THE GAME BREEDER 



51 



Climate. 



"Wm. Noble writes: "The hail storms last 

 summer killed a large number of chickens in 

 this district." 



A. C. Budd says: "The majority of people 

 here report a very poor hatch of domestic 

 fowl probably through heavy rains and thun- 

 der storms. I had three settings due out June 

 1, and all but fourteen were dead in the shell 

 probably caused by the shock of the heavy 

 thunder which would very likely damage 

 prairie chickens in the same way." 



Farm Implements. 



R. A. Hewitt writes: "Last spring when 

 ploughing I ran over two nests before I saw 

 them. The birds had been setting some time 

 but the eggs did not appear to be incubating." 



Dogs. 



Carrol W. Dodge writes: "In this district 

 there are at least forty wolf hounds within 

 eight miles of my place and in the sprmg and 

 early summer I can see them ranging the 

 country hunting nests and in the sloughs after 

 ducks." 



Many people report an alarming scarc- 

 ity of prairie chickens and say they are 

 vanishing. 



S. L. R. Clarke writes: "Among all the 

 hunters I have interviewed this season, not 

 one in fifty shot any prairie chickens. This 

 is alarming when compared with the chickens 

 of a few years ago." 



J. Burgiss writes : "I do not know what has 

 happened to the prairie chickens, but they 

 seem to have disappeared altogether, I am 

 of the opinion that last year there were 

 twenty-five birds to where there is one now." 



H. J. Edington writes : "The prairie chicken 

 is a rare thing to be seen in my locality. Two 

 years ago they were very plentiful." 



The remedy suggested by some is a 

 closed season for a term of years. Such 

 a law will have no effect whatsoever on 

 the causes for the decrease in the number 

 of chickens above mentioned. Nesting 

 places and natural foods will be de- 

 stroyed more and more as population in- 

 creases ; there will be, undoubtedly, some 

 illegal shooting since the grouse is very 

 good to eat. At the end of the closed 

 season, if it be not extended, a very little 

 shooting will be sufficient to put an end 

 to the prairie grouse forever in the few 

 places where the birds may occur. 



If a law permitting and encouraging 

 the breeding of grouse for sport and for 

 profit can be enacted, shooting clubs can 

 be formed to look after the birds and t© 

 see that they be not destroyed by natural 



enemies by fires and farm machinery, 

 and the losses due to climate can be miti- 

 gated. Clubs with very small dues can 

 make and keep the grouse very plentiful 

 although thousands of birds be shot every 

 season, and since the birds will go out 

 from the preserved areas they will be 

 found in the stubbles for miles about. In 

 this way the quail clubs of the Eastern 

 and Southern States have saved the quail 

 and quail shooting not only for the club 

 members but also for those who take no 

 interest in game preserving. 



The trap shooting clubs have trap 

 shooting because tht^y procure their traps 

 and targets and provide for the sport. 

 There is plenty of room for thousands 

 of game shooting clubs which easily can 

 have plenty of prairie chickens and other 

 game, not only for themselves but for 

 the people to eat, since if the game is 

 properly looked after it becomes so 

 abundant that the club members can not 

 eat all they shoot and they can sell some 

 to pay the expenses of a game keeper 

 and the rental of nesting grounds, small 

 areas which should be kept quiet and 

 full of cover and food and safe from 

 vermin and farm machinery. 



The Game Breeder is always glad to 

 give advice about the formation of game 

 clubs to those who wish to perpetuate 

 field sports. 



The Game Breeder does not do much 

 in the way of soliciting advertisements 

 as those who use it know. Most of the 

 breeders when they have anything to sell 

 know what the result will be if they an- 

 nounce the fact and send us their adver- 

 tisements. 



The Game Conservation Society 

 much prefers to have the magazine fully 

 supported by members of the society 

 who contribute because they believe in 

 the work being accomplished. 



Always purchase from those who ad- 

 vertise. By so doing you help the cause. 

 Why should you buy from those who do 

 not help? 



• ■ — 



It is now time to adrertise eggs for 

 spring delivery. 



