174 



THE GAME BREEDER 



Lepidium Virginicum. 



We are reliably informed by Mr. Mc- 

 Atee that a weed which we observed the 

 young quail in the garden at the Long 

 Island Game Breeders' Association farms 

 were eating is Lepidium Virginicum. 

 We shall always admire this weed in the 

 future, and when we have a quail garden 

 of our own, as we hope to have soon, we 

 shall let some of these weeds grow with 

 the garden vegetables ; not too many to 

 interfere with the beans, the melons and 

 other foods, but enough to feed a few 

 hundred young quail. 



The Game Breeder with the publica- 

 tion of this item evidently assumes quite 

 a scientific character which may develop 

 rapidly as more of our readers study 

 their birds, ascertain what they eat and 

 report the facts. 



Lepidium Virginicum, we are told, is 

 one of the mustard family. No doubt it 

 is a fine stomach tonic for the little quail 

 on a cold, rainy morning, many of which 

 our young quail encountered this season. 

 We have not learned yet the common or 

 popular name for this Lepidium, but we 

 are after it and our readers shall have it. 

 It is quite certain that for quail gardens 

 where hundreds of quail are reared this 

 plant is more beneficial than one more 

 game law putting the quail on the song 

 bird list would be. 



Trouble with Turkeys. 



One of our Illinois readers writes : "I 

 would like to get some information on 

 turkey raising. My hatch this spring 

 produced twenty Narragansett turkeys 

 out of twenty eggs. These turkeys were 

 pretty well for about two weeks until 

 they contracted some disease. Some of 

 them would circle around in a ring a 

 number of times a day and develop a 

 swelling on the neck. The next day 

 they would droop around and drop their 

 wings, refuse to eat, and the next day 

 they would die. In this way I lost all of 

 them. I am positive they were free from 

 lice. 



If I can get any information on this 

 matter I shall be very much pleased. 



(It seemed to us that the trouble probably 

 was black-head, a well known and fatal dis- 



ease due to the contact with domestic fowls. 

 —Editor.) 



Dr. Philip Hadley, of the Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, Rhode Island State 

 College, says : 



"It is impossible accurately to diagnose 

 the disease mentioned by your corre- 

 spondent without additional data on the 

 pathological conditions present. Young 

 poults affected with any of the common 

 diseases act about the same way that he 

 describes. The swelling of the neck is 

 the only point that is suggestive, and may 

 mean a mild manifestation of the "bal- 

 loon disease." This is concerned with 

 the cervical, thoracic or abdominal air 

 sacs. They enlarge, take air from the 

 lungs and the bird usually dies from a 

 condition similar in many ways to suffo- 

 cation. 



The cause probably lies in low vitality 

 of the stock coupled with chilling or 

 damping. I know of no remedy for the 

 trouble. The best thing is to prevent it 

 by securing vigorous stock and using all 

 the usual means to prevent chilling and 

 damping. 



The Use of Maggots. 



Many of the older English authors 

 and some of the later ones say that mag- 

 gots are desirable food for young pheas- 

 ants. Some of the writers describe how 

 maggots easily can be produced in large 

 quantities. I believe, however, most 

 keepers where insect food is plentiful do 

 not use any maggots. The only Ameri- 

 can "shoot" in which I ever had any per- 

 sonal interest which used maggots was 

 one where I shot pheasants and ruffed 

 grouse. The land was very suitable to 

 grouse and they seemed to respond nice- 

 ly to the little care given to them by the 

 keepers. There was quite a good crop of 

 grouse. But the land was not suitable 

 for pheasants, much of it being moun- 

 tainous and. rocky and dry ; there was a 

 decided shortage of grasshoppers and 

 other insects suitable for young pheas- 

 ants. Hence the keepers used maggots, 

 and I believe I have recorded a remark- 

 able accident which resulted in the loss 

 of practically all the young pheasants. A 

 heavy hen jumped on the rim of a big 



