156 



THE GAME BREEDER 



therefore, that the grouse ranch or pre- 

 serve should be a large one if the grouse 

 are to be shot. I believe they can be 

 reared profitably on smaller areas where 

 they are kept quiet at all seasons and are 

 properly fed and protected from their 

 natural enemies. 



There are many large farms where 

 wheat corn and other grains are grown 

 which are uninhabitable for the grouse 

 because when the plowing is done all 

 covers and natural foods are destroyed. 

 These places easily can be made to yield 

 thousands of dollars worth of grouse 

 every season. 



Let us take, for example, one of the 

 big wheat farms of North Dakota, where 

 the stubble is plowed under annually and 

 where the fields are bounded by wire 

 fences. 



To prepare such an area for the suc- 

 cessful introduction and breeding of 

 grouse certain areas should be planted 

 with natural covers and foods which 

 should be left when the plowing is done. 



The birds easily ^can be preserved by 

 planting long strips of cover a few yards 

 in width between the fields. When the 

 grain' is harvested the grouse will resort 

 to the stubbles and find an abundance 

 of food for a time and in the winter they 

 will find suitable foods in the areas espe- 

 cially planted for their protection. If 

 their natural enemies be persistently shot 

 and trapped the grous-e soon will become 

 more plentiful than they ever were and 

 they will remain so ftom year to year, 

 although thousands of birds be shot and 

 marketed every season. Many thousands 

 of birds also can be trapped and sole! 

 alive for propagation and a good profit 

 can be made by selling eggs. 



In the next paper I shall describe the 

 covers and foods which should be planted 

 especially for the grouse and the paper 

 will be illustrated with" diagrams show- 

 ing how the covers should be- made and 

 how the natural foods should be planted 

 to produce the best results. 



{To^ he Continued.) 



FISH PONDS ON FARMS. 



By Robert S. Johnson and M. F, Stapleton. 



U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. 



{Continued from the January Number.) 



Water Supply— Volume, Quality and 

 Temperature. 



In a brood pond, a constant water level 

 should be maintained at all times, espe- 

 cially during the breeding season. The 

 required flow, which will vary with the 

 character of the soil, must' be sufficient 

 to replace loss by evaporation and seep- 

 age. An amount just short of overflow- 

 ingthe pond is the ideal to be attained, 

 as it is desirable to avoid a current. A 

 surplus of water is preferable to a short- 

 age, as any excess may be easily diverted 

 through waste channels or held as an 

 emergency reserve. 



For a one-acre pond, where the sides 

 and bottom are of clay or rich loam, a 

 flaw of from 30 to 50 gallons per min- 



ute should be sufficient to rnaintain a 

 proper water level at all times, while 

 sandy or gravel soil untreated may re- 

 quire double that amount. A practical 

 method of measuring the flow of water 

 from any source is as follows: 



Select a stretch on the stream or ditch 

 affording as straight and uniform a 

 course as possible. If the water at any 

 point is carried in a flume, it will be better 

 to measure at that point. Lay off a dis- 

 tance of, say; from 10 to 50 feet; meas- 

 ure the width of flowing water at about, 

 six different places in this, distance, , anct 

 obtain its average vvidth. Likewi?e*at 

 these same points measure the depth oiy, 

 water at three or four places across thie.- 

 stream and obtain *its "average depth. 



