THE GAME BREEDER 



A BIG GAME FARM 



Including notes from a Bulletin issued by John B. Burnham, President of the 

 American Game Protective and Propagation Association. 



The American Game Protective and 

 Propagation Association, the most influ- 

 ential association of sportsmen in Ameri- 

 ca, announces in its March bulletin that 

 it has acquired a large game farm where 

 many species of game birds will be pro- 

 pagated for free distribution among 

 members of the association. This is an 

 important step in the right direction. 

 The prophecy is made that there will be 

 started in this country a line of game- 

 keepers that will play an important part 

 in solving the game problems of the 

 future. 



Massachusetts is the proper field for 

 the enterprise since it has become the 

 leading "more game" state in the Union. 



Dr. Field, the chairman of the Massa- 

 chusetts Commission of Inland Fisheries 

 and Game, is a distinguished biologist, 

 and a firm believer in the idea that game 

 and game fish easily can be made abun- 

 dant provided the industry of producing 

 them can be encouraged by legislation; 

 Mr. Forbush, the New England agent 

 of the Audubon Association, Mr. George 

 Richards, the President of the North 

 American Fish and Game Protective As- 

 sociation, Heber Bishop, Mr. Dimick, 

 of the United States Cartridge Co., and 

 many other Massachusetts sportsmen 

 and naturalists have contributed to se- 

 cure common sense legislation for the 

 commonwealth and it is now legal in 

 ;Massachusetts to profitably produce any 

 kind of game under permits issued by a 

 State Commission which represents "all 

 of the people." 



The American Game and Protective 

 Association can count on the active co- 

 operation and assistance of the Massa- 

 chusetts Commission which is undoubt- 

 edly one of the best in x^merica. 



For the new game farm between 5,000 

 and 6,000 acres have been acquired in 

 Carver and Plymouth Townships, 

 Massachusetts, and there the work will 

 be done. The land is situated on Cape 



Cod, near the town of Tremont, and is 

 about forty miles from Boston. The de- 

 scription tells of thirty ponds and a good 

 growth of pine and scrub oak in the 

 stretch, which is about five miles long 

 by three miles wide. For three or four 

 years it has been used as a game pre- 

 serve, so that already there are many 

 quail and rufifed grouse in the covers. 

 The Winters there are never severe 

 enough to kill such hardy birds. 



"At one time," the bulletin says, "the 

 ponds afforded some of the best duck 

 and goose shooting- in New England. 

 1 hey lie directly in the line of flight of 

 these immigrants, which, since restric- 

 tions have been placed on shooting 

 them, have been alighting there in in- 

 creasing numbers on their northward 

 and southward journeys. Many wild 

 fowl breed there, and the association 

 plans to increase the number by af- 

 fording them unusual advantages in 

 the way of food. 



"The breeding of wild ducks will be 

 the initial work in propagation. A sup- 

 ply of black, mallard, and wood ducks 

 will be purchased immediately. Corn will 

 be distributed in the shallow water 

 around the edges of the ponds, so that 

 tlie flocks brought down by the propa- 

 gated ducks will be encouraged to nest 

 there. The eggs laid by the tame flock 

 will be hatched under hens. This method 

 of propagation has been successfully 

 carried on many times, and as black 

 ducks and mallards are great layers, it is 

 estimated that thousands can be raised 

 this year." 



Especially tender care is to be accord- 

 ed the wood duck, for the association 

 thinks it is a sad commentary on Ameri- 

 can thoughtlessness that this bird, once 

 a common object throughout the country, 

 i.= now on the verge of extinction. 



"The reasons for so many failures in 

 attempting to propagate our native birds 

 iiave been various, but it is not at all 



