24 



THE GAME BREEDER 



QUAIL BREEDING IN WISCONSIN. 



By J. G. Halpin. 

 Department of Poultry Husbandry, University of Wisconsin. 



So far as my work with quail is con- 

 cerned it has simply consisted of giving 

 the necessary attention to the quail at 

 times when the feed supply was short, 

 but at other times the quail on the refuge 

 here on university farm shift for them- 

 selves. We have had a few quail on the 

 ranges used by the poultry department 

 for a great many years. A year ago we 

 increased our stock by liberating more 

 quail that were furnished us by the game 

 warden. I liberated the quail at several 

 different times but usually just at night. 

 It was surprising how well satisfied the 

 most of the quail seemed to be with their 

 new quarters and soon found the regular 

 feeding grounds. Perhaps I should add 

 that at the time when the quail were lib- 

 erated there was but little natural feed 

 so that I scattered feed quite widely 

 near clumps of bushes and trees so that 

 the quail soon found it and then learned 

 to come to the regular feeding places. 

 For feed I have usually used wheat and 

 commercial scratch feed, the same as is 

 used commonly for laying hens. This is 

 made up of about two parts cracked corn, 

 two of wheat with a little kafir corn, 



pin-head oats and waste weed seeds. I 

 kept some of the quail confined for a time 

 but the quail that were liberated behaved 

 so well that I made up my mind to turn 

 them all at liberty and have been very 

 glad that I did. 



My personal opinion is that so far as 

 handling quail under conditions such as 

 we have here, the principal things are to 

 make refuges where the quail will go 

 during snow storms, give special atten- 

 tion to feeding them during blizzards, 

 and then keep after their natural en- 

 emies, especially man. The most of the 

 articles that I have read have laid a great 

 deal of emphasis upon the trouble caused 

 by cats and dogs, and other vermin, but 

 I feel that man is more likely to cause 

 loss than anything else, although of 

 course all the other factors must be con- 

 sidered. Our principal trouble seems to 

 be the illegal hunting by foreigners. If 

 we could eliminate this trouble, I am 

 satisfied that hundreds of quail would be 

 produced on our ranges, the quail would 

 feed with the chickens whenever natural 

 food was short and would be of practic- 

 ally no trouble. 



CUTTHROAT TROUT (Salmo Clarkii) 



The Cutthroat Trout (Salmo Clarkii) 

 seems to be the most abundant of the 

 fish inhabiting the waters of King 

 county, Washington, and is found at 

 most any altitude. Its characteristics 

 are sufficiently distinctive to make it a 

 simple matter of recognition. The Salmo 

 Clarkii is named for Captain William 

 Clarke of the Lewis and Clark expedi- 

 tion, who first described this great trout 

 of the Pacific waters. 



Seventy thousand young Cutthroat 

 Trout were propagated at the King 

 County trout hatchery last year and dis- 

 tributed in the various streams through- 

 out the county. 



Their habits change with their age. 

 The fry, as soon as they have become 

 free of the egg sack, live mostly in shal- 

 lows at the margins of streams. This is 

 their only chance of safety from larger 

 and predatory fish. After three or four 

 months they are quite able to take care 

 of themselves. They seek secluded spots 

 where other fish are unable to get and 

 there remain until three to five inches 

 long. The Cutthroat reaches its matur- 

 ity the second year and ranges from eight 

 to twelve inches in length. As a rule 

 they spawn the second year, but are not 

 successful spawners until they have 

 reached the third year, and become more 



