THE GAME BREEDER 73 



QUAIL AND PARTRIDGE BREEDING FOR PROFIT AND 



PLEASURE. 



"Partridge shooting is a valuable by-product of agriculture to the operations of which it is 

 in no sen^e inimical." — Aymer Maxwell. 



By DwiGHT W. Huntington. 



The North American quail or part- no vermin were destroyed, there would 

 ridges (the bobwhite is called partridge in all probability be less game than at. 

 in the Southern States) constitute one present, although hundreds of thousands 

 of the most important groups of game of game animals are now annually shot, 

 birds to be found in all the countries of The prohibition of sport is detrimental 

 the earth. For many reasons I. regard not oiily to sportsmen but even more so^ 

 the bobwhite, which heads the list of to the farmers since the quails are a 

 American partridges or quail, as the best valuable food and their production for 

 game bird in the world. All of our food and for sport can be made to add 

 quails are excellent food birds and they much to the value of any farm. Already 

 are of especial economic importance to on hundreds of thousands of acres of 

 the human race on this account. They farms big and small the taxes, both on 

 should be abundant in our markets dur- lands and buildings, are paid by the quail 

 ing long open shooting seasons. Although crop and although thousands of quails 

 shooting is prohibited in many of the are shot and eaten every season the 

 states and the birds are said to be van- birds increase in numbers from year to 

 ishing in many places, I have no hesi- year. There are . exceptional years, due 

 tation in predicting they soon will be to climate, but the shooting and eating 

 plentiful everywhere, and cheap in the of quail never is suspended on this ac- 

 markets, since their propagation for food count. In some places the "by-product 

 and for sport is one of the coming in- of agriculture," not only pays all the 

 dustries of the country. Already there taxes on the farms but also yields a sub- 

 are places in the United States where stantial cash income to the farmers. This 

 thousands of quail are produced and easily can be doubled by opening the best 

 shot every season and the number of markets to the desirable food. Anyone 

 people who are willing to give these with ordinary intelligence knows that 

 birds the attention necessary to make foods which have a good market are 

 them plentiful and to keep them so worth more than foods the sale of which 

 is increasing rapidly. It is highly im- has been prohibited. It follows that 

 portant when laws are enacted prohibit- farms from which our most valuable 

 ing quail shooting they should provide meats can be sold are worth twice as 

 that quail breeders be excepted. Other- much as those where the production and 

 wise there can be no industry. sale of the food is prohibited. I have 



It is ' well known that our quail, like gathered much information about the in- 

 the European partridges, are in no way crease of farm values by the production 

 detrimental to agriculture (with the pos- of game. In some cases the value of the 

 sible exception of the California quails land has been more than doubled, 

 when overabundant in vineyards). All Since most of the cultivated farms are 

 ornithologists and agriculturists agree now posted against all shooting and in 

 that the birds are a great benefit to ^iny some states quail shooting has been pro- 

 farm since they destroy many injurious hibited, the sportsmen have nothing to 

 insects and weedseeds. Paradoxical as fear from laws which will result in mak- 

 it may seem, the true way to make the ing the quail abundant and profitable, 

 quails abundant, and to keep them so, is Arrangements can be made with many 

 to shoot them in abundance. farmers for good shooting and the quail 



Darwin says that if not one head of will be restored to many wild lands and 



game were shot during the next twenty abandoned farms where the shooting is 



years in England, and if at the same time open to all. 



