176 



THE GAME BREEDER 



same may be said of many other big 

 states besides Ohio- — neither a gun nor a 

 dog is used for quail shooting in New- 

 York, excepting on Long Island, where 

 it has been an expensive struggle to 

 keep quail shooting on the map. 



We can readily see why the advertise- 

 ments of shooting dogs have almost en- 

 tirely disappeared from Forest and 

 Stream and the other sporting maga- 

 zines, excepting those devoted to Field 

 Trials, and we read, not long ago, in a 

 dog paper devoted largely to field trials 

 that it was "against the ethics" of the 

 field trial to shoot a bird. Anyone who 

 goes afield must be aware of "what has 

 happened in the twenty years that have 

 passed." 



The latest copy of the leading dog 

 paper published in the United States con- 

 tains a little over thirteen pages of space 

 dog advertisements. Neither the setter, 

 nor the pointer, nor the retriever, nor 

 the spaniel, appears on these pages. 

 There are a few, a very few, pointers 

 and setters offered in diminutive adver- 

 tisements on the classified pages where 

 bull dogs and toy dogs and other non- 

 sporting dogs are offered in abundance. 

 Within the time mentioned by Forest 

 and Stream we have had some excellent 

 grouse shooting in many counties where 

 the prairie grouse has become extinct. 

 We have shot sharp-tailed grouse in 

 places where they were plentiful, but 

 where, alas! they no longer occur. We 

 have shot thousands of ducks on marshes 

 which have been drained because it did 

 not pay to have wild ducks, and we are 

 fully and sadly aware of what' has hap- 

 pened in "the twenty years that have 

 passed" while the dear old Forest and 

 Stream has slumbered on the plank, un- 

 mindful of the gathering moss which has 

 made it appear so green and beautiful. 

 But where is the game that once was 

 plentiful? What has become of upland 

 shooting in America? Where are the 

 setters and the pointers which were once 

 used for quail and grouse shooting? 



Louisiana's Conservation Laws Inter- 

 est Australia. 



The laws that have been formulated 

 and put into practice to conserve the 

 natural resources of Louisiana have in- 

 terested Australia to such an extent that 

 David G. Head, chief commissioner of 

 the Fisheries Department of New South 

 Wales, has written M. L. Alexander, 

 President of the Conservation Commis- 

 sion of Louisiana, for copies of all acts 

 and regulations designed to conserve the 

 Pelican State's enormous natural re- 

 sources for reference in framing similar 

 laws for New South Wales. 



Subscribe for The Game Breeder, only 

 $1 a year. 



Can Wild Ducks Be Reared Profitably? 



One of our New York readers says in 

 a letter to The Game Breeder: "Any 

 persons who think they can raise wild 

 ducks at a profit had better try it and 

 convince themselves. It cannot be done." 



About the time this letter came a Con- 

 necticut reader wrote I have sold all m)> 

 wood ducks and mallards that I care tr 

 sell this season. I find that I must get 

 $1 for mallards in order to make it pay 

 to rear them. Since mallards have been 

 selling at from $1.50 to $2 each to tl 

 New York hotels and even to dealers, 

 there should be a profit in selling ducks 

 at these figures if they can be raised for 

 less than $1. Unfortunately our Con- 

 necticut reader cannot sell his food in 

 New York on account of a "fool law." 

 This absurdity will disappear before 

 long as others have. 



The cost of rearing wild ducks de- 

 pends much upon the location. In some 

 places where natural foods are plentiful 

 it is only necessary to feed the wild 

 ducks once a day. In other places they 

 must be fed two or three times to be 

 sure of holding them. When young 

 ducks are reared about the edge of a 

 marshy pond they will find much natural 

 food and the amount of duck meal and 

 other artificial foods necessary is much 

 reduced. We are of the opinion thai 

 mallards and black ducks reared on good 

 rearing ground can be made to show a 

 small profit if they be sold early at $1 

 each. 



