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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



learned this fact; since then we have had no 

 loss from that cause. A few elk in a thousand- 

 acre pasture will absolutely protect the flocks 

 therein. Our own dogs are so well aware of 

 the danger in our elk park that they can not be 

 induced to enter it. 



Elk thrive best in preserves having a 

 variety of food plants — grasses, bushes, 

 and trees. Rough lands, well watered 

 with clear streams and having some for- 

 ested area, are well adapted to their 

 needs. About as many elk can be kept 

 on such a range as cattle on an equal 

 area of fair pasture. There should be 

 thickets enough to furnish winter browse, 

 but this should be supplemented by a 

 supply of winter forage. 



Except when deep snows cover the 

 ground, elk will keep in good condition 

 on ordinary pasture . and browse ; but a 

 system of management that provides 

 other food regularly will be found more 

 satisfactory. Hay and corn fodder are 

 excellent winter forage ; but alfalfa hay 

 has proved to be the best dry food for 

 both elk and deer. A little oats or corn — 

 whole or chopped — may be fed each day. 

 Elk are fond of corn, and feeding it 

 affords excellent opportunities for win- 

 ning their confidence and taming them. 

 The same may be said of salt, which 

 should be furnished liberally to all deer 

 kept in inclosures. Running water, al- 

 though not essential, is of great impor- 

 tance in maintaining elk in good condi- 

 tion. 



Elk are much less nervous than ordi- 

 nary deer, and less disposed to jump 

 fences. When they escape from an in- 

 closure they usually return of their own 

 accord. If tame, they may be driven 

 like cattle. Ordinarily, a 5-foot fence of 

 any kind will confine elk. Henry Bin- 

 ning, of Cora, Wyo., writes us that a 

 4-foot woven-wire fence is ample for 

 these animals. A small inclosure in 

 which a vicious bull elk is to be kept 

 should be higher and of stronger mate- 

 rial. 



The cost of stocking an elk preserve 

 is not great. Usually surplus stock from 

 zoological parks or small private pre- 

 serves may be obtained at low cost, vary- 

 ing with the immediate demand for the 



animals. At times they have sold for 

 less than $20 a head, and, with the 

 present restrictions on sale, low prices 

 are likely to continue. A few years ago 

 T. J. Wilson, of Eewisburg, Ohio, paid 

 $165 for three animals. A Michigan 

 breeder recently offered to deliver a 

 dozen head, sex and age not given, all 

 fine specimens, for $500. This is, of 

 course, a low price, not more than cattle 

 would bring and less than the venison 

 would be worth if it could be sold. If 

 restrictions on the sale and shipment of 

 venison from private preserves were re- 

 moved, prices of the stock would, of 

 course, soon advance, and necessitate a 

 greater outlay in starting the business. 



BREEDING THE VIRGINIA DEER 



The Virginia, or whitetail, deer is the 

 common deer of the United States. In- 

 cluding the half dozen geographic races 

 that occur within our borders, it is dis- 

 tributed over most of the country, except 

 Nevada and the major portions of Utah, 

 Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and Cali- 

 fornia. It is extinct in Delaware and 

 practically so in a number of States in 

 the Middle West. South of our borders 

 a number of closely related species occur. 



In view of the wide natural range of 

 the Virginia deer, its adaptability to 

 nearly all sections of the United States 

 can not be doubted. Testimony as to its 

 hardiness in parks and preserves is not 

 so unanimous as that concerning the elk ; 

 but the general experience of breeders is 

 that with suitable range, plenty of good 

 water, and reasonable care in winter, 

 raising this deer for stocking preserves 

 or for venison may be made as profitable 

 as any other live-stock industry. Not 

 only do deer thrive on land unsuited for 

 cattle or horses, but, like elk, they may 

 be raised to great advantage in brushy 

 or timbered pastures fully stocked with 

 cattle or horses, as the food of deer 

 rarely includes grass. 



Advocates of the Angora goat indus- 

 try state that within the United States 

 there are 250,000,000 acres of land not 

 suited to tillage or to the pasture of 

 horses, cattle, or sheep, which are well 



