﻿Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game 
  Commission 
  199 
  

  

  its 
  first 
  year 
  of 
  operation. 
  Livingston 
  county 
  was 
  stocked 
  chiefly 
  

   by 
  the 
  Wadsworths, 
  who 
  turned 
  down 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  birds 
  

   on 
  their 
  extensive 
  holdings. 
  

  

  Reports 
  from 
  the 
  principal 
  counties, 
  where 
  pheasant 
  shooting 
  is 
  

   permitted 
  by 
  law, 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  constantly 
  increas- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  numbers, 
  despite 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  large 
  numbers 
  are 
  annually 
  

   killed 
  by 
  sportsmen. 
  In 
  some 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  the 
  farmers 
  

   have 
  been 
  prejudiced 
  against 
  the 
  pheasant 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  that 
  it 
  

   damaged 
  farm 
  crops. 
  " 
  The 
  Rochester 
  Democrat," 
  of 
  October 
  20th, 
  

   under 
  the 
  heading 
  " 
  Pheasants 
  Are 
  Increasing," 
  notes 
  a 
  change 
  

   in 
  the 
  sentiment 
  of 
  farmers 
  in 
  Monroe 
  county 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  The 
  

   editorial 
  states 
  " 
  Sportsmen 
  who 
  have 
  taken 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  

   season 
  for 
  Chinese 
  pheasants 
  are 
  reporting 
  fair 
  success, 
  but 
  are 
  to 
  

   a 
  degree 
  hampered 
  by 
  the 
  posting 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  farms 
  by 
  

   their 
  owners. 
  The 
  farmers, 
  it 
  appears, 
  have 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

   changed 
  their 
  minds 
  regarding 
  the 
  pheasants. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  long 
  since 
  

   many 
  complaints 
  were 
  made 
  that 
  the 
  Chinese 
  pheasant 
  was 
  an 
  en- 
  

   emy 
  of 
  the 
  agriculturist 
  and 
  an 
  active 
  agent 
  in 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  

   crops. 
  Now 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  learned 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  more 
  useful 
  

   than 
  injurious, 
  ' 
  no 
  trespass 
  ' 
  signs 
  are 
  everywhere 
  in 
  evidence. 
  

   Under 
  these 
  conditions 
  there 
  is 
  very 
  little 
  liklihood 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  

   will 
  be 
  exterminated. 
  In 
  fact 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  

   numerous, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  last 
  year's 
  open 
  season." 
  

  

  As 
  pheasants 
  are 
  quite 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  important 
  game 
  bird 
  

   of 
  the 
  future 
  in 
  this 
  State, 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  their 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  farm- 
  

   ers 
  deserves 
  careful 
  attention. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  farmers' 
  papers 
  con- 
  

   demn 
  the 
  pheasants 
  roundly, 
  stating 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  pull 
  newly- 
  

   planted 
  corn 
  and 
  later 
  on 
  rob 
  the 
  corn 
  fields 
  when 
  the 
  ears 
  have 
  

   ripened. 
  They 
  also 
  state 
  that 
  they 
  destroy 
  apple 
  buds 
  and 
  pick 
  

   into 
  mature 
  fruit. 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  these 
  reports 
  greatly 
  exagger- 
  

   ate 
  the 
  damage 
  done. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  considerable 
  evidence 
  is 
  

   available 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  pheasant 
  is 
  a 
  friend 
  of 
  the 
  farmer. 
  The 
  

   two 
  following 
  extracts 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  " 
  Rural 
  New 
  Yorker 
  " 
  : 
  

   " 
  As 
  a 
  person 
  who 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  admirer 
  of 
  the 
  pheasant 
  and 
  wiio 
  

   hopes 
  eventually 
  to 
  see 
  them 
  rank 
  as 
  our 
  foremost 
  game 
  bird, 
  I 
  beg 
  

  

  