1877.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



23 



light catiilo^ue of evils registered against the 

 gunners, ami when, in adiUtion, the gan)e-bag 

 of tlie pot-lumtur, as is too often tlie case, is 

 fillc'ci witli a miscellaneous assortment of barn- 

 yard poultry, the cup of the farmer's wrath is 

 justly filled to overtlowing. And when he 

 uiidertakes to stem the tide of accumulating 

 evils, he has not oidy the sympathy and co- 

 operation of his fellows, but of all other rea- 

 sonable men, whether they be farmers or not. 

 As a legitimate conseiinence of these annoy- 

 ances, he comes to look with suspicion upon 

 every man who approaches his premises with 

 a gun upon his shoulder. He no longer wails 

 to draw distinctions between these obnoxious 

 visitors, but regards them one and all as 

 nuisances — as a pest and an enemy whom he 

 desires to see as rarely as possible, and to get 

 rid of whom becomes for the time being the 

 chief object of his wishes. 



The result of all this is the imiumerable 

 series of hand-boards and warnings which 

 ornament every prominent tree on his prem- 

 ises, and oftentimes e-xceed the number of 

 quail that lind shelter on his acres. And when 

 even these notices to trespassers are ineffec- 

 tual, a disgraceful bout of words, and oftimes 

 a personal collision is the result, lean hardly 

 be wrong in saying these things are not desired 

 by either party. The farmer bears with him, 

 as a conse([uence, a rulHed temper, while the 

 gunner has oft to mourn the loss of a favorite 

 dog, and goes away full of wrath and breath- 

 ing vengeance. 



Perhaps in a majority of cases the farmer is 

 not so much impelled to take the course he 

 does from his desire to protect the game which 

 finds shelter in his fields : that I believe is fre- 

 quently a secondary consideration, (juail, 

 rabbits, woodcock, squirrels, and other game, 

 are not such important things in his eyes as 

 they are in those of the hunter. A desire to 

 protect his premises from this undesired intru- 

 sion, and his property from unnecessary de- 

 struction, are generally the objects he has 

 most at heart. If he has pleasure in hearing 

 Bob White's pleasing pipe, and is aware that 

 the songster is insectiverous, as well as gran- 

 iverous, and in this way capable of rendering 

 very important services during the spring and 

 summer, he may feel like affording him pro- 

 tection for the good he is able to do. I hardly 

 think, however, this utilitarian view of the 

 case very often influences the farmer ; oftener 

 he regards the upland minstrel in the light of 

 a dainty morsel for his table, and therefore 

 worthy of his protection. If, liowever, this 

 opinion does not guide him, and he is swayed 

 solely by the desire to see this handsome game 

 bird increase without any hindrance what- 

 ever, he might in the course of time, if his 

 views could be carried out, see them Ijecome a 

 pest requiring abatement, just as the hare 

 sometimes becomes in Nevada and the adjoin- 

 ing territories. There is a possible danger 

 that under certain contingencies we might have 

 too much Bob White, instead of too little, as 

 seems likely at present, in consequence of con- 

 flicting interests. 



So much for the farmer. The sportsman 

 also claims a hearing. When confronted with 

 the long list of grievances the farmer brings 

 forward, he says in reply, they are general and 

 sweeping, instead of being limited to a class 

 insignificant in numbers. The sport.sman wor- 

 thy of the name deserves no such reproach ; 

 he alarms no household and maims no cattle 

 with his random shooting ; he does not wan- 

 tonly destroy the husbandman's property ; 

 neither does "he commit theft upon any stray- 

 ing poultry. Should he through accident in- 

 jure anything belonging to the granger, he 

 does not endeavor to cover np the fault, but 

 honorably pays tlie damage that has been un- 

 willingly inflicted. That the pot-hunter is 

 sometimes guilty of the excesses previously 

 mentioned, he admits, but he himself, as much 

 as anyone, is the enemy of this class of offend- 

 ers, wlio shoot game in season and out of it, 

 and whom he is as anxious to suppress as the 

 farmer can possibly be. 



He claims to be more interested in the pre- 

 servation and increase of game than the far- 



mer. He has been instrumental in procuring 

 the passage of game laws and theorgiiniz;ition 

 of siiorting clubs, which have for their object 

 the protection of game during the period of 

 nidilieation and reproduction, against the as- 

 .saults of hunter outlaws, who would as soon 

 shoot ilrs. Bob Wliite while engaged in the 

 pleasing cares of the nursery, as on a frosty 

 morning in December. He does not call the 

 farmer ignorant, churlish and exacting, who 

 sees fit to deny him the right to kill game on 

 his premises ; he oftener asks permission to do 

 so than attempts it without license ; and when 

 refused, does not pau.se to bandy words with 

 the proprietor. Under these circumstances, 

 he thinks the farmer's refusal not warranted 

 by the stale of the case, but seeks efsewhere to 

 find that pleasure which has here been denied 

 him. 



He joins issue, also, with the farmer upon 

 the question wliich the latter very generally 

 claims as of right — the ownership and exclu- 

 sive proprietary rights in all game that may be 

 found on the latter's domain. On this point 1 

 believe the farmers, as a rule, are mistaken. 

 How can they substantiate their claim to the 

 covey of quail tliat may to-day be feeding 

 ai'ound their grain stacks 'i* Did he breed or 

 raise them V Can he identify them if they are 

 with any others ? Do they bear any peculiar 

 marks that may serve to establish ownership'i' 

 (Jan he take and dispose of them at will, like 

 any other property'i' And when they, in 

 search of fresh feeding-ground, fly over his 

 fence into his neighbor's field, are they still 

 his 'i* If he went to bring them back, would 

 he not be as much of a trespasser as the veriest 

 l)ot-hunter that bags his spring chickensV Be- 

 yond all doubt he would. As well might the 

 riparian owner claim the fish in the navigalile 

 water course that flows by his broad acres. 

 Game in this State that is not pieserved in 

 enclosed parks, or is not in some other way 

 directly, constantly and continuously under 

 control, is in law devoid of ownership. An 

 enclosed and preserved trout pond implies 

 ownership and proprietary rights, but to whom 

 belongs the flock of wild ducks that, in their 

 semi-annual voyage, either from hunger or 

 weariness alight and pass an hour or two on 

 its quiet surface? All game, whether of fur 

 or feather, is governed in the matter of habitat 

 entirely and exclusively by the question of 

 food supply. So long as that is plentiful, they 

 perhaps remain when unmolested, but when a 

 time of scarcity comes, migration comes with 

 it, and what then becomes of your exclusive 

 ownership? Your property takes wings like 

 the riches in the parable, and flees, you know 

 not where ! I have not inquired into the law 

 on this point, but it is very evident to me it 

 does not pretend to confer ownership iu pro- 

 perty that is not identifiable and which no 

 number of statutes can secure to him. Such a 

 law would carry signs of absurdity all over it, 

 and while our State legislators have never im- 

 pressed the community deeply by the brilliancy 

 of their lecislative capacities, I am neverthe- 

 less persuaded nothing so illogical or fallacious 

 has ever emanated from that collective body 

 of wisdom. 



So stands the case, then, between these two 

 classes of the community. Instead of healing, 

 the breach widens yearly. The point that re- 

 mains to be considered is, whether there are 

 no means whereby these diflferences can be 

 satisfactorily adjusted. I believe such a thing 

 possible in most cases. Farmers are, as a 

 rule, very honorable men — none more so. 

 When met in the proper spirit, they are not 

 the unreasonabh^ lieings hunters suppose ; and 

 when approached in the proper manner, mis- 

 understandings soon give way. Hunters 

 must understand, in the first place, that the 

 right of every man to control and enjoy his 

 own is absolute and indisputable, and when- 

 ever any one attempts without permission or 

 purchase to enjoy this right ahmg with the 

 rightful owner, he becomes a trespas.ser. What 

 shadow of right has the sportsman on the far- 

 mer's acres 'i AVhere does he get such a right? 

 A man's land is a.s much his property as his 

 house, and the law calls that his castle. If he 



may defend that he certainly can the former. 

 Both farmers and sportsmen are agreed upon 

 one point, and that is the ot'cessity and strict 

 enforcement of the game law ; they canjneet 

 upon this common ground of agreement, and 

 unless they co-operate heartily in enforcing 

 such laws, no amount of legistation'willjpre- 

 servo tlie game in any district : unrestricted 

 shooting soon clears a country of ita|feral 

 occupants. 



Of late, sportmcn's clubs have sprung up in 

 every State. They cannot become too numer- 

 our, and if they are as choice and careful iu 

 their membership as many other associations 

 are, they will be composed of gentlemen. 

 There is no reason why they should not be 

 such in reality as well as in name. I believe 

 it would not be a diflicull matter for such an 

 as.socialion, known to be compo.sed of honor- 

 able men, to come to an agreement with simi- 

 lar associations of farmers living near each 

 other, securing the right to hunt during the 

 proper .season, under certain restrictions, and 

 for a fixed renumeration. The farmers would 

 not be loth to increase their revenue from this 

 source, if it could be done without damage to 

 their property. Suppose a sportsmen's club 

 was to secure by purchase the right to hunt 

 game over a tract of 2,000 or ;j,(JOO acres ; 

 would it not then be to the interest of the far- 

 mers, no less than that of the hunters, to afford 

 the game on the land thus rented or lea.sed all 

 the protection possible? If the game was not 

 preserved, but wantonly destroyed, the sports- 

 men would decline to rent again, and the reve- 

 nue of the farmers be consequently curtailed ; 

 but if it became more abundant from year to 

 year, as it no doubt would with proper care, 

 the proprietors would be justified in asking in- 

 creaseti compensation, and might in time de- 

 rive a handsome reveime from a source hitherto 

 unprofitable and the cause of innumerable vex- 

 ations. While I hold the farmer can no more 

 lay exclusive claim to the game on his farm than 

 he can to the moon or stars that shine down 

 upon it. Justice demands that he be compen- 

 sated for all the care and supervision he may 

 bestow upon it. 



To many it may seem to be carrying the 

 thing too far to pay for what they have always 

 had for the taking. Granted ;" but the time 

 will surely come when, without .some such ar- 

 rangement, the sportsman will be compelled 

 to forego his pleasure and pastime in the set- 

 tled districts, and betake himself elsewhere in 

 search of sport, and that, too, at a far greater 

 expenditure of money .and time than the plan 

 I have proposed would cost. It seems to me 

 the only fair, reasonable and jwssible solution 

 of this vexed question. The conflicting in- 

 terests of both sides would be merged into a 

 mutual one ; game would be better preserved, 

 and the game laws better observed, because 

 both parties would unite their efforts to that 

 end. At all events, the plan is worthy of trial ; 

 it can certainly not make matters worse than 

 they are, and may perhaps furnish a solution 

 to the existing difficulties. — J^. R. D., Lancas- 

 ter, Feb. 22, 1877^ 



INFLUENCE OF READING. 



In our last i.ssue we mentioned the necessi- 

 ty of having a certain amount of good reading 

 form a part of the occupation and pleasure of 

 well-spent winter evenings. But it is not 

 merely for the "fim of the thing" that we de- 

 sire all people to make a point of reading 

 sometliing each day; on the contrary, the 

 main reason for so doing is found in the direct 

 and powerful influence which reading will 

 have ui)on your per.sonal character and life. 



We suppose and will venture the assertion, 

 that all minds are moulded and guided more 

 by what they read than by what they hear. 

 There are only two principal methods of influ- 

 encing our own or other minds; one is by 

 means of oral speech, and the other by writ- 

 ten language. And no less a person than 

 President Porter, of Yale College, has said, 

 that in this view, ''a good book is of more val- 

 ue than a good man." We think this opin- 

 ion can be justified by good and sufficient rea- 

 sons. One or two occur to us now. 



