Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-09-01
GRANT STEELE OF HOLCOMB.
\. Y. WRITES TO THE
BANNER
THINKS PHEASANTS
SHOULD BE CONFINED
Information Regarding The Cost OF
Maintenance OF Eastern
Roads

Dear Friends:
AS a few of the natives Of this
county have asked me to again contri-
butte an item to the Banner, | take
the liberty of asking your forbear-
ance with this.
1t has been very rainy season.
| Much of the grain was badly wet af-
ter cutting and some was so badly
wet before cutting that much was
wasted in harvesting. A large amount
OF wheat and oats were put into the
barns in bad condition and the quality
will be poor. The yield has been
good and great deal was secured
without being seriously damaged. Hay
was not large crop, but satisfac-
tory but weather conditions have SER
iously hindered weather operations,
so that a greater part of the hay that
has been marketed in this locality has
been damaged quality. More than
half of the second crop of alfalfa was
so badly damaged that farmers are
doubtful if much of it will ever be
eaten.
The last number of the Banner has
in it two items that specially attract
ed my attention. One is regard to
New York state roads and one in re-
gard to DR.. Stanton's present of two
golden pheasants TO the city for or
namental purposes in the park. Now,
| know the doctor to be a public
spirited and Conscientious citizen and
not particularly a sportsman of the
type that will chase all day for the
JOY OF killing. therefore | must as
sumo that his motive in buying the
pheasants and presenting them TO
the city was of the highest order, and
admit that the pheasant has few
equals in point of beauty among
birds. Granting all that, fear there
will come a time when farmers about
Belding will say things that will be
unpleasant for the doctor TO hear
About 10 years ago some wealthy
landowners in Livingston county pro-
cured some Of these birds and turned
them loose. Then a law was passed
by the legislature to protect them, so
they might not be killed except under
certain conditions and at certain
times. The female pheasant some
times weighs four pounds (that is
unusually large) and the male will
sometimes attain weight of six
pounds. In early spring they feed,
on the bugs and worms, the farmer
turns up in plowing, and later they
eat the grain that he has sown or
planted for this next crop. As weeds
along the fences ripen their seeds, the
pheasants help themselves until
wheat and oats begin to turn color
Then the pheasant begins to pull
down heads of grain and feed on
grain. When field is harvested, the
pheasant picks up whatever grain
shelled out in harvesting and then
turns his attention to corn, beans,
cabbage and potatoes.
The pheasant belongs to the same
genus as the common hen and like the
hen, is not averse to the practice of
polygamy, hence some breeders of fine
poultry find their fancy fowls do not
produce offspring true to type-fne
Plymouth Rocks wiz look all right.
but will not weigh up to the standard,
Leghorns will show the outside char
acteristics, but will not produce the
eggs, and in many cases, the birds
will not resemble the breed he sup
posed he had in any particular. This
is quite likely to happen where poul-
try is given open range, but will
sometimes happen to tlocks that are
confined in yards.
Aside from the direct nuisance and
damage of the pheasant, which is con-
siderable, there is that other nuisance
of having a lot of city sportsmen-
many Of whom do not know a pleas
ant from a veal calf-carrying guns
about the farmers premises. cutting
wire fences, trampling the crops and
allowing their dogs TO worry sheep.
They are not intelligent enough to
read mo trespassing" signs and
scarcely ever look to see if there is
anything the other side of the bird
they suppose they are shooting at. |
have heard several stories of men
picking apples, having a charge of
shot come tearing through the tree
they are working in, others finding
horses and cattle wounded by shot,
and things like that which cause a
farmer TO say things, not polite to re-
peat in public and make him feel that
cooperation with "city dudes is an
impossibility
Now, regarding the roads--it is
true there are roads in this vicinity
superior to any | ever saw elsewhere.
Roads over which you can drive for
miles at your best speed and feel no
jar. neither do you get your vehicle
muddy, even directly after the hard
est showers. Roads that challenge
of the world, but they cost
something. The statement made in
Mr.. Colgrove's .article may be correct
as to expense of building the New
York roads. They cost $4,000, $4,000,
even more, per mile to build. This
farm is located on one and the state
pays a man SO day from May to
November to keep the road in order
then last year this section was oiled
and lightly surfaced with crush and
are being made to do
the same this week. Two five-ton
auto trucks were busy three days to
haul the crush from the cars and a
gang of Italians were on hand to load
~ ,nlOoI kha trY.ctc Tkara x.,,l1 ha