Vol. 11, No. 2 
Page 2 
enough but too fragile for roadside work in sod. 
The Howard Rotavator company has recently placed on the market a "Rotaseeder 
which is a 70 -inch rototiller fitted with special slot-cutting blades and a seed 
drill. This machine can be pulled by a relatively small tractor, seeds a 6 -foot 
strip, and appears rugged enough for roadside work. Last August, one of these 
machines was tried on several miles of roadsides on and near the Sibley Study 
Area. It was generally concluded that this machine was the best available for 
roadside work at the present time. The Department of Conservation has purchased 
a Rotaseeder for use in seeding roadsides on the Ford County Management Unit 
during August 1968. During the winter, an extra seedbox is being added to the 
Rotaseeder to allow brome and alfalfa to be seeded at the same time. 
3 . Factors 1 nf1uencinq Distribution and Abundance of Pheasants W. L. Anderson 
It is generally believed that wild pheasants obtain the bulk of the calcium 
they need from grit. Findings of recent studies designed to determine the possi¬ 
ble effects of 24 inorganic ions on the distribution of pheasants in Illinois tend 
to support this contention. Calcium, as well as magnesium and sodium, was more 
abundant in grit than in soil or in foods commonly eaten by pheasants. However, 
soybeans--and not gr i t--contained the highest concentrations of potassium. Trace 
elements were, for the most part, most abundant in soil; notable exceptions were 
cobalt, copper, and manganese, all of which were most abundant in grit. Thus, 
soil and grit appear to be the richest sources of most minerals directly available 
to pheasants. 
However, a few words of caution are in order. Although a substance such as 
grit or soil is rich in ions, it does not necessarily follow that this substance 
is a major source of minerals for pheasants. The amount of the substance ingested, 
as well as its physical and chemical state and the length of time it is retained 
in the gastrointestinal tract, should also be considered. These factors are 
largely unknown as far as wild-living pheasants are concerned. 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Habitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis, K. P. Thomas 
Hunters harvested 411 quail on the Forbes Area and 242 quail on the Dale Area 
in 1967* The harvest of quail in 1967 was 80 percent and 13 percent higher on 
the Forbes and Dale areas, respectively, than in I 966 . Higher prehunt populations 
on both areas in 1967 were believed partially responsible for the increased kills. 
Hunting effort (gun-hours) was the same on the Dale Area in both 1966 and 19&7* 
On the Forbes Area, hunting effort increased 47 percent in 1967, compared with 
1966 . 
The harvest on the two areas in I 967 represented 80 percent of the prehunt 
population on the Forbes Area and 60 percent of the prehunt population on the 
Dale Area. Since 1 963 both areas have sustained an average harvest of 65 percent 
of the prehunt populations. We may conclude, therefore, that the productivity 
of the bobwhite is geared to withstand heavy harvests in addition to winter 
mor ta1ity. 
