FISHERIES, GAME AND FORESTS. 203 



deer which are caught in the Adirondacks, in the fall, and shipped there to winter in 

 the enclosure. Deer caught and shipped there in the fall should be wintered and fed 

 in the park, and then turned loose in the spring as soon as the buds and first leaves 

 appear. To turn them loose in the fall in a strange place with winter coming on 

 would not give them a fair chance. But when turned loose there in the spring, they 

 have the entire summer and next fall in which to roam the forest and acquaint them- 

 selves with desirable localities in which to yard or protect themselves during the 

 ensuing winter. 



In order to give the Catskill experiment a fair test more deer should be procured 

 each fall and taken there. Deer can be caught in the Adirondacks, put in crates, and 

 shipped there without any trouble or loss. This has been done already. We have 

 passed that stage of the experiment successfully. Deer can be caught alive in the 

 Adirondacks at a cost of about $20 per head. The expense for guides, dogs, boats, 

 and board of the foresters, will make the cost about that sum. It might, perhaps, be 

 done for less. It need not cost more, for the guides will furnish as many as are needed 

 for $20 each, properly crated and delivered at the railroad. 



Only a few years ago the deer had become extinct in Vermont. A herd was 

 obtained and turned loose there, and now the deer are so plentiful in Vermont that 

 the farmers are complaining that the animals are encroaching on their crops. 



The Catskill forests can be restocked with deer at a comparatively small expense. 

 Within seven years those woods can be filled so thickly with this noble game that 

 even-one will applaud the wisdom of the experiment. But to do this there should be 

 at least 150 more deer brought down from the Adirondacks and turned loose there, 

 and the Legislature should provide, through an item in the Supply Bill, for the cost 

 of this work. It is absurd to go on year after year voting such large sums of money 

 for the propagation of fish and neglecting to provide for the maintenance of this noble 

 game and valuable factor in our food supply. 



The Adirondack and Catskill forests do not include all the deer of the State of 



New York. It will undoubtedly interest many to learn that on Long Island, in Suffolk 



county, within sixty miles of our great metropolis, there is a large area of woodlands 



in which wild deer are abundant. In proportion to the territory, they are as plentiful 



as in the Adirondacks, and they will also compare favorably as to size, appearance and 



quality of venison. They have increased in numbers during late years, owing to the 



protection afforded by our game laws. The open season on Long Island differs from 



that of the rest of the State, a special law having been enacted for this particular 



region. Part of this territory is owned or controlled by clubs and individuals, but 



enough of it is open to the public to permit the killing of over two hundred deer 



each season. 



is 



