THE GAME BREEDER 



136 



Many Breeders in California. 



Nothwithstanding the statement in the 

 California State report that the Commis- 

 sion has failed to interest the people in 

 game breeding and that "they seem to 

 prefer poultry," it is a fact that many 

 readers of The Game Breeder are suc- 

 cessfully breeding pheasants, ducks, quail 

 and other game birds in California. 



We have had no reports recently of 

 anyone being arrested for any of the 

 food-producing crimes (?) such a.s hav- 

 ing birds or eggs in possession for breed- 

 ing purposes, and although the shipping 

 facilities may not be as good as they are 

 in some of the free states, we are quite 

 sure the California breeders will continue 

 in business and that in time the game 

 laws will catch up with their industry. 



Safe Arrival of Canvas Backs. 



One of our readers in Northern Can- 

 ada recently shipped some Canvasbacks 

 to another reader in California ; the birds 

 arrived safely and, no doubt, will be 

 properly looked after. 



In a short time game breeding will be- 

 come such a common industry in Cali- 

 fornia that no one will think of raiding 

 game breeders, stealing their game in 

 the name of the law, and fining or jail- 

 ing the criminals who produce food. 



The California sportsmen, when they 

 read the good stories about the abundant 

 game and good shooting which we shall 

 publish, will no doubt decide to patronize 

 the game farmers and to become sport- 

 ing breeders. 



It will not be long before the courts 

 decide that game purchased or otherwise 

 legally obtained by breeders does not be- 

 long to the game politicians and that 

 they must not interfere with a highly 

 profitable and proper food producing in- 

 dustry. 



The State does not own all the game. 

 In many places in America there is far 

 more game owned by game breeders than 

 is owned by the State. The ratio of in- 

 crease of the first named is geometrical 

 and the State game is vanishing, as Mr. 

 Martin and all other competent observers 

 well know. 



Free Shooting. 



Mr. Barlow, advertising manager, in 

 the Remington Live News notes, says : 



Free shooting and fishing must not be 

 allowed to disappear, for directly thereon rest 

 not only the health and happiness of thou- 

 sands of our citizens, but in a large measure 

 our national security. No one doubts that 

 as a nation we must always depend upon the 

 virility of our young manhood. 



The incentive to go afield being provided, 

 some place to go must be furnished. The 

 federal government, the States, associations, 

 or philanthropic individuals should set aside 

 at once as many public hunting preserves as 

 possible. This duty is the duty of the State, 

 but the State is an abstract term. It is up to 

 the citizens to start the ball rolling. Marshes 

 are being drained and thickets cleared to pro- 

 vide more grain and incidentally more dollars 

 to some individual. Now is the time to buy, 

 while much territory can still be purchased at 

 a small figure. Again, the question is not 

 who shall provide, but the fact that some ter- 

 ritory for public shooting and fishing must 

 be provided. All interested should put their 

 shoulders to the wheel and help. This does 

 not mean simply sportsmen, but all Americans 

 who wish to see our nation composed of 

 strong, healthy men, who may be better able 

 to withstand the duties of our "strenuous" 

 life. 



This is good advice. There is plenty 

 of room in the United States for big 

 public shooting grounds, for game farms, 

 state and commercial, and for all the 

 game shooting clubs which the sportsmen 

 may decide to organize. Many thou- 

 sands of sportsmen now belong to one 

 or more game shooting clubs, or syndi- 

 cates, as they say in England, and all 

 have excellent shooting every season for 

 the very good reason that the game is 

 properly looked after and is not eaten 

 by vermin. 



Shooting Hotels. 



The Game Breeder also advocates an- 

 other kind of free shooting, which is 

 provided for sportsmen in the older 

 countries. Country hotels should pro- 

 vide shooting for their guests at reason- 

 able rates on game preserves owned or 

 leased by the hotels. It is an easy mat- 

 ter to keep grouse, quail, pheasants, 

 duck and other game abundant on pro- 

 tected areas. At some of the hotels the 

 guests are permitted to shoot a good lot 

 of game. They can take a little of it 



