64 
Transaclioiis of the Academy of Science of St. Luids 
Studies of bobwhite quaJl, prairie chicken, wild turkey, deer, 
raccoon and several other species have been undertaken, and cer- 
tain segments of these studies have been concluded. None, how- 
ever, are really completed, for we have just scratched the surface 
in our understanding of the complex relationships of all these 
organisms to their environments. As nearly as we can see now, 
the research program can profitably be extended indefinitely, 
much as researches in agriculture, forestry and other applied 
biological sciences. 
But even now, certain principles have emerged from the col- 
lective results of these studies that are useful in formulatmg 
policies of management. It has been found, for example, that 
all over Missouri, water supplies for most species of wildlife are 
generally lacking. The construction of permanent ponds, in most 
cases primarily for livestock water, has been met with immediate 
response from quail, raccoons, waterfowl and other forms of 
wildlife. In the Ozark region, ponds have attracted deer and 
turkeys to many dry ridges, formerly unsuitable for occupation. 
Thus the Commission has felt justified in sponsoring a demon- 
stration pond program throughout the state, which is very attrac- 
tive to farmers because of the added supplies of livestock water, 
but from our standpoint is most important in meeting the needs 
of a number of game species. This is one example of the over- 
lapping interests of the agriculturalist and the conscrvasionist. 
Similiarly, all studies of woodland game have demonstrated 
the deleterious effects of forest fires on game production. Not 
only do fires cause direct losses among the birds and mammals 
themselves, but they seriously damage the range, destroying food 
and cover essential to the maintenance of game populations. And 
also, burning despoils the timber, destroys rangeland forage for 
hvestock, and accelerates the destructive processes of erosion, 
with resultant ill effects on fish production in rivers and streams. 
In this case, the interests of the forester and lumberman, the 
livestock owner and wildUfe manager must center on the same 
objective, the elimination of fires in our woodlands. To insure 
the protection of game and fish, as well as the forest resources 
of the state, the Commission has undertaken a program of forest 
fire control, coordinated with and supplementing the activities of 
the U. S. Forest Service and others concerned with forest and 
range management. Again the interests of several land use agen- 
cies have proven to be identical. From these and similar ex- 
amples, the conclusion can be drawn that in general, good soil 
conservation, and good agriculture and forestry, are also good 
game conservation. 
