Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-09-19
RAISING VENISON
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN

ARLINGTON Sent 15-There is a in the
\NJ Adirondacks who a, farm consisting of
w 700 acres of wild mountain land The soil is
shallow and rocky land is covered with brush
and timber. probably would not sell for more than
So an acre impossible to raise crops upon It, and
it would support only few head of cattle or sheep
Yet this man making living off his land He
expects to great deal more in the next Few
years. without introducing any improvements
man is raising venison for the market His
stock consists ordinary Virginia, white tail
deer He has standing order from hotel for two
deer a week, and he sells the meat for % cents
pound, while horn and hide worth something
more Although this land would not support other
kind of in numbers except possibly goats,
this farmer estimates that he can increase his deer
herd TO the number causing any scarcity
of food; eat twigs leaves and weeds well
as grass only rival in the matter of omnivorous
appetite is the goat, and he is not worth tenth
much.
In the opinion of scientists in the United States
biological survey and of the men who have already
gone into farming the native Virginia deer is to
be one of the important domestic animals of the
future big money be made in raising venison
for the of the low value of the land
upon it may be produced. Persons who advocate
raising of the Angora goat in this country estimate
that there 2500OO0O0 of land in the United
States which would support goats, and are Mt for
practically nothing else large part OF this immense
tract would also support deer The Adirondacks, the
whole Allegheny chain from Pennsylvania to Georgia.
the Ozarks coastal wilderness of the Caroinas
the pine of Florida all potential deer
capable of producing many pounds of venison to the
square mile, which are yielding practically moth
ing in the way food In the mountain regions men
toned few cattle razor-back hogs both of
which have fed in winter, the only live stock
the land supports, while most of it wholly unfit for
farming
Learned economists often wrangled to
whether should add to the number of animals that
he has domesticated. of them claiming that he
has already as many he needs while others say that
he should his sovereignty animate nature
as rapidly as possible because the exhaustion of
supply of petroleum is going to animal power
and animal products immensely more valuable in the
future.
whichever side may be right, the value to the
United States of domestcatng the native American
er and making our tracts of wilderness produce
meat supply is obvious 1t Will be one more method
m nulling down soaring beefsteak Perhaps equally
iortant il provide the of restocking wild
lands with wild deer saving future generations
+bo snort of deer hunting which the manifest
IN the world and has trained American rhemen since
colonial days
Tn addition to meat and sport which the propa-
cation of will provide. the hide commonly known
o h,c,skin is a fine, durable leather which has many
uses In some European countries pair OF deerskln
rooobas are handed from father to for sew
eral generations while the toughness OF the pucksKn
cIotbing of our pioneer forefathers is a matter of
oord shoes have doubled in price during compar-
a+ivaIv few years A large supply of a new kind OF
leather would have a good effect on the market
Furthermore deer improve forest land by eating
,+ tbe weeds and low brush, while they seldom, if
ever kill the trees eating only the leaves and smallest
wigs Although for best results, effort should
he made to tame them, they may be turned loose in
large enclosure where there suitable pasture
running water and allowed shift for themselves.
Thus deer farming to be a proposition almost
too good to be possibilities only
nv those Of the we-known Texas cat and farm,
where fed the and the bodies of the
cats the rats leaving the catskins clear.
profit
But there is joker the deer farming business.