68 



Game Surrey of the North Central States 



was floored with tin to exclude rodents. Mr. Lodge stated it was his custom to 

 feed a sack of grit with each sack of grain, and my examination indicated that 

 consumption was almost in this same ratio. There was only a little more grit 

 than grain left at the time the station was visited. 



Quail and Weeds. The seeds of many noxious weeds constitute pre- 

 ferred food for bobwhite. On marginal lands where grain is scarce there would 

 be few or no quail without the weed supply furnished by abandoned fields. On 

 better lands with more grain quail are less dependent on weeds, but even there the 

 variety and abundance of weeds help determine the quail population. 



Ornithologists have contended that quail control weeds by consuming the 

 seed. The validity of this claim hinges on the assumption that the weed crop 

 depends on the survival of seed, rather than on the presence or absence of 

 favorable conditions for its growth. The most recent evidence indicates that the 

 seeds of many weeds may be always present. An ample stock of seeds seems to 

 remain "in storage" for long periods, ready to take advantage of any favorable 

 combination of weather and the slackened competition of other species. To the 

 extent that this "storage" theory holds true, the claim that quail control the 

 weed crop fails to hold water. 



One of the weeds most eagerly sought by quail is the lesser ragweed, which 

 commonly grows in pastures, in poorly cultivated corn, in the aftermath of 

 stubbles, and on abandoned fields. A brief discussion of it may serve to illus- 

 trate the nature of the relationship between quail, weeds, and farming. 



In the first place there is conflicting opinion on just what factors determine 

 the presence or absence of ragweed. 



What determines ragweed? 



