Bache. an
Englishman who married the only
daughter of Benjamin Franklin, i'm
ported from England both pheasants
and cartridges. which he liberated on
his estate In New Jersey, on the Della
ware River near wher. the town\ of
Beverly now stands. Tut although 'e
provided both shelter and food for
them, the birds had all disappeared
ty the following spring
Other attempts were made later on
in New Jersey, New York and Mary
Ia. -, but while the birds seemed 20
thrive for time, the attempt to raise
pheasants IN the United States proved
more or less a failure until about
thirty years AGO. when a successful
effort was made to introduce the RIM
neck pheasant into Oregon. Since
then acclimatization experiments have
followed broader lines and have as
sumed greater Importance.
Severe criticism of pheasants. and
lulsome praise are about equal In .-ol-
ume. The birds are accused Of dig
yirg newly rlanted and sprouting corr,
pats. barley and beans, and seeds of
melons. cucumbers. and squashes. It
Is claimed that because Ct their depre-
dations it has been necessary to -
plant whole fields OF corn. They are
ysid to drive chickens away arom their
food and even t. kill y ung poultry.
Some landowners in Ontario County.
n. Y. claim that the loss suffered on
account Of pheasants has been more
than twice the amount of their taxes.
On the other hand the birds have
not proved a nuisc.-ce in Oregon and
whore they have Teen
numerous for years. Some farmers
even value them so highly that they
will rot permit hunting on their prop
erty.
Tn. few pheasant stomachs ex-
a mined indicate that these birds are
very fond II grain. Oats and wheat
compose about "a per cen Of the food