30 



Game Survey of the North Central States 



The question is Statewide, because thousands of farmers are doing, or will 

 eventually do, the same thing. A powerful and extremely effective machinery is 

 maintained in each county at governmental expense to hasten the process, and to 

 show the farmer how. Could not this same machinery show him how to conserve 

 at least a part of his game-producing capacity, if he cares to do so for either 

 pleasure or profit? 



Rebuilding the Quail Crop. To illustrate concretely what is meant by 

 "conserving game-producing capacity" on an improved farm, Map 5 depicts an 

 imaginary reconstruction of the quail coverts on the Smith farm, and the hypo- 



(C) COVER & 

 CROPS as 

 they might 

 be 



Grain food 

 patch added 

 to provide 

 new feeding 

 ground 



ifcO acre 

 -j 



UghMTy grazed by 53 cattle 



Brush restored 

 in waste and 

 odd corners 



Coveys restored 

 "by all these 

 management 

 measures 



Tenped conifer 

 plantations or other winter 

 refuge 



MAP 5. Imaginary Reconstruction of Quail Coverts oh the Smith Farm 



thetical response in quail population. The intent is to show how "concentrated" 

 coverts can be squeezed into odd corners without sacrifice of valuable acreage. 

 Whether agricultural experts would approve this particular reconstruction is not 

 known. Probably not. The major plea is that they start experiments on this 

 question, and tell the farmers what particular measures for the benefit of game 

 would meet with their approval, and what response in game might be expected. 



Changes in Stock; Mexican Quail. Before proceeding to the more 

 detailed examination of the changes which have occurred in the quail environ- 

 ments offered by the region, it is necessary to consider changes which may have 

 occurred in the bird itself. Unfortunately there is a high probability that the 

 original indigenous stock has been changed by the admixture of Mexican blood, 

 especially in Illinois. The following table summarizes the figures gathered during 

 the survey on the extent of Mexican importations. 



