Conservation" Commission 27 



upon those who seek its adequate enforcement. It should be 

 amended and made workable. 



Manifestly, it is not unreasonable to demand that the young fish 

 so lavishly propagated by the State be placed in an environment 

 where they may thrive and not speedily perish. 



With the increase of urban population, the problem of stream 

 pollution grows steadily more complex. The best legislative 

 measures which can be devised, will not be better than the situation 

 justifies. 



Furthermore, the State ought to own (not lease) the lands sur- 

 rounding all hatchery streams ; in no other way can the purity of 

 the hatchery waters be safeguarded. 



Game Farms 



The State game farm at Sherburne produced 25,000 pheasant 

 eggs and 5,000 young birds, during the past year, filling 1,241 

 applications. 



The Legislature of 1913 appropriated $3,000 for maintenance 

 of a game farm in Hurley, Ulster county, on property already 

 owned by the State. Careful investigation having shown this 

 property to be wholly unsuited for such a purpose, the Commis- 

 sion was obliged to abandon the project. 



The need for additional game farms has been emphasized by 

 this Commission ever since it came into existence. In 1912 the 

 Legislature made an appropriation for four additional game 

 farms, which, however, failed of executive approval. We again 

 urge that provision be made for additional game farms. As 

 already noted, the direct revenues derived by the State Treasury 

 through this department are over $316,000, — $60,000 more than 

 a year ago. Putting a conservative commercial value on the 

 fish fry and the young birds and eggs which the State is propa- 

 gating, the total, with the revenues, exceeds by over $200,000 

 the cost of operating the Division of Fish and Game, salaries 

 included. 



Protection of Fish and Game 



At the instance of this Commission, the Legislature at its 

 last regular session amended the law relative to the appointment 



