W   inter Feeding       at Faville Grove, 1935-36 
Arthur S. Hawkins 
The Faville Grove Wildlife Area lies on the west bank of the Crawfish 
River near Lake Mills, Jefferson County, in the heart of southeastern Wiscon-

sin's dairy country. About two-thirds of the area is flat river bottom; the

remainder is gently rolling upland. It includes 10 farms totalling 2,300
acres. 
These farmers cooperate with the University of Wisconsin in practicing 
wildlife management on their lands. The author is a graduate student who

lives on the area and conducts research work for the university. 
A statistical description of the area and a census of its game appears in

Tables I and 2. 
WINTER FooDs 
After heavy snow there is a marked shrinkage in early winter foods. Each

of those remaining available has important characteristics and limitations,

which are summarized as follows: 
Farm yards are probably the most important emergency food source for 
partridges* and quail. Farm yard feeding, however, is dangerous. Dogs and

cats sometimes cause mortality in quail by scattering them late in the day

when they cannot reassemble for roosting. There may also be danger of pick-

ing up poultry diseases. 
Crop residues and manure. Partridges are largely dependent on the prac- 
tice of currently spreading manure in the fields through the winter. During

severe weather, however, farmers are forced to suspend spreading for days
at 
a time, thus suddenly cutting off the supply of manure food at a crucial
time 
when crop residues and previous manure-spreadings are snowed under. 
Cornfields.  Snow   soon covers all corn except that left standing or in

shocks, which this year was only five per cent of the corn area. Even this

became mostly exhausted or buried. 
Poison sumac (Rhus Vernix). This shrub grows in tamarack swamps and 
this year bore a heavy crop of berries which were always available. They
are 
eaten by quail and pheasants, but their food value is unknown. Gilbert Gig-

stead, who recently studied pheasant crops for the Wisconsin Conservation

Department (unpublished), found these berries to be a preferred pheasant

food. 
Mast. The acorns here are all large, hence only those opened and dropped

by squirrels are available for quail. It is doubtful whether other game birds

of the area use acorns to any extent. A hard crust makes mast unavailable.

Silphium. The food value of this seed is unknown. It is believed that the

- Partridge refers io the Hungarian partridge, Perdix p. perdix, throughout
this 
paper.