114 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



A Close Season on Ruffed Grouse. 

 It is recommended, therefore, that legislation be enacted pro- 

 hibiting the pursuit, taking or killing of ruffed grouse within 

 the limits of this Commonwealth for at least one year. 



Adequate Provision for a Bird-day Leaflet for the Public Schools. 

 In the bill presented by the State Board of Agriculture in 

 1917, entitled "An Act to establish Arbor and Bird Day," it 

 was made the duty of the Board to publish annually a leaflet 

 relative to trees and birds, and an appropriation was provided 

 for printing that publication. This bill was changed in com- 

 mittee, and as finally enacted section 2 of chapter 74 of the 

 General Acts of 1917 reads as follows: — 



Section 2. The state board of agriculture may publish annually a 

 leaflet relative to trees and birds which shaU be approved by the commis- 

 sioner of education, and may distribute the same to superintendents and 

 teachers of the rural and suburban public schools of the commonwealth 

 prior to Arbor and Bird Day. The expenses of such publication and 

 distribution shaU be paid out of the annual appropriation for disseminat- 

 ing useful information in agriculture. 



This act has been in force for two years, and in neither of 

 those years has any money been available from the dissemina- 

 tion fund for the publication of this leaflet. It would not have 

 been published had not the Ornithologist succeeded in securing 

 the money from other sources. It is respectfully submitted 

 that if this act is to have any effect in the rural schools, the 

 publication of a bulletin or leaflet for distribution among them 

 must be made mandatory, otherwise the act should be re- 

 pealed. Unless something is published and distributed through 

 the superintendents to the teachers to remind them of the 

 observance of the day and to suggest some kind of a program 

 having to do with tree planting and bird welfare, very few will 

 take the trouble to prepare any exercises regarding these 

 subjects for their pupils on that day. Some of the city schools 

 include in their curriculum some instruction in these matters. 

 In many rural schools where such exercises are most needed, 

 and may be most readily illustrated by living examples, there is 



