10 



THE GAME BREEDER 



building- which are common to all the 

 members of the club. The building is 

 comfortably furnished, with all accom- 

 modations. The L contains the kitchen 

 and the rooms for the steward and his 

 help. 



Near the club house are barns having 

 ample stable and other accommodations, 

 outhouses for various purposes; exten- 

 sive kennels where the dogs belonging to 

 the members are taken care of through- 

 out the year. There are also several 

 cottages on the place which are used by 

 employes and for other purposes. The 

 tract on which the club house stands 

 contains 2,000 acres and is owned by 

 the club. The club also leases shooting 

 and fishing rights over the adjoining 

 land so that taken together it has shoot- 

 ing privileges over more than 12,000 

 acres. Much of the land is hilly and 

 the residue is rolling. A great deal is 

 wooded and there are thickets, swamps 

 and other covering affording ample pro- 

 tection for game. 



The club land contains two large mill 

 ponds, on which Daniel Webster fished, 

 and three artificial ponds, all of which 

 are fed by cold springs. The club also 

 owns or holds under lease the most valu- 

 able part of the Nisequogue River above 

 tide water. It leases the celebrated 

 "Stump Pond" of over 40 acres and two 

 other nearby ponds which furnish an 

 aggregate water area of nearly 60 acres. 

 These waters constitute one of the finest 

 trout preserves in the country. Stump 

 Pond is stocked with large mouth bass 

 and perch. The club has two large 

 hatcheries in which, before the advent 

 of the trout disease on Long Island, 

 many thousand trout were annually 

 hatched and turned out. This disease 

 began in 1903 and since then has gener- 

 ally affected Long Island water, includ- 

 ing those of the Wyandanch Club. The 

 club has made every endeavor to com- 

 bat it, cleaning the ponds, getting foreign 

 trout, supplying additional water to the 

 hatcheries, and matters of that descrip- 

 tion. All these measures, however, have 

 proved unavailing. The young trout do 

 well until their second year when they 

 are attacked and soon die. Rainbow 



trout proved to be immune to the dis- 

 ease but were not sufficiently "free 

 biters" and the club has now adopted a 

 policy of buying good sized trout in the 

 spring of each year and turning them 

 out rather than raising its own stock. 



The club has sown buckwheat, millet, 

 Hungarian grass, wheat and other seeds 

 in patches over the grounds which it 

 owns or leases to provide food for the 

 quail and other birds. During the win- 

 ter, when snow or sleet covers the 

 ground, sheaves of wheat are plentifully 

 scattered. Steps are also taken to in- 

 sure the destruction of foxes, hawks and 

 other enemies, and watchers are hired to 

 protect the game from poachers. 



Until prevented by legislation the club 

 was in the habit of purchasing and an- 

 nually turning out a number of quail, 

 and in this way the losses which were 

 sustained through severe winters and 

 from other causes were made up so that 

 the shooting was superior to anything 

 that could be found north of Virginia. 

 Since the law! hais prevented the ac- 

 quisition of new quail, it is much more 

 difficult to maintain a supply of these 

 birds. 



The club now raises wild mallard 

 ducks and Mongolian pheasants on a 

 very large scale on its own farm. Its 

 gamekeepers are experienced. The 

 breeding is very successful so that the 

 shooting is first class. 



Railroad facilities are ample, six 

 trains running each way every day, with 

 stage accommodations for each train 

 during the sporting season. 



Members are permitted to bring their 

 families and other guests to the club at 

 proper seasons, and it is extensively used 

 by the ladies, who find great pleasure 

 in fishing and boating on the club ponds 

 during the summer and in skating in 

 winter. Since the advent of the auto it 

 has largely become a country club. 



The club is a proprietary one, each 

 of the 45 members owing a share which, 

 subject to reasonable regulations, is 

 available to him as property. These 

 have greatly increased in value during 

 the last two years. 



