184 



THE GAME BREEDER 



may be perpetuated. The sooner sports- 

 men become aware that they can not 

 keep up sport on occupied farms 

 against the wishes of the owners the bet- 

 ter it will be for sport. 



THE FARMER AND THE RABBIT. 



Since the rabbit no doubt often does a 

 lot of damage on a farm, the farmer 

 should decide if he wishes to have rab- 

 bits and if it will pay to have rabbits. 

 There are various methods of protecting 

 orchards and gardens from rabbits, and 

 there can be no doubt that it will pay to 

 have rabbits on many farms, provided 

 the farmer owns the rabbits and can 

 trap or shoot them and can sell them 

 alive for propagation or as food if he 

 wishes to use or to sell the food. Rabbit 

 shooting is an interesting sport, and the 

 farmer's boy will find the sport attrac- 

 tive. Where the shooting is lively the 

 numbers of the rabbits will be kept 

 down. 



The rabbit am be made an interesting 

 and profitable farm asset, provided it 

 pays to look after the game and to keep 

 it from doing any damage to orchard and 

 garden. It should be an easy matter to 

 have plenty of rabbits, and an advertise- 

 ment in The Game Breeder surely will 

 sell them at attractive prices. 



Rabbits are a good winter food, and it 

 is well known that they are a protection 

 to more desirable and profitable feath- 

 ered game, the quail, grouse and pheas- 

 ants, which should be abundant and pro- 

 fitable on every farm. Foxes and other 

 ground vermin find rabbits ea,sier to 

 catch than winged game is, and Owen 

 Jones, a talented English game-keeper 

 and author, says: "The rabbit is the 

 fox's bread and butter." 



When it pays to have game on a farm, 

 as it now does in states which have en- 

 acted game breeders' laws, it will pay 

 the farmer to have plenty of rabbits. 

 Sportsmen should make arrangements 

 with the farmers, who are willing to rent 

 shooting, and in many places they now 

 pay all of the farmer's taxes. 

 ■•- 



Prohibition a Failure. 



Two years additional immunity for the 

 quail in this state, New York, has been 



provided in a bill just signed by Gover- 

 nor Whitman. The quail, or bob white, 

 as it is more familiarly known in certain 

 parts of the state, some years ago be- 

 came so markedly reduced in numbers 

 that in 1913 a five-year closed season was 

 provided for this bird. 



That period has now elapsed, but, ac- 

 cording to reports received by the con- 

 servation committee from observers in 

 all parts of the state, quail have failed to 

 make much headway in regaining their 

 former numbers. The new law has 

 therefore been passed in order that the 

 birds may have further opportunity to 

 reestablish themselves. It is expected 

 they will be assisted by a decrease of 

 their natural enemies, as a result of the 

 rifles with which all game protectors are 

 hereafter to be provided. 



Long Island is an exception to the new 

 law, where quail are fortunately suffi- 

 ciently numerous to warrant their being 

 taken from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. 



In other parts of the state farmers as 

 well as sportsmen, are said to be longing 

 for the return of the quail, which is well 

 known to be a great devourer of weed 

 seeds and injurious insects. According 

 to the Conservation Commission, the quail 

 is one" of the few birds known to make a 

 practice of eating potato bugs. 



Commisioner George D. Pratt says 

 every effort will be made to bring back 

 once more to the farms the cheery call 

 of the bob white, a sound so commonly 

 heard in years gone by. 



[We suggest to the up-state sportsmen to 

 try the Long Island plan. Start some quail 

 clubs ; look after the birds properly ; intro- 

 duce some new breeding stock. Start up the 

 shooting before all the bird dogs die of old 

 age. Mischief makers were run off of Long 

 Island by the quail clubs recently and anyone 

 can go out on Long Island and find some 

 quail shooting, since the clubs keep up the 

 supply for others as well as their members. — 

 Editor.l 



Here is a formula which can be used 

 to advantage in any legislative assembly 

 when it is proposed to make the prairie 

 grouse, the ruffed grouse or others pro- 

 tected songsters : 



"Nothing in the act shall be construed 

 to prevent the breeding of the birds on 

 farms and their sale for the purpose of 

 increasing the food supply." 



