PRIVATE GAME PRESERVES 197 



State Game Preserves. Comparatively few of 

 our states have made any effort at the systematic 

 propagation and preservation of game, and fewer 

 still, it would seem, have accurate records of the 

 amount of land within their borders devoted to 

 private preserves. There is still less information 

 regarding the acreage wholly unsuitable for agri- 

 cultural purposes, that might be devoted to state 

 game preserves. With a view to beginning a per- 

 manent record of such statistics, the American 

 Game Protective Association some months ago 

 sent out to the authorities of each state cards con- 

 taining a list of questions. 



The responses were far from satisfactory, both in 

 the number of replies received, and in the amount of 

 information contained therein. That was, however, 

 at least the beginning of an important and neces- 

 sary work. The returns received show that Cali- 

 fornia, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, 

 Missouri, New Jersey, New York and West Vir- 

 ginia have state game-farms, and that on these the 

 species of birds most successfully reared is the 

 ring-necked pheasant. Other game species men- 

 tioned are wild turkey, valley quail, Hungarian 

 partridge, Mexican quail, bob-whites, Canadian 

 geese, mallard and black duck, wood-duck, golden 

 and silver pheasant, rabbit, elk and deer. 



In California, since the establishment of the 

 game-farm, 4,097 ring-necked pheasants have been 

 distributed, 1,053 wild turkeys, 450 pheasant eggs 



