40 



THE GAME BREEDER 



Why Not Elephants? 



The World, N. Y., says : "The worst 

 of the shortage of elephants due to the 

 European war is that it cannot be offset 

 by any stimulation of the domestic in- 

 dustry." 



Why not ? The superintendent of the 

 Zoo has a good sire on chain and no 

 doubt there are a lot of female elephants 

 in the country. The World should re- 

 member what an alderman once said 

 about the purchase of a male and a 

 female gondola for the park : "Let 

 nature take its course." 



More Ducks, 



One of our Western readers writes 

 that he has decided to start a big 

 wild ~ duck ranch and will hatch many 

 thousands of eggs this season. This, of 

 course, means tens of thousand next 

 season. We are quite sure the New 

 York markets will be ready to receive 

 these ducks and other game birds which 

 soon should come from the Western 

 game ranches. 



Why should not the ranch owner 

 breed deer, ducks, pheasants, prairie 

 grouse, quail or any other desirable food 

 for the market ? He has been permitted 

 to breed cattle and sheep for many years 

 and game preservers know that cattle 

 and sheep have put an end to the shoot- 

 ing on many ranches and farms. We 

 are always glad to learn that game pro- 

 duction is to go on even in places where 

 it may seem to be an illegal industry. 

 It really is not since the laws protecting 

 wild game never were intended to apply 

 to game produced by industry and 

 owned by individuals. 



The Anna Dean Farm. 



A letter from the Anna Dean Farm 

 indicates that a new department has been 

 added. The words "Game Department" 

 on its stationery look good to us. We 

 understand the new department has sev- 

 eral hundred game birds which means 

 many thousands of eggs and young 

 birds this season and the usual geometri- 

 cal increase next season. The manager 

 of the department says he cannot fill 

 the orders already on hand. This in a 



State where our game breeders' law has 

 not yet been enacted is "going some." 

 Any up-to-date Western farmer will find 

 it profitable to add a game department 

 with a good gamekeeper to produce the 

 birds and eggs. 



A Prairie Grouse Department. 



We hope soon to see "prairie grouse 

 department" on the stationery of some of 

 the big Western wheat farms where the 

 grouse have been exterminated because 

 the land has been too closely cultivated. 

 A few wild rose bushes and sunflowers 

 and a little prairie grass can be made 

 to yield prairie chickens in good num- 

 bers and at a minimum of cost since 

 they will find most of their food in the 

 stubbles. They must have rose hips for 

 winter food and the briars for their pro- 

 tection against the vermin. Sunflowers 

 and other foods can be planted to advan- 

 tage. 



We hope to see broiled prairie grouse 

 on the New York bills of fare not later 

 than A. D. 1916. 



Wild Ducks in Australia. 



A few years ago wild ducks were so 

 numerous in Australia that no one could 

 have imagined that protection would 

 have to be given them. The birds have 

 gradually diminished in numbers and the 

 vShooting Times and British Sportsman 

 says : "It may be in the future we shall 

 have to adopt rearing to increase the 

 numbers of birds and animals threatened 

 with extinction." 



New Booklet on Hand Trap. 



The latest practical device for throw- 

 ing clay targets is the hand trap. It is 

 gaining in favor every day being used 

 both by trapshooters and field sports- 

 men. 



The Du Pont Company has issued an 

 interesting booklet on its use and value. 

 It describes the hand trap in detail, also 

 the many pleasures derived from its use. 



The company will furnish a copy of 

 this book on request. 



