THE GAME BREEDER 15 



his experiment by purchasing a single which at no time since his first success 

 pair of elks. Coupled with a natural love has Mr. Richardson's supply been equal 

 for animals and a fondness for studying to the many orders that he has received 

 their habits at close range was a con- for shipments of live game, 

 vicition that farming of this novel sort The West Brookfield farmer also con- 

 would in time add substantially to his ducts a large stock and dairy farm in 

 dairy and agricultural revenues. connection with the business of wild 



He has proved most conclusively that game breeding, and is also known as one 

 there is a field in Massachusetts for wild of the most active members of the Mass- 

 game farming. achusetts Grange. 



Last year a shipment of 24 deer, 12 elk The 95 acres of land which the whole 



and 50 wild geese were sent by this prac- of Indian Rock farm includes is the 



tical farmer to New Zealand, where they site of earlier events of much historical 



had been contracted for by a government interest. 



agent. One pair of giant elk were sent The first Brookfield settlement was; 



to Denmark, others to South America, made on this hill in 1660. The locations, 



and several animals went to St. Louis, of the first and second meeting houses,. 



Toronto and Montreal, Can., including of the fortified blockhouse beseiged by 



buffalo and wild boars. the Indians in 1675, of the well at which 



A number of Mr. Richardson's home Major Wilson was shot during the seige, 



raised wild animals now are on exhibi- and a massive boulder known as Indian 



tion at the National Park in Washing- Rock, from behind which the savages 



ton. Seven deer, a number of elk and fired, are all upon or near the Richardson 



many pheasants have been sent by him farm lands. 



to Forest Park near Springfield. Five Over this historic land, where the game 



of the wild boars from his preserve were preserve lies, the forest remains as un- 



not long ago shipped to Ringling Bros.' broken and as thickly populated by its 



^^''^us. native denizens, the Indians excepted, as 



_ The expense of continuing the breed- it was two centuries ago. In fact, for 



ing of this class of large game, once ^ glimpse of the real New England as 



the experiment is well under way, is ^ur ancestors found the forests into 



very small. With the exception of the ^^-^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^-^^ ^^^-^ oxen, one 



small amount of hay and grain that is , i / • -^ t r id i r j 



crUrc^r, i-u^r^ A,.^: . <-u J. £ 2.1. has only to visit Indian Rock farm and 



given them during the poorest of the , -^ , . , , , , 



feeding season, the animals are able to "P^""^ ^" ^°"^ '" ^^^ ^^'"'■^ °^ ^^^ P"""' 



satisfy all their wants from the reser- ^^^^ S^^^ preserve there, 

 vation itself. And the best of it all, to the owner, 



The prices that are obtained for them is that it pays, and pays wonderfully 



in 



every case show a handsome profit, well. 



THE PRAIRIE GROUSE. 



By DwiGHT W. Huntington. 



No American bird, with the possible months of the year it is doomed to ex- 

 exception of the wood-duck, needs the tinction." The distinguished naturalist, 

 attention of American game breeders Elliot, in his book, "Game Birds of 

 more than the prairie grouse. North America," says^ "along the east- 



In a text-book used in the New York ern limit of its dispersion the prairie 



schools the children read that, "although chicken is rapidly diminishing, and like 



the prairie grouse is protected for eleven the buffalo and many other wild crea- 



