JULY-AUGUST, 1932 
 
which will last through season and still b 
in satisfactory condition to serve as food. 
The iron variety of the cowpea seems to 
stand up under all weather conditions. 
Many of the others were unfit for birds to 
eat during the late winter and early spring 
because of rot and midew. 
   Korean lespedeza is being planted ex- 
 tensively over the entire area. This plant 
 has been found excellent for a variety of 
 reasons. It is an unusually good quail 
 food; itf-s a fine forage crop; it retards 
 and prevents soil erosion, and it builds up 
 run-down soils because of its ability to 
 return to it much-needed nitrogen. This 
 is planted in two ways. It is sown on top 
 of winter wheat in March, and certain 
 broomsedge areas are double-disked and 
 the seed sown broadcast. This breaks up 
 the valueless broomsedge and in its place 
 provides a plant useful in many ways. 
 One side of a field will be so planted to 
 lespedeza and the other left to sedge grass 
 to provide the necessary roosting and nest- 
 ing cover. The following year the other 
 half of the field will be disked and planted. 
 The acompanying sketch will give an idea 
 of the method of rotation. 
   A considerable percentage of the total 
 acreage is woodland, consisting of both 
 pine and hardwoods; some virgin forest. 
 The pine is mostly second growth and 
 rather dense, too much so for quail. 
 
 Fire Lanes Pay 
 
   This has been thinned out around the 
 edges, the better to comply with the de- 
 mands of bobwhite. And in the case of 
 the hardwoods, some of the dense under- 
 growth has been cleaned out. Fire lanes 
 from 20 to 30 feet wide have been run 
 throughout the woods area, breaking it up 
 into small squares. Alongside these fire 
 lanes, where the underbrush has been too 
 dense, it too has been cut and thinned out. 
 Thus an area hitherto unused by quail has 
 been opened up to them. 
   Quail covies are now found deep in the 
woods adjacent to these fire lanes. There 
has been planted in these lanes the same 
mixture of seeds for production of feed for 
them as was used in the feed patches in the 
open fields. 
  A number of advantages have been 
gained by the development of this system 
of fire lanes. In the first place in cutting 
the lanes there was a considerable harvest 
of wood suitable mainly for fuel. A large 
supply of firewood has been secured in this 
way for both fuel for the house and for 
the cooking of food for the many dogs. 
The value of this wood is easily enough 
to pay for the work of cutting. Here is the 
first advantage-the harvest of valuable 
wood. Next, there are the actual fire lanes 
themselves providing the second advantage 
-protection of the woods from fire. Then 
where such clearing out of undergrowth 
 
 
                      /I 
 
has been done a quicker and better timber 
growth is secured. 
  The lanes are then plowed and sown to 
the various grains and legumes for winter 
quail foods. Part of this grain was har- 
vested and was of sufficient quantity to 
feed all the hors4s and other stock on the 
place. This was done without any serious 
inroads to the supply intended for quail. 
There was plenty left for them. Again 
by opening up this additional area new 
stores of natural food were opened to them 
in the form of mast, etc., from trees deep 
 
 
Feed strip close to cover 
 
 
in the woods which otherwise would bear 
fruit but not contribute to quail. Thus 
it appears that fire lanes are of great value 
from many standpoints. 
 
"No Part-time Predators" 
  Mr. Craig feels very strongly on the sub- 
ject of predatory species. It is his opinion 
that there is no such thing as a "part-time 
predator." Where there is a concentra- 
tion of game it is his experience that there 
will immediately follow a concentration of 
predatory species, feathered and furred. In 
this connection he says: "My opinion is 
that this is just as important as suitable 
food and cover, and we give this part of 
it as much attention as anything else and 
jrobably more. Every feed patch has its 
pole trap and sets are made for weasels 
and minks, opossums and other small ani- 
mals under banks, logs and places that 
dogs can't get into. This has to be done 
with care to keep from catching quail and 
other game. Each man is required to carry 
a gun while out on the place at work and 
he must know how to use it! But in spite 
of all we can do there is always some ver- 
min on the place, and each fall brings its 
new crop. Without this protection I feel 
sure that game would soon disappear in 
spite of all the food and cover." 
 
 
                                      61 
 
   Naturally the results of all this work 
were watched carefully. Immediate bene- 
fits were not expected but it was hoped 
that over a period of years a considerably 
increased quail population would develop. 
As time passed more quail were actually 
located, and these provided the necessary 
encouragement for a continuation and ex- 
pansion of the program. As a final result 
there are many, many covies breeding all 
over this and adjacent territory. It is dif- 
ficult to hold them all to the ground. Many 
of them overflowed to surrounding farms. 
Old hunters previously disgruntled because 
of their exclusion from the Craig acres are 
now content and report more birds in 
nearby hunting fields than they have ever 
found before. 
  Definite figures on the quail population 
are not available, but from the practical 
standpoint the results have fully justified 
the expenditure of time, money and effort 
necessary to put the program over. Here 
is a definite example of the feasibility of 
practical game management. 
 
 
 
 
Aid Breeding Laws 
 
  The game-breeding industry has de- 
veloped to considerable proportions within 
the last few years, and in many cases de- 
velopment has been handicapped by inade- 
quate laws. 
  We have always urged the adoption of 
laws more suitable to the requirements of 
this new industry. Breeders have appealed 
to the sportsmen of the country in many 
cases to be of assistance in securing the en- 
actment of satisfactory legislation. 
  To this effect a resolution was adopted 
by the recent convention of the Izaak Wal- 
ton League in Chicago as follows: 
 
     COOPERATION WITH GAME 
              BREEDERS 
  WHEREAS, in many states of this 
  Union those engaged in the occupa- 
  tion of producing game are hedged 
  in and harrassed by antiquated laws 
  enacted before the artificial rearing 
  of game had become an important 
  industry; and 
  WHEREAS, the men engaged in this 
  laudable undertaking are ineffective, 
  because of lack of numbers, in having 
  any effect on appropriate legislation; 
  BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, 
  That the Izaak Walton League of 
  America cooperate with the game 
  breeders in the various states in ob- 
  taining the passage of such legislation 
  as will enable the breeders to legiti- 
  mately raise birds and distribute such 
  birds in furtherance of the expressed 
  sentiment of the Izaak Walton League 
  of America in aiding the restoration 
  of birds in depleted areas. 
  We endorse this action heartily.