



game research funds. 
At present it may be fairly said that the. state is spending around 
a guarter of a million’: dollars, and its citizens a probably larger sum, on 
game conservation methods, practically none of which have passed scientific 
tests as to their efficiency, and some of which are.almost certainly an en- 
tire waste. (The continued planting of pheasants in southern Illinois will 
suffice as a single example of continued waste). The investment in re- 
search work of a small percentage of the large sum now spent on game would 
be cheap insurance against the indefinite continuance of wasteful and un- 
successful practices. Agriculture, forestry, or industry would by no meas 
tolerate what now passes unchallenged as "game protection.” 
One serious aspect of delaying game research is that it takes a 
long time to solve game problems, or even to organize to solve them. It is 
by no means to be expected that a state university which has never functioned 
on game should function on a large scale or high speed on short notice. 
The cowrdination of many and varied departments is involved in the solution 
of every problem. 
35, Research Projects. The number of urgent problems demanding answers is 
very large, and each of them is so intermeshed with other game problems, 
and with problems in agronomy, livestock, agricultural engineering, land 
economics, and forestry, that a mere list does not do justice to their im- 
portance. However, 4 list of the more urgent problems is here offered, with 
the request that the reader refer to the preceeding text for the various 
inter-relationships: 
1, What kind and location of brush, tree and grass cover on the 
average Illinois farm offers the greatest penefit from game and 
insectivorous birds, erosion control, and wind protection, and 
or harborage of noxious insects? 
the least loss in land area 

