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RICE GROWERS 
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Federal Investigator Concludes 
That Farmer' Has Right To 
Use Any Commonsense Means 
To Protect Crop 
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After spending several days in the 
Sacramento Valley rice-growing belt, 
where he carefully looked into con- 
ditions as he found them, Dr. Alex- 
ander Wetmore, naturalist of the 
of the United States Biological Sur- 
vey, has about concluded that the 
rice grower is Justified in resorting 
to any common sense mear^s in pro- 
tecting his crop against the depre- 
dations of the wild duck. 
This much Dr. Wetmore to-day ad- 
mitted to a Bee reporter while stop- 
ping off here for a short while en 
route to Williams to proceed with his 
investigations. ' 
To Stay on Job. 
“The crop has not advanced to a 
ripening stage where' I have been, 
able to determine w r hereXl have been 
deuce just what destruction the ducks 
do in 'the rice fields,” said the Fed- 
eral official, “but I am going to stay 
on the job probably throughout the 
harvest season and I shall know what 
is going on.” 
When asked if the fanners would 
be justified in shooting the ducks, or 
resorting to other means necessary 
to protect their -rice crops, he could 
see no reason w T hy the grower has 
not got a good case against the in- 
vades. v ' ; . ~ * 
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Ho Recommendation. 
9S Until he has proceeded .further, 
with his investigations, the official 
X , would inot suggest any recommenda- 
r • tions which he may, now have in 
— mind. ^He said there was & division 
^ of opinion among some of the grow- 
tjj. ers as to the amount of damage the 
ducks do in the rice fields. 
Dr. .Wetmore was sent here from 
ZV; Washington, D. C., to Settle the ques- 
ts tion of whether - the State J'ish and 
'-Game Commission is right .in its. con - 
•Z: tentlons that the ducks should be 
Z V protected at all events, notwithstand- 
ing the world-wide ci*y for food and 
the policy of cpneeryation. 
Original copied by 
Smithsonian Archives 
