Milford chronicle., 1927-12-09
GAME BIRD FARMING

Raising game birds may be made
profitable" is a positive statement
made in a publication bearing the
title of Propagation of Game
Birds" issued early in the year by
the United States Department of
Agriculture. The publication elicit
ed an immediate response from pub
lie officials in charge of the game
laws of the different States, because
Doctor w. L. McAtee of the United
States Bureau of Biological Survey,
had succeeded in putting into print
ed words the very thoughts that had
been running in the minds of OIL
Gals whose work had brought them
into contact with the various prob
lens affecting wild game.
In the fOreword of the bulletin re-
ferred to above attention was called
to the fact that there is no lack of
evidence of success in the propa-
CATION of game birds in all parts of
the United States. Doctor McAtee
SAYS that it is only necessary to fol-
low out developed methods and to
back them up with energy and in
telligence to secure satisfactory re-
suits.
May Be Made Profitable
Game officials throughout the Uni
ted States firmly believe that it is
lust as reasonable, and practical,
for farmers to raise game birds as
it is for them to raise hens, or tur-
keys, or any other class of live
stock. In the booklet prepared by
Doctor McAtee he points out that
the increase in population in the
United States has been accompanied
by an enormous growth of hunters,
and that with progressive settle
ment areas naturally productive of
game birds the hunting privileges
have been greatly restricted. PRO
pagation is necessary" he says, If
the national supply of game is to be
maintained"
Evidently the Federal and State
officials concerned in administering
the laws and affairs of game and
game birds have reached the con-
clusion that the nation must have a
more progressive policy than that
furnished under the present system
which consists principally of re-
strictive statutes in forty-eight
States which may be summarized as
"Dont's for hunters!"
PENNSYLVANIA a Game State
It will be a surprise to most peo-
pie outside of Pennsylvania to learn
that it is one of the nations best
hunting grounds. This condition is
all due to the fact that Pennsylvania
has been far-sighted. Doctor H. J.
Donaldson, president of the Board
of Game Commissioners, attributes
a large part of the success that has
been achieved in the state to the
work that has been done in the edu-
cation of the public regarding the
value of wild life and the necessity
of feeding during the lean months.
He states that farmers and their
children are cooperating in feeding
wild life over the winter This is
done" he explains, "by the simple
expedient of leaving a supply OF
shocks of corn, buckwheat, wheat
and other material in the fields dur
ing harvest" In return, the state
has enacted very liberal laws pro-
tecting the farmers rights.
Pennsylvania entry into the re-
storation of game is a big and IN
teresting story, and its success mas
been achieved by the state building
up a spirit of cooperation between
hunters of all classes, and landown-
ers of all classes.
One method that has been en-
ployed has been mentioned by John
B. Truman, executive secretary of
the Game Commissioners. I'VE
maintain a roster of the farmers
who yearly take large numbers OF
hunters to board, and much public
ity is given to the fact that the farm
ers can obtain more ready money
by the boarding of these men than
they can secure through the ordin-
airy sale of their crops" he says.
Mr.. Truman also gives the import
ant information that farmers in GER
tain counties of the state rely very
heavily for their annual income on
the money that they obtain in one
way and another from hunters and
fishermen. 1t takes considerable
effort to bring about cooperation
through the landowners and sports
men, but we are very optimistic
about the results in Pennsylvania
and consider that by keeping eter-
nally at it we will eventually have
the entire cooperation of the land
owners" he continues.
Game Farming in the West
Honorable 1. Zellerbach, president
of the Fish and Game Commission
of California, says that the move
ment for increasing efforts toward
the propagation of game birds is
making Roadway in California. Au-
gust Babe is superintendent of the
California State Game Farm, and he
is the author of a very interesting
pamphlet on Game Bird Farming"
which takes up the whole subject
of saving "our fast vanishing re-
sources of wild life" Speaking
with regard to the subject-title of
his book, Mr.. Babe writes:
Game farming is not new idea.
We have had game farms for many
years. But in the past ten years, in
keeping with other lines of industry,
marked progress has been made.
With the expansion of industries
along the lines of quantity prOduc-
ton, the small game farmer has
seen his plant grow and the pro-
duction increased almost beyond his