PHEASANTS IN COVERT AND AVIARY 



combine the breeding of fancy birds for the aviary, and 

 when there is convenience for doing so the breeding of 

 fancy Pheasants materially assists to augment the income. 



When considering the county in which it is desirous 

 of commencing a game farm, it is necessary to study the 

 topography of the district, it being essential that the 

 premises are within reasonable distance of a railway 

 station, as the majority of transactions in game-farming 

 are by rail. Not only is it necessary that a railway be 

 handy, but equally important that there is a tolerably good 

 train service, as the despatch of both live birds and eggs 

 is one in which the less delay there is the better. 



Some game farms are what may be termed already 

 made, others have to undergo a gradual conversion — i.e., 

 the young coverts have to be made, and the land, etc., 

 drained. If there is a small covert and a fair amount of 

 grass land, especially upland pasture, the premises ought, 

 with a reasonable amount of expenditure, to form suitable 

 ones for game-farming operations to be carried on. 



It is useless to start a game farm where the land is 

 insufficient, because it is an indisputable and well estab- 

 lished fact that Pheasants kept in pens that are constantly 

 being moved from one part of the land to another are 

 very much healthier and stronger birds than others situated 

 where no such arrangement can exist, or at any rate 

 does not exist. Some Pheasant-farmers boast that their 

 birds are shifted on to fresh ground every day. It must 

 be a tremendous amount of trouble to change birds on to 

 fresh soil every day, in practice at any rate, moreover there 

 is no necessity for it, and if there is any wastage of 

 labour in farming, no matter whether purely agricultural 

 or that more directly concerned with game, it is hard to 



conceive of the ultimate prosperity of such an undertaking. 



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