268 The Rulied Grouse 



As land clearing progressed, the grouse range was generally im- 

 proved even diough the quantity of woodland was being reduced. 

 But in the more fertile and level regions the extent of land clearing 

 soon passed the optimum for grouse and the birds were tlien gradu- 

 ally exterminated from these parts of their range, except for occa- 

 sional islands of wooded swamp or rough land that remained to 

 support some grouse. In areas of poorer fertihty and steeper slopes, 

 as in southern New York and northern Pennsylvania, only from one 

 third to two thirds of the woodland was ever cleared. Here the 

 remaining grouse range is about the best in the Northeast. It is about 

 half again as productive of grouse as the Adirondack vdlderness 

 range even when all the open land is included, and the birds are 

 produced on only about half the total land area. 



It is probable that the optimum amount of open land for grouse 

 range would be from ten to twenty-five per cent, if it were well dis- 

 tributed. This would not be fomid ordinarily in a regular farming 

 setup. Hence man's land-clearing activity ordinarily falls short of 

 meeting grouse needs in mountainous country and far exceeds it in 

 agricultural areas. 



As a farmer, man maintains his open fields by cultural operations 

 with plough, harrow, mowing machine, etc. (see Plate 37). This 

 work serves to prevent grouse range from expanding, and at the 

 same time it maintains the valuable woodland edges. On intensely 

 farmed areas, cultivation prevents the grouse from reclaiming its 

 former range; on the hill farms it maintains the land in a higher- 

 productive condition for grouse than would ultimately result if the 

 area were abandoned to continuous forest. Many of the poorer of 

 the hill farms in the Northeast are being abandoned as unsuited for 

 profitable agriculture. In New York alone there are five million acres 

 of such lands— one sixth of the whole state. After abandonment, the 

 open fields grow into brush and for a period better grouse range 

 results. As natural afi^orestation progresses the range loses much of 

 its grouse productivitv and becomes a more extensive forest area. 



Relations of Livestock and Pets to Grouse. Wherever hvestock 

 farming, either for meat or dairy products, is found on areas of 

 grouse range there is apt to be a conflict of interests. Fortunately, 

 much of the livestock that does occur in grouse country is fenced 

 out of the woodland areas, and much of the grazed woods are not 



