AN EXOTIC INDUSTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 161, 10 July 1922, Page 4

AN EXOTIC INDUSTRY.

We arc unable to pump up ;; single 1 tear of regret at the (statement made J , by Mr. Ostler at Hamilton on Saturday j ; that the day of the pheasant is past, j I Mr. Ostler thought it was extremely - disappointing that, despite the large amount of money spent by the Acclimatisation Society in rearing pheasants, ' these birds were fast becoming scarcer. I We cannot share his disappointment,] and we should say that from !>"> to !!'•> , per cent, of the people of the Dominion : are either indifferent on this matter or i would prefer pheasants to disappear, j The truth is that in this country game-I rearing is one of the most exotic of industrie-.s, and there i« not another I : whose disappearance would he less i regretted. The whole business of ' acclimatisation, from the introduction . of deer down to the breeding of quail, ' with such an exception as tish culture, has an amount of trouble and money ; s)>ont on it that is out of all proportion to results. The number of people benefited is comparatively tiny, and the ! 1 damage sioiie by deer and birds is con- [ '■ siderable. It was stated the other day j ■ that deer were getting m> numerous in I , j tho South Island that the Government ; j might have to go to the trouble and \ ' J expense of weeding them out. Now I I that pheasants have proved disappointi I ing. the Auckland Acclimatisation I . j Society has decided to breed Virginian i quail. We ■'. ,-uld say there were quite ' J enough quail in the country as if i>, ■ and it would be interentiiif; to have i J opinions from farmers on this new . I game-roaring scheme.