14 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July i, 1911. 
Berkeley, Cal., June 21.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The State game farm, operated under 
the direction of the California Fish and Game 
Commission, is proving its worth this season and 
will have a fine lot of game birds of different 
varieties to distribute in the fa’l. This farm is 
located near the town of Hayward in a locality 
well adapted for its purposes. While but a short 
distance from San Francisco, it is in a favored 
spot where winds and fogs are much less preva¬ 
lent than they are nearer the ocean, and the 
climate is much more equable. If any change 
were desirable, it might be to have the farm 
located in the hills to the eastward where it 
would be still more protected, but a move of 
this kind would also have its disadvantages, for 
in the less thickly settled district there would be 
more danger to the young birds from vermin 
from which the farm is now entirely free. 
Considerable criticism was directed against the 
establishment of the State game farm in the be¬ 
ginning, but this has disappeared following the 
general excellent work in game preservation and 
propagation that has been done by the Fish and 
Game Commission. Last season’s results were 
quite satisfactory, considering the fact that the 
work done was largely along experimental lines, 
and this year the farm promises to be on a firm 
working basis. The hatching season is well under 
way, and notwithstanding the unsatisfactory 
weather that has been experienced this spring, 
both the wild turkeys and pheasants are in good 
shape with many birds o’d and strong enough 
to be out of danger. 
Work is being done to increase the number 
and size of the pens, and as many birds will be 
raised this season as possible. The deputy com¬ 
missioner in the Sequoia Park district reports 
that the turkeys liberated there last season have 
mated, and that several flourishing broods of 
young have been seen this spring. This encour¬ 
aging news has led the commissioners to make 
special efforts to raise as many birds as possible 
this season. The birds that are raised, and 
which are not needed for breeding purposes, 
will be liberated in districts where conditions 
seem favorable, especially in national parks where 
hunting is prohibited and they will not be 
molested. 
On June 4 I visited the farm and on that date 
there were about 650 young turkeys and about 
the same number of pheasants' running about 
the place and more hatching all the time. The 
turkeys are birds brought from Mexico by the 
commission for this purpose. A pair of wild 
turkeys from Virginia are also in the pens, but 
these are young and have not bred as yet. 
The turkeys seem remarkably healthy and are 
as tame as the domestic varieties, readily run¬ 
ning to the keeper at his call, and some of the 
young ones are now as large as young pullets. 
Most of the hatching is done by common hens, 
although there are now a number of the turkey 
hens setting in the grain field, these having 
stolen their nests. Rhode Island reds are the 
hens mostly used for setting and have proved 
to be excellent mothers, being able to. care for a 
large flock. The farm is a large one, over forty 
acres, and ample room is thus allowed for run¬ 
ways. The young birds are kept in one large 
inclosure and as soon as they reach a certain 
size, are moved to the large field where they can 
be herded in the grain during the day. An 
abundance of green food is available at present 
and the wild food has been supplemented by 
long rows of lettuce drilled in the feeding pens 
early in the season. This is very acceptable to 
the turkeys, and is picked close to the ground. 
No disease has appeared among the turkeys and 
there should be but a light loss of birds from 
now on among those of the early hatching. 
The pheasants are a more doubtful proposi¬ 
tion, as they are harder to handle and require 
more carefully prepared food. The pheasant 
pen, where the very young birds are kept, is 
quite a wonderful sight. While the field has 
been cultivated this season, it is literally one 
mass of poppy blossoms, the beautiful yellow 
eschscholtzia, the California State flower, and 
there are patches of purple lupines. The young 
pheasants are very wild and at the appearance 
of a visitor at the coops scattered here and there 
in the inclosure, ran to hide in the poppies. 
The wee gray and brown birds form quite a 
contrast to the brilliant field blossoms and to 
see them wildly scurrying away before you, it 
seems scarcely possible that in a few months 
they will change their dress and show the same 
brilliant colors as the fields. To see them in this 
California field one might be led to believe that 
they secure the wonderful colors in their plum¬ 
age when grown from the blossoms which shel¬ 
tered them while young. 
A number of varieties of pheasants are being 
raised, including Oriental ring-necked, silver and 
golden pheasant, the former being in the largest 
number. The birds grow very rapidly and at 
the age of a month are placed in inclosed pens, 
for by that time they become very lively and 
might attempt to fly away. The young birds are 
fed a curd and cornmeal preparation, together 
with maggots, and but little in the line of diges¬ 
tive troubles is experienced. Hen lice are about 
the worst thing, but these are kept down by 
exercising constant care. 
The percentage of fertility of the pheasant 
eggs this season has been rather low, about 60 
per cent., but this can doubtless be improved by 
more careful selection of food at breeding time. 
Only three or four hens are allowed to a cock, 
but the number could doubtless be increased if 
necessary. 
In addition to turkeys and pheasants, mountain 
and val’ey quail are being raised, as well as bob- 
white quail from the East. These are thriving 
splendidly and are quite at home in their large 
inclosure. There are also mallard duck and deer, 
these being very tame and all thriving. 
The State farm is under the management of 
J. R. Argabrite, and much of the success of this 
season’s operations to date must be credited to 
his efficient management and the knowledge he 
has of the propagation of game birds. The lib¬ 
eral policy of the commission is also responsible 
for the success of the venture, for while the 
money on hand for the purpose is being care¬ 
fully expended, needed improvements are quickly 
made and the policy is not how cheaply the farm 
can be run, but how much can be accomplished 
in the iine of actual resu.ts for the money spent. 
It would be an injustice to speak of rearing 
game birds in this State without mentioning W. 
N. Dirks, of Alameda, who has for several years 
taken a deep interest in this matter. His pet 
California quail are well known in this vicinity, 
having been exhibited many times. He also 
i aises pheasants and has adopted methods in 
rearing these that are at variance wdth those 
usually employed. In the first place he utilizes 
an incubator for hatching and has been highly 
successful with this. I have just received this 
note from him telling of the success of the last 
batch of eggs: 
I have just cleaned out the incubator with 
the following success: Ring-neck pheasant, 46; 
golden pheasant, 7; bantams, 10; silver pheasant, 
5 ; quail, 45; total, 113 birds and only five died 
in the shell. Can any old hen with her disease 
and vermin beat that?” He has installed a large 
brooder warmed by an electric lamp, and with 
no hen can raise his birds free from lice. The 
pheasant eggs from his pens have been unusually 
fertile this season, averaging over 90 per cent. 
In feeding his young pheasants he uses finely 
chopped meat and finds this equally as good as 
maggots and much more satisfactory to handle. 
Some of the pet quail from his miniature bird 
farm will probably be taken by Miss Libby, the 
new deputy appointed by the Fish and Game 
Commission, when she goes on her next lecture 
tour among the public schools. 
The herd of buffalo in Golden Gate Park is 
now increasing at such a rapid rate that within 
a short time the park commissioners will have 
to commence to dispose of some of them on 
account of the lack of room. A half dozen baby 
buffalo have already arrived this season, and the 
number will be swelled considerably by the mid¬ 
dle of July. 
I he' elk herd is also increasing, more than a 
dozen having been born this seasofi. 
Quite recently a baby moose was born in the 
park, this being the first, it is claimed, ever born 
in captivity. “Alaska," the mother, is one of 
four moose brought down from Alaska a couple 
of years ago and donated to the Golden Gate 
Park commissioners by the Alaska Packers’ As¬ 
sociation. They were taken captive when but a 
few weeks old and have thrived in captivity, but 
‘ Alaska" seems to have forgotten even the kind 
treatment of her keeper, for with her offspring 
she has become jealous in disposition and allows 
no one to come within her paddock. Another 
baby moose is expected within a few weeks’ 
t ' rne - Golden Gate. 
New York Legislature. 
Albany, N. Y., June 26.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The Assembly has passed the bill of 
Senator Bayne, prohibiting the sale of all game 
birds and animals in this State, except such as 
are raised or imported for the purpose, and the 
owners must pay a license and a tax on all they 
raise or sell. On birds the tax is five cents a 
head. 
The Senate has passed these bibs: 
Senator Roosevelt’s, changing the open season 
