•76 



THE GAME BREEDER 



tures that once roamed in countless num- 

 bers over certain portions of our land, 

 will doubtless soon entirely disappear." 



Considering the game laws which pre- 

 vent any one from looking .after these 

 birds properly and profitably, Elliot, no 

 doubt was right in predicting their early 

 extermination. No good reason can be 

 assigned, however, why the birds should 

 be "protected off the face of the earth." 

 Audubon described the birds as a pest 

 in Kentucky, but they no longer are a 

 pest in that State or in Ohio or in other 

 States where they have been extermin- 

 ated. In Iowa and some other States 

 the game departments are endeavoring 

 to replace the prairie grouse with gray 

 partridges imported from Hungary and 

 other countries and they seem to be bliss- 

 fully ignorant that the birds they are 

 importing are abundant in foreign coun- 

 tries because they are properly looked 

 after and that they will stand no better 

 chance and, in fact, not so good a chance 

 for their existence as the prairie grouse 

 did provided they receive no better pro- 

 tection than the grouse. 



The sportsmen in States like Ken- 

 tucky, Ohio and some others where the 

 grouse once were plentiful but where 

 they now are extinct certainly cannot ob- 

 ject to their introduction and profitable 

 increase by game breeders. There is an 

 abundance of land suitable for grouse 

 breeding and no good reason can be as- 

 signed why they should not be made 

 plentiful in a very short space of time 

 provided the land owners can be made 

 to understand that the grouse are desir- 

 able and that they can be produced prof- 

 itably both for sport and for food. 



Fortunately the laws in some States 

 do not prohibit the necessary industry 

 because the birds are not protected for 

 the very good reason that they do not 

 exist. The opportunity for grouse 

 breeding for sport and for profit is, 

 therefore, excellent and the only diffi- 

 culty in the way of making the birds 

 profitably abundant lies in the fact that 

 it is almost impossible to get stock birds 

 or eggs with which to start the much- 

 needed industry. It is fortunate that 

 some States where the grouse occur re- 



cently have enacted game breeders' laws 



permitting the profitable breeding of all 

 species of grouse and we hope soon to 

 advise our readers where they can pro- 

 cure birds and eggs for propagation. 

 When an Indiana or an Oklahoma 

 farmer realizes that he can get a good 

 price for grouse and that he can have 

 all he wishes to eat there will be some- 

 thing doing unless we are much mis- 

 taken. The grouse are worth at least 

 $5 per bird. The eggs are worth from 

 $6 to $10 per dozen. A start can be 

 made with a very few birds or eggs and 

 since the ratio of increase is geometrical 

 the profits from the grouse industry will 

 be even larger than the profits from 

 pheasant breeding. 



The grouse can be bred wild in the 

 fields and at a much less expense than 

 is required for the hand rearing of 

 pheasants. Quail can be reared success- 

 fully on the same ground, and if there 

 be any water suitable for ducks enough 

 wild ducks can be reared to pay the en- 

 tire expense of running a grouse and 

 quail ranch. 



We expect to see this industry started 

 in Indiana, Oklahoma and other States, 

 where the industry of grouse breeding 

 no longer is criminal, and we hope to 

 assist the grouse breeders by putting 

 them in touch with those who have 

 grouse and eggs to sell. 



We know one place where a few 

 grouse were introduced and where to- 

 day there are thousands of birds in no 

 danger of extinction. The absurd game 

 laws prohibited the owners from selling 

 stock birds or eggs but we believe this 

 nonsense is passing rapidly and there 

 will be no arrests made if the owners of 

 the birds sell some of them and some 

 eggs to those who will undertake their 

 propagation. 



Grouse are worth $5 per bird as food 

 in the markets. They can be produced 

 in Kentucky, Ohio and many other 

 States much cheaper than poultry. Since 

 they will procure much of their food in 

 the fields and they can be kept plentiful 

 by supplying a very small amount of 

 grain during the winter. 



We are especially interested in making 



