12 



THE GAME BREEDER 



though it is proverbially hard to winter 

 diving ducks. They are all in splendid 

 condition, and give every indication of 

 early breeding. 



In the quail work we find that it is 

 easy to rear the young to .maturity, using 

 bantams, feeding lightly, and giving 

 range on fresh grass in a large fenced 



much in the shade, to avoid lung 

 troubles. In feeding, the safest method 

 is to provide an area of chopped straw 

 litter, scattering the food in this, to keep 

 them working for it, and not giving more 

 than what they will clean up thoroughly. 

 About every two weeks this litter should 

 be replaced by fresh. Though they do 



Brood of Wood Ducks, raised at Amston 



-enclosure. We now keep the hens in the 

 coops, allowing the young to roam at 

 will. Each coop has a pile of brush in 

 front of it for shade. The young when 

 small keep closely in the vicinity. Later 

 they fly over the fence and feed in ad- 

 jacent grain-fields or gardens, but return 

 at night to stay near the hen, though 

 usually outside the coop, often in an 

 adjoining thicket. The real and vital 

 problem is to keep them year after year 

 in condition still to produce eggs. The 

 tendency is, after one breeding, to lay 

 few eggs the following season, and these 

 less fertile, and then to peter out com- 

 pletely. 



With a little bunch of California Val- 

 ley Quails, which we raised here, we are 

 trying the experiment of keeping them, 

 pinioned, in the large enclosure around 

 the duck pond, with plenty of room to 

 range all winter. They stand the cold 

 perfectly, having plenty to eat, and have 

 come through to spring in seemingly the 

 best of health. We have found that, in 

 keeping quail penned, it is well to give 

 them plenty of room, and important that 

 the ground be well drained and not too 



well for a while if fed in hoppers, there 

 is great danger that they become sluggish 

 and develop liver trouble. 



Game farming has now reached a stage 

 where the practice begins to rest on solid 

 foundation, though there is yet plenty of 

 rooim for further experiment and dis- 

 covery. Despite the fact that in the 

 past it sometimes has proven to be an 

 expensive amusement, there are certainly 

 now an increasing number of people who 

 are beginning to realize profits from the 

 business. The thing now is to get the 

 effort as quickly as possible upon a sound 

 paying basis, like any other industry, and 

 then its full success is assured. Every 

 additional person who can make gamie- 

 f arming pay is another source of strength 

 to the whole movement. It will be our 

 hope and purpose at Amston at least to 

 make the work pay for itself, the main 

 tried-out lines sustaining the research 

 part, which may yet be experimental. 



Having stayed at Amston, I am greatly 

 pleased with the outlook there, and can 

 recommend it as a most fascinating place 

 to spend holidays or a vacation. The 

 country abounds in bird-life, and the lake 



