262 Game Survey of the North Central States 



A noteworthy spirit of genuine enthusiasm for conservation is immediately 

 felt by any visitor to this school. The instruction of course follows the general 

 idea of preservation, as distinguished from cultivation and management, of out- 

 door resources. The idea of management could, however, be effectively con- 

 veyed to the public through such an institution, and within limits would be com- 

 patible with its present objectives and personnel. Certainly the idea that restric- 

 tive legislation must be supplemented by the preservation of suitable environ- 

 ments could be taught, and interesting demonstrations of the idea set up in the 

 surrounding countryside. The idea of controlling environment is the fundamental 

 thing for game management to contribute to the conservation movement. Shoot- 

 ing and all the other aspects of game utilization are simply things which become 

 possible when environments are kept favorable. 



Courses in fish and game are offered as an adjunct to forestry courses at the 

 agricultural colleges at Purdue, Indiana, and at Ames, Iowa. Although the con- 

 trol of "wild" environments is the very essence of the forester's silviculture, the 

 corresponding idea is nearly absent from the game courses taught in forest schools. 



The outstanding development in game education is the recent conversion of 

 the forestry school at Ann Arbor, Michigan, into a school of forestry and con- 

 servation. Both graduate and undergraduate courses in applied zoology are 

 offered. 



Courses in game management are also being organized at the University of 

 Minnesota, and at the Michigan Agricultural College. 



Research Agencies. The components of successful game research are: 



1. A skillful investigator. 



2. The money to pay him. 



3. A place to work near a group of men whom he can ask things about fields 

 of science which he does not know. 



4. Land to work on. 



All of these components usually exist in the average agricultural college, ex- 

 cept the money, and expert knowledge of game as such. The U. S. Biological 

 Survey is supplying agricultural colleges or other institutions, when they ask for it, 

 with the advisory service of men having expert knowledge of game. 



The mobilization of game research in this region, therefore, boils down to a 

 question of money and initiative. 



The present purpose is to examine the question of what institutions can 

 conduct game research, providing the money and the initiative be found. 



Each State in the north central region has a large and well-equipped agri- 

 cultural college, either separate or in conjunction with its university. Each of 

 these institutions has men on its faculty skilled in the subjects on which game re- 

 search workers may need advice. These subjects commonly include ornithology, 

 mammalogy, botany, forestry, entomology, parasitology, agronomy, agricultural en- 

 gineering, soils, land economics, and watersheds. 



