The Ocala banner., 1921-09-02

agant claims are made, they would
get IN touch with their county agent,
State Chemist r. E. Rose, Tallahas-
see, or the Florida Experiment Sta
ton, Gainesville
do not wait the statement con
.tinues, until after you have bought
the material to find out that it is
worthless. No salesman having a
fertilizer Of rear value will object to
your investigating his claims Avoid
the man who is afraid to have his
goods looked into by experts "-Agri-
cultural News Service
$50
New Bird for Florida
Walter A. Kaler. formerly with the
Punta Gorda Herald on the editorial
staff of the Arcadia News, now a jolly
and progressive farmer with valuable
holdings in the southern part of this
county, is making an experiment
which will be watched with interest
by people throughout Florida. This
experiment is an effort to improve
the breed of our native quail, to pro-
duce a bird of larger size; and, thus
far, the experiment gives promise of
success, for Kaler now has eleven
birds of the new species which he is
trying to develop.
Mating Effected
He was here several days ago, when
he recounted the experiment he is
making and the results thus far ac-
complished Asked why he did not
give the story to the press, he ex-
planned that he would not consider his
experiment complete success until
the eleven birds he has on hand prove
that they are capable of reproducing
their species, which cannot be dem
onstrated before next spring, when the
new birds will begin to- mate. AS
soon as actual and permanent sue
cess has been proven, he will give to
the press the full details of his expert
ment.
What he has accomplished thus far
has been to mate quail with bantam
chickens. He first secured two each
OF bantam and quail roosters and as
many hens of each species. This was
done last spring. He provided four
runs of ample dimensions. which
We're enclosed with screen wire. In
each OF two of them, he mated male
quail with bantam hen, and in each
OF the other two he mated a bantam
rooster with quail hen. No results
were derived from the first two runs.
but the mating of the bantam roosters
with the quail hens resulted in a yield
OF nine and seven eggs. from which
were hatched six and five chicks re-
spectively. OF these eleven four are
males and seven females.
They are Thriving
They have thriven wonderfully and
are now apparently full grown being
considerably larger than the ordinary
y
quail and only slightly smaller than
their bantam parents. Mr.. KaIer will
mate them next spring; and if thev
reproduce, as he believes they win. he
VIII be convinced that his experiment
IS g complete success, and he will sell
some OF the birds to people who may
wish to stock their neighborhoods
with this improved breed. At the
same time, he will release some of the i
new breed into the forests near his
farm. If all his efforts prove suc-
cessful and the new birds thrive and
multiply in the forests about his farm
his neighborhood will become the
mecca Tor many sportsmen, unless
haber can get the legislature to en-
act special law for the protection of
his enlarged 'Quail-bantams.
haler was first moved to make this
experiment from reading
about thAfailure some years ago. to
successfully introduce pheasants into |
Osceola. county. He thinks the fail.
ure was due to the pheasants being /
unable to exist in this climate; but he I
feels no apprehension that his i'm
proved quail will not thrive in this I
climate.