THE GAME BREEDER 



113 



A DAKOTA GAME FARM. 



By H. J. Jager. 



I have just returned from a trip 

 through the Northwest and on my way 

 I visited the Pickell Game Farm, con- 

 ducted by one of the readers of The 

 Game Breeder. I wish you could have 

 been with me to see the many fat, sleek 

 and happy web-foots tugging their prov- 

 ender around the yards and teasing for 

 the angle worms which their owner 

 turned up for them with a spade, any- 

 where. I remained as long as I could 

 watching the flocks and listening to the 

 greetings of all kinds of wild ducks that 

 greeted Mr. Pickell whenever he came 

 in sight of the birds. 



There were flocks of mallards, pin- 

 tails, gadwalls, widgeons, teal and a few 

 deep-water ducks, all hand-reared and 



as tame as kittens. Adjoining the duck 

 yards are pheasant yards and pigeon 

 yards, swarming with beauties of all 

 varieties and sizes. There were some of 

 the most beautiful pigeons I have ever 

 seen. He has certainly made a great 

 success of the game breeding business. 

 Many varieties of wild geese must not 

 be forgotten. I tried to get him to write 

 his experiences for The Game Breeder, 

 but he seems to be entirely too modest 

 and says he is too. short of time since 

 his game breeding has to be a side issue 

 with him at present. But I simply can 

 not keep still about it and I know you 

 and your readers will be interested to 

 know about his great success even from 

 second-hand information. 



THE HEATH HEN ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD. 



By William Day. 

 Superintendent of the Heath Hen Reservation. 



I am in receipt of a very interesting 

 and useful book entitled Game Farm- 

 ing, for Profit and Pleasure, issued by 

 the Hercules Powder Company, which is 

 much appreciated. 



. As Superintendent of the State Heath 

 Hen Reservation on Martha's Vineyard, 

 I thought perhaps some of the readers 

 of your valuable paper, The Game 

 Breeder, might be interested in a few 

 up-to-date facts concerning a bird that 

 was almost extinct, the heath hen. To 

 Dr. George W. Field, Chairman of the 

 Massachusetts Fish and Game Commis- 

 sion, should be given the credit of real- 

 izing the possibilities of bringing this 

 valuable game bird back so that it is 

 firmly established on Martha's Vine- 

 yard. On May 2, 1907, only 21 of 

 these birds were flushed, after a dili- 

 gent search was made in places where 

 they were most likely to be found. Dr. 

 Field then carefully investigated the 

 subject, and interested his friends, which 



enabled him to have laws passed for their 

 protection. A game warden was ap- 

 pointed to patrol the reservation. It is 

 of interest to note that this was not the 

 first time laws had been passed for their 

 protection. Banks History of Martha's 

 Vineyard quotes laws passed in 1824 

 concerning heath hens by the voters of 

 Tisbury. 



In 1907, 635 acres were purchased 

 for a reservation ; five stops were con- 

 structed, and land was cultivated for 

 corn, sunflowers, rye, beardless barley, 

 buckwheat and clover. The birds are 

 very fond of all of these foods. In 1912 

 an additional tract of 1,000 acres was 

 leased to enlarge the feeding grounds, 

 and give more protection, with the result 

 the birds have responded quite readily 

 to care and protection. I feel it is a 

 very conservative estimate to state that 

 there are fully 2,000 birds now. They 

 can be found all over the island ; in fact 

 have been reported in the trees at Vine- 



