THE GAME BREEDER 



137 



GAME FARMS AND PRESERVES. 



Theodore Rouau.lt, Jr. 



Mr. Rouault, of New Mexico, was one of 

 advised closed seasons for terms of years for 

 extermination, but he also favored game farmin 

 of game preserves. The following articles on 

 annual report before he retired from office, 

 published by any State Department, he refers t 

 seems to overlook the fact that the bird is al 

 in many others besides Ohio. — 'Editor. 



the best State game officers in the country. He 

 most species of game in order to prevent its 

 g by the State and individuals and the creation 

 Game Farms and Preserves are from his last 

 In his excellent State report, one of the best 

 o the bobwhite as "the Ohio song bird," but he 

 so on the song bird list in his own State and 



Game farms are now being most suc- 

 cessfully operated by game and fish de- 

 partments of practically every state in 

 the union, as well as by many individuals. 

 The purpose of a state game farm being 

 to raise, what might be termed, seed 

 stock for distribution in those areas 

 where there now exists a shortage of 

 game birds or game animals. Such a 

 farm could be operated by the game and 

 fish department of this state under the 

 direction of the state game warden and 

 supervised by a superintendent. 



There is at present in New Mexico 

 tracts of land owned by the state which 

 beyond any doubt would make ideal 

 game farm sites. At the present rate of 

 depletion, it must be realized that it will 

 soon be absolutely necessary for this 

 state to own and operate such a farm 

 in order to meet the wastage problem. 



Game farms have gone beyond the ex- 

 perimental stage. They have proven 

 their utility in practically all of the old- 

 er states of the union. The federal gov- 

 ernment has indicated its belief in this 

 by setting aside large areas of valuable 

 timbered land for the conservation of 

 wild game. These national game ref- 

 uges, such as Yellowstone Park, are 

 nothing more than game farms on an 

 immense scale. This only proves the 

 statement that game farms are beyond 

 the point of experimentation. 



The value of the game farm is that 

 larsre numbers of game birds or game 

 animals mav be produced annually and 

 raised in captivity for liberation at the 

 proner season of the year throughout 



those sections where there may exist a 

 shortage, and which sections should be 

 producing a fair portion of the meat 

 supply. A game farm can be operated 

 to greater advantage in the propagation 

 of game birds than game animals, the 

 former not requiring such large areas. 

 For instance, turkey, pheasants, quail, 

 grouse, prairie chicken, ducks, geese, etc., 

 may be produced on a comparatively 

 small acreage of well selected land. 



Wallace Evans this past year, I am 

 informed, produced some 15,000 pheas- 

 ants and several thousand waterfowl on 

 a comparatively small acreage of land. 

 The same may be said of W. J. Macken- 

 sen of Yardley, Pennsylvania, and hun- 

 dreds of other breeders throughout the 

 United States. In fact there are today 

 large numbers of game farms being 

 started throughout this country. If 

 these farms can be operated at a finan- 

 cial success by the private individual, 

 why should not the state also be able to 

 do likewise with experienced assistants 

 to carry on the work. Steps should be 

 immediately taken for the selection and 

 setting aside of a suitable tract of state 

 land for a state game farm, regardless 

 of whether it is placed in use this year 

 or five years hence. The question is 

 to make the start. With the number 

 of game animals which this Department 

 is in a position to confiscate annually 

 from illegal keepers, it would only be a 

 short period until a state game farm 

 would be well supplied with a variety 

 of game. 



Adequate laws should be passed by 



