Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-12

great change in public opinion on these
matters, and I believe that the more in
formation our people have upon this sub
ject the more insistent will become the
demand for conservation.
| 1t is easy to interest our children in the
daily lives of our wild creatures and
such interest is inevitably followed by a
friendly feeling for them and desire to
observe rather than to kill.
| Teach the farmer who caters to the
sportsman that the live game in his
| fields and woods is as much of an asset
to him as is his poultry and he will do
| his share towards game protection.
When the sporting camp owner learns
as many of them have, that the live deer
feeding on the shores of his lake
through the summer months is a much
greater asset to him than dozen car
cases hanging on his piazza in the fall
he will do his part towards conservation
| Thousands of summer visitors are in
| terested in the signs of wild life about
their summer stopping places and are
hunting during their vacation with the
camera instead of the rifle. and the
stories told of their experiences in
Maine. often accompanied by photo
graphs, are a tremendous advertising
agency not only for attracting summer
vacationists but the hunters who follow
! them.
When our people finally realize the in
disputable fact that the game of a state
belongs to the whole people of that
state, and not solely to the probably less
than three per cent of them who desire
10 It'll
shall we have game laws not dictated in
the main by that small portion of the
people who are game killers.
| In closing 1 will cite few instances
where restriction laws have restored
Natures balance and have brought back
in abundance species which were on the
very brink of extinction.
| In 1875, owing to the general practice
of crust hunting in March, 1t was found
that moose had practically disappeared
from the State and the Legislature that
year placed a five years close time upon
them. The result was that the decade
from 1880 to 1880 afforded the best moose
hunting ever had in recent years.
| In 1893 beaver, one of our most inter
esting animals, were nearly extinct, few,
| If any, young men then living ever hav-
ing seen one; that year a perpetual close
| time was placed upon them. In five
years they began to show up in remote
sections: in 10 years they were plentiful
and today they are numerous enough to
be a menace to standing timber in many
settled towns.
These two instances only go to show
how very little help Nature demands in
/ ..rr7rs h1la q a.
and leads all of us who are interested
in this important subject to hope that it
/ is not yet too late to preserve to pos
terity some of these benefits which many
of us hold so lightly.
Enlightened public opinion, self
restraint and generous outlook toward
the future will conserve the game of
Maine for many, generations to come.
The next speaker was Hon. Herbert X.
Job. state ornithologist of Connecticut
and in charge of the department of ap-
piled ornithology of the National Asso-
citation of Audubon Societies. who took
for his subject Birds of Maine and Their
Relation to Agriculture" Mr.. Job show
ed remarkable set of pictures of birds,
proving that to hunt the birds with the
camera is in reality more fascinating
than to hunt them with the gun. And
he also brought out the fact that birds
that will alight on the land are more
picturesque than stuffed birds on ladies'
hats.
Mr.. Job emphasized the work which the
birds do for the farmers of Maine in
keeping the insect pests from injuring
the crops and the trees, and he stated
oil
be enlightened upon these facts. The coll
lection of 100 pictures shown by Mr.. Job
was exceedingly beautiful and was APP
preciated by all present.
Prof. ]. M. Briscoe of the forestry de-
partment of the University of Maine, the
last speaker of the evening, chose for
his subject Establishing, Care, Tending
and Utilization OF the Forests" BY
means of lantern pictures Prof Briscoe
showed the methods of setting out the
seedlings. and the means of helping ma
ture by thinning out the forests to
certain extent. The methods of reducing
waste Prof. Briscoe also pointed to,
showing that in cutting much of the
trees are often left standing above the
ground and the tops of the trees are not
utilized. The lecture held the interest
of all. The evening session was adjourn
ed at about 10 O'Clock
Program for Today
The program for today's session is as
follows: $50 A. NJ, paper. Domestic
Science" by Mrs. Evelyn Maude Mason
OF Augusta; papers. 1.-The Annals of
Three Tame Hermit Thrushes' and 1.-THE
al - At.--
Thrush" by Miss cordelia J. Stanwood
of Ellsworth; paper, How the Schools
OF Maine Can Help in the Development
of the Natural Resources of the State.
by Prof. Ray w. Tobey of the Good
VIII schools, Hinckley.
Rio RnuT End