Appendices 



I. Value of Wild Animals* 



BY 



C. D. Richardson, West Brookfield, Mass. 



THOSE beautiful wooded dells should be the haunts of the wild 

 creatures, as when first discovered by the white man. Too long 

 they, with their wild life, have been given over to the pot hunter 

 and to him who would despoil them of their true charm. There is a 

 growing recognition that the strain of modern life can be best endured 

 by often fleeing to the wilds, which calls at times to all, but louder to 

 some than to others. 



All over this great country of ours there are vast stretches of 

 waste land, with their variety of woods, swamps, and hillside, which yield 

 but little profit to the owner. I^et us look a little into the future. 

 8up{)ose we make something of this land, fence it in, reforest it, and 

 stock it with game. It will require little care and the average farnici- 

 may realize from it more tlian he now does from his tilled acres. The 

 fence problem is practically solved in the use of woven wire, and a large 

 tract may be enclosed at a comparatively small expense. 



The food problem, too, is a simple one, as grouse, pheasants, quail, 

 etc., subsist almost wholly upon insects which, if unchecked, would 

 destroy all vegetation, on noxious seed>«, and on buds of unimportant 

 trees, while the larger game animals, especially those of the deer family. 

 Iced almost wholly on twigs and leaves of vegetation which is of no 

 real value, if not a menace to the farmer. In fact, the finest grazing 

 ground for such animals is an old brush pasture in which the ordinary 

 domestic animals would starve, but which furnishes to the wild crea- 

 tures their most natural food. 



The question of vermin— the fox, weaseln, skunk, cat, etc., the 

 natural enemies of the bird — must be considercnl and a systematic war- 

 fare waged against them. An English moor of from 100 to 500 acres 

 often rents for £300 ($1,500) a season, just for the shooting privileges 

 of the grouse aloiu'. When the vermin is disposed of, the increase 

 in bird life on such a ti-act is simply enormous. 



*From American Breeders' Association Annual Report, 1911. 



