THE LEGITIMATE USE OF GAME 105 



annual expenditure by the state of more than 5 per 

 cent of the value of the venison. 



The white-tailed deer is hardy, prolific, a good 

 meat-animal and able to live well in any forest east 

 of the Rocky Mountains. It asks of man nothing 

 save decent protection from indecent slaughter. 

 On the hoof, the adult males weigh from 150 to 300 

 pounds, according to their position on the map. 

 The smallest members of the white-tailed deer 

 group are those of Florida and the eastern Gulf 

 states, the largest are those on the line from Maine 

 to Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and 

 Texas. 



The unoccupied forest lands of the United States 

 could in my opinion produce annually for our con- 

 sumption at least 2,000,000 adult deer, without 

 deducting more than $50,000 from the wealth of the 

 nation. Those deer would be worth, at a low esti- 

 mate, an average of $10 each, which would mean 

 $20,000,000. 



By way of illustration let us take the case of 

 Vermont, which is so well fitted to the needs of the 

 moment that it seems to have been specially devel- 

 oped for our use. 



In the beginning, the people of Vermont exter- 

 minated their original abundant stock of white- 

 tailed deer. In 1870, the species was, so far as 

 known, practically extinct throughout that state. 

 In 1875, a few business men of Rutland decided to 

 make an attempt to restock with deer the open 



