144 



THE GAME BREEDER 



pit is nearly as long as the berry, pointed 

 at both ends, and has numerous length- 

 wise, fibrous ridges. The seed within is 

 white and smooth. The flowers, borne 

 in clusters, bloom in March and April, 

 and the fruit is ripe in May and June. 



As is the case with seeds of the water 

 elm, those of the swamp privet may re- 

 main under water for a long period with- 

 out apparent deterioration. Probably 

 most of the seeds are exposed by the 

 annual lowering of the water level and 

 germinate the summer they are produced 

 (see Fig. 11). Whether those which 

 fall in deeper water ever germinate is 

 unknown, but it is certain, so far as 

 utility as duck food is concerned, that 

 they keep in perfect condition far into 

 the succeeding spring. 



Swamp privet is native from central 

 Illinois and Tennessee, near Nashville, 

 south to Texas and Florida (see Fig. 

 12). 



Propagation. 



Fruits of swamp privet fully ripen 

 upon the tree. The seeds, being pro- 

 tected by a fibrous cover and the pulp 

 of the berry, undoubtedly will stand 

 shipment for ordinary distances. Prompt 

 handling is advisable, however, and the 

 usual precautions against fermentation 

 should be taken. The seeds should be 

 sown in well-watered beds and the young 

 plants grown to some size before setting 

 out. Collected young plans and the off- 

 shoots produced by the rooting of the 

 tips of branches of older ones may be 

 handled like those of the water elm. 



PHEASANT BREEDING. 



By C. W. Macklin. 



It is needless to say I was very much 

 interested in The Game Breeder for the 

 very objects of The Game Conservation 

 Society are such as appeal to me, and 

 they should to every other game breeder 

 and sportsman in the United States and 

 Canada. I wrote Mr. John Talbot, 

 pointing out the need of just such an 

 organization, also an official organ or 

 publication such as The Game Breeder 

 promises to so admirably fill before I 

 knew such a paper and society were an 

 accomplished fact. My thanks go to Mr. 

 Talbot for bringing my name before you. 



I have been exceptionally busy of late 

 attending the many pressing duties of 

 this season or you would have heard 

 froili me promptly. I have been work- 

 ing in a quiet way with you. From this 

 date I intend to give more time and 

 energy to the achievement of our .com- 

 mon interests. Perhaps a little of my 

 experience as a pheasant, breeder would 

 be of interest to you. From the first 

 time I saw a pheasant I was an admirer. 

 However, I was told they could not be 

 raised successfully here, the young be- 

 ing so delicate, or that only an expert 

 could hope to raise any and he only a 



very few. Fearing I had not the quali- 

 fications of an expert, and having a dis- 

 like for failure I was tardy about buying. 

 A few years since a breeder offered me 

 a pair (cheap) ; I purchased. When the 

 birds arrived here and I liberated them 

 I soon concluded they were dear at any 

 price. The female lived one month. The 

 cock joined her in the happy hunting 

 grounds two weeks later. 



The next pair I purchased from an- 

 other party at regular prices. The hen 

 commenced laying early in April, laying 

 in all 26 eggs. One egg was dropped 

 from the roost and broke, another got 

 frozen, one was crushed in hatching. 

 The other 23 hatched, all strong, cute 

 little birds. 



The first six hatched died in less than 

 two weeks. Knowing that others would 

 soon be through the shell caused me to 

 do some thinking along common sense 

 lines. The result was I reared the en- 

 tire seventeen that followed later. Find- 

 ing a great pleasure in those birds, also 

 a ready sale, as they were ornamental, 

 I felt encouraged to try my hand with 

 other varieties. I found also that 

 patrons I had supplied with stock were 



