WINTER FEEDING OF WILD LIFE ON NORTHERN FARMS 3 



Dried fruits and berries are scarce on most farms. Furthermore, 

 they are frequently covered up, out of reach, of poor quality, or 

 distant from good protective cover. In any event, it is inadvisable 

 to place any great dependence on sumac berries, rose hips, bitter- 

 sweet berries, sweetclover seed, dried grapes, and other similar 

 foods — especially when considering bobwhites. For ruffed grouse, 

 sharp-tailed grouse, and pheasants these foods may have more value, 

 but it is well to provide supplementary grains of proved utility 

 instead of placing entire reliance on an uncertain abundance of fall 

 berries and fruits. The same is true of buds and foliage, although 

 buds are a staple winter food for ruffed and sharp-tailed grouse, 

 and green foliage seems to be important for Hungarian partridges. 



By and large, the combined supply of weeds, berries, fruits, buds, 

 and green foliage available to wild life in winter is decidedly de- 

 ficient on the ordinary farm, and many farms in intensively cul- 

 tivated sections are virtually barren of any usable natural food. 



In the face of this situation it is urgent that interested persons, 

 whether on farms or in towns and cities, provide adequate winter 

 feeding in their communities. So many adverse factors are de- 

 pleting game birds that every effort to correct environmental de- 

 ficiencies should be made. Unless definite remedial measures are 

 inaugurated very soon, in most sections of the country the ever- 

 increasing army of upland game-bird hunters will be further re- 

 stricted in their sport. The supply of game is being destroyed faster 

 than it is being replenished by natural means. Measures to facilitate 

 replenishment are essential, and winter feeding is one of the most 

 practicable within the power of the ordinary sportsman. 



Food for many valuable small winter birds is provided inci- 

 dentally by winter-feeding activities for game. Persons generally 

 interested in nature, however, may well pay particular attention to 

 small birds, especially to the tree-inhabiting species, including 

 downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, and creepers. By means of suet 

 and other food these can frequently be attracted to lawns and 

 orchards that they would not otherwise visit. 1 Chaff, screenings, 

 table scraps, or other waste thrown on the ground or snow (fig. 2) 

 will feed many ground-loving species; or scratch feed or other 

 grains or seeds may be provided with little expense. 



ORGANIZING A WINTER-FEEDING CAMPAIGN 



Well-planned organization will facilitate feeding activities, par- 

 ticularly when snow or mud blocks country roads or during a 

 blizzard. In the past much winter feeding has been ineffective 

 because bad weather was not anticipated far enough in advance, 

 or because preparations had lagged. Feeding operations should be 

 under way before the usual critical periods. In some instances 

 considerable feed caches handy to feeding stations should be made 

 well in advance of the ordinary storm periods. 



Farm boys and men have the best opportunities to feed wild game 

 in winter, not only because of their situation but also because of 

 their general interest in wild life and their intimate knowledge of 



1 Directions for winter feeding of small birds are contained in Farmers' Bulletins 621, 

 which applies to the Northeastern States, 760, to the Northwestern States, 844, to the 

 Middle Atlantic States, and 912 to the East Central States. 



