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496 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[April i, 1911. 
Kansas Game Fund. 
Topeka, Kans., March 18.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I inclose you herewith the law of 
Kansas, which takes effect upon its publication, 
and therefore this published law is now in force 
in this State: 
Section 1. There is hereby appropriated, out 
of the general funds of the State not otherwise 
appropriated as salary for the State fish and 
game warden the sum of one thousand dollars 
($1,000) for (the balance of) the fiscal year end¬ 
ing June 30, 1911. and the sum of two thousand 
dollars ($2,000) for the fiscal year ending June 
30, 1912, and the sum of two thousand dollars 
($2,000) for the fiscal year ending June 30. 1913. 
Sec. 2. That out of the moneys now in the_ 
hands of the State Treasurer to the credit of 
the State Fish and Game Warden's fund, and so 
much thereof as may be necessary is hereby ap¬ 
propriated and shall become immediately avail¬ 
able for tbe acquiring of land and for the loca¬ 
tion, erection, maintenance and improvements 
and extension of the State fish and Game 
Hatchery, in Pratt county, Kansas, and the 
building of fish-ponds and lakes, hatchery build¬ 
ings, and pools and other needed buildings and 
structures and for such other purposes as are 
necessary to carry out the provisions of the fish 
and game laws of the State of Kansas. And 
that all moneys hereafter paid into the State 
Treasury for hunters’ licenses prior to the close 
of the fiscal year 1911, and all moneys from 
hunters’ licenses paid into the State Treasury 
during the fiscal years 1912 and 1913, are to be 
credited to the State Fish and Game Warden's 
fund and are hereby appropriated and made 
available when paid, for the same general pur¬ 
poses. 
Sec. 3. No lands shall be purchased or build¬ 
ings erected or other permanent improvements 
made in excess of $500 by the fish and game 
warden, as herein provided, until such purchase 
of land’s or erection of buildings or improve¬ 
ments above provided shall have been approved 
by the regents of the State University, by proper 
resolution passed and recorded in the minutes 
of the board. Certified copy of which resolu¬ 
tion shall be transmitted to the governor and if 
he approves the same, he shall endorse his ap¬ 
proval thereon and file same in the office of 
the Auditor of the State; thereupon the Auditor 
shall honor all proper vouchers of the fish and 
game warden, for such purposes to the amount 
specified in such resolution so endorsed and ap¬ 
proved by the Governor. 
Sec. 4. And for the moneys appropriated by 
this act the Auditor of State is hereby author¬ 
ized and directed to issue his warrants on the 
Treasurer of State, upon itemized vouchers 
duly sworn to by the claimant and approved by 
the fish and game warden. 
Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in 
force from and after its publication in the 
official State paper. 
As the Legislature at the 1909 session did not 
make any appropriation for the State fish and 
game warden, the expense of the same was paid 
out of the Governor's contingent fund, and this 
Legislature repaid the same by an act appropriat¬ 
ing from the game and fish fund in the State 
treasury about $7,500, restoring the same to the 
general fund of the State. The laws of Kansas 
provide that all money received from hunters 
licenses shall be maintained in the game and fish 
fund in the State treasury to be used by the 
State fish and game warden for salary and ex¬ 
penses in operating State fish hatchery, stock¬ 
ing the waters of the State with game fish and 
increasing the game supply of the State, but here¬ 
tofore the law has required specific appropria¬ 
tions, and the State wardenship has been con¬ 
sidered a political reward for some strong par¬ 
tisan, without regard to qua’ification for the 
duties devolving on the office. 
The appointment of Prof. L. L. Dyche, curator 
of the Natural History Museum of the State 
University as State game and fish warden less 
than two years ago, has elevated this position 
to its proper sphere, and taken the office out 
of politics, and this new law not only appro¬ 
priates all the money in the fund at present, but 
in addition all that may accrue from hunters’ 
licenses for the coming years 1911, 1912 and 
1913 which are by this act made available for 
the use of the warden. The last published re¬ 
port credited the fund with about $89,000, and 
the annual receipts from hunters licenses aver¬ 
age about $56,000, and the sportsmen of the 
State are all rejoicing that their wishes and re¬ 
quests have at last been granted by this pro¬ 
gressive action of the State Legislature which 
we think will give our State high rank among 
the States that are trying to increase their sup¬ 
plies of fish and game. W ■ F. R- 
menace to the more valuable species. If the 
wild animals increase to a point where they be¬ 
come a nuisance to the taxpayers in the State 
wherein the reserve is located, then there should 
be some arrangement made between the Govern¬ 
ment and the State for payment of damages or 
killing off of the excess of such animals as are 
causing the nuisance. C. P. Ambler. 
The Use of Game. 
Asheville, N. C., March 18. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: The question of solving the pro¬ 
tection of the game and other wild creatures 
with an idea of lessening the danger of extinc¬ 
tion of any given animal or bird, and at the same 
time protecting the rights of the farmer who 
may live in the vicinity, offers a proposition diffi¬ 
cult to solve. 
From the standpoint of those of us who are 
interested in wild animals and birds, and do not 
want to see the day come when the different 
species will become extinct, protection on the 
part of the State or country seems desirable. 
But we are bound to admit that where the State 
protects these animals to a point where they be¬ 
come a menace to agricultural interests in the 
community, there is danger of the protection 
being carried too far. 
Personaliy, I believe that the National Govern¬ 
ment should protect all wild creatures in the 
various forest reserves. If the animal then 
leaves the forest reserves and becomes a nuis¬ 
ance to agricultural interests, it would come 
under the laws of the State, and the farmer 
should have the right to kill such animal. 
If the farmer locates adjacent to the forest 
reserve with such laws in effect, then the burden 
of this nuisance should be on him, but if the 
Government or State should locate a forest re¬ 
serve adjacent to an already settled agricultural 
community, there should be made some arrange¬ 
ment for the protection of agricultural interests 
already established. It seems natural for people 
in the Eastern States to talk of prohibiting the 
killing of the elk and deer in the Western States, 
but if they were once on the ground and saw 
the inroads that the elk made on the ranches 
adjacent to the reserves, they would realize as 
never before that there are two sides to this 
question. Now that the Appalachian and White 
Mountain Forest Reserve bill has gone through 
Congress, this same matter will come up later 
in the East, as, when these reserves are estab¬ 
lished, the wild creatures will no doubt be pro¬ 
tected, and sooner or later an overflow from these 
reserves may cause some detriment to the ad¬ 
jacent farmers. This will always be true. 
Personally, I believe that if the National Gov¬ 
ernment establishes a forest reserve, it should 
protect the wild creatures therein and arrange 
for the killing of all such animals as are a 
Duck Raising in Texas. 
Alfalfa, Tex., March 5 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have seen much in Forest and 
Stream about rearing wildfowl and consider 
such discussions most interesting. Let us have 
more such talk. 
I raise each year a good many wild mallards, 
but have never freed any of them, yet I find it 
great sport to raise them, and it is a beautiful 
sight to see flying about a flock of mallards that 
are perfectly tame and gentle. I find it very 
hard to get a wild hen of any kind to breed in 
captivity, especially where one has only small 
ponds for them. I generally use females 1 eared 
from one that I bought and always use these 
hens with a full blood wiid drake. 1 he off¬ 
spring are exactly like full blood wild birds and 
fly just as well. I raise a few full bloods, but 
cannot distinguish them from the others. 1 he 
females I use are claimed to be seven-eighths 
wild mallard, one-eighth Rouen. They look like 
a wild mallard except that they are a little 
heavier. They are good layers, some laying 
seventy to ninety eggs in a season. 
The only way that I can get the wild ones 
is by keeping all that I wing while hunting. 
For about a week I keep them in a small pen 
and then turn them out into a larger inclosure 
that has a small tank or pond. After they have 
been there about two months they go where 
they please, and it is not often that one will 
leave. 
I have pintails that are just as gentle as any 
mallard. They ha\;e never laid yet, but I think 
they will this spring. I have several different 
kinds of wild ducks, but have not had very good 
luck with any except the mallards. This I be¬ 
lieve it is on account of not having enough 
water. 
Anvone with a small pond can raise his flock 
of mallards each year. I know of one man that 
raised a nice flock of mallards this year with a 
pond about a foot deep and ten feet across each 
way. He used a seven-eighths hen and a wild 
drake that he winged. 
All the wild ducks that are raised are just 
that many more toward saving our wildfowl 
that are soon to be gone at the rate they are 
disappearing now. Only a few years ago mal¬ 
lards were here all winter regardless of the cold, 
but this winter has been like spring time here, 
and there is not a free wild duck about. A few 
vears ago ducks passed through here by millions 
and now only a few hundred can be seen in a 
season. 
Chickens and quail are also getting very 
scarce. One may tramp all day without seeing 
enough quail for his supper, and four years ago 
they were very plentiful. Let us hear from other 
game lovers. Chas. E. Jackson. 
All the game lavas of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and nozv in force, art 
given in the Game Lazos in Brief. See adz>. 
