Golf and tennis differ from baseball and football in being not only possible but pleasant and profitable when only two, or in the case of golf, only one player is present. Moreover, they are played almost entirely for the fun of the game and for exercise and recreation rather than as something to be watched by spectators. To a considerable degree they are sports of the well-to-do, for compared with the number of players, it is far more expensive to maintain a tennis court and especially a golf course than a field for baseball or football. They are likewise the sports of the suburbs of cities. Near Philadelphia, for example, there are between thirty and forty golf courses. Golf and tennis as well as baseball and football are very common in the north eastern quarter of the United States, but in proportion to the popula tion they are especially well developed on the Pacific coast, where the climate of California is particularly well adapted to outdoor sports at all seasons. It might be supposed that the mild winter climate of the South would favor these sports, but as a matter of fact most sports are relatively much more highly developed in northern than southern communities.
B. Snow-shoeing, Skating, Skiing, and Coasting.—These are old sports, some of which show an interesting new development. Under natural conditions they are of course possible only in the north and even there only in cold weather. So popular and so healthful are they, however, that in recent decades not only have they become the great attraction of many winter resorts in places like the Adirondacks, the White Mountains, and the province of Quebec, but artificial skating rinks and toboggan slides are sometimes maintained in cities; and people pay liberally in order that the skating season, for example, may be prolonged. These winter sports are at their best in glaciated regions like New England, northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, and eastern Canada, for there not only are lakes numerous but the topography is usually rugged enough to provide slopes for coasting and skiing.
. C. Hunting and Fishing.—Closely connected with the winter sports are those of hunting and fishing. Among sparsely settled mountains and in the glaciated parts of the country from New England to Michi gan and in the great northern forests of Canada they are especially important as a source of income for guides, hotel-keepers, and others. In 1921, even such a populous and largely level state as New Jersey issued 146,000 licenses for hunting and fishing to residents and over 7000 to non-residents. In Michigan, 55,000 fishing licenses were issued to non-residents, while in California 145,000 fishing licenses were issued in 1919, and 220,000 hunting licenses in 1920. It is claimed
that in that state in 1920, the hunters and anglers alone spent about $20,000,000 in the pursuit of fish and game. In New England, Florida, and California salt-water fishing is an important sport as well as a business.
D. Nature Study and Photography.—A large number of people hunt and fish, not because they have any particular love of killing, but because they want some incentive to take them out into the woods and hills. In the last generation or two there has been a great growth in other incentives to active outdoor exercise. With some people this takes the form of botanizing. They find infinite delight in collecting as many kinds of flowers as possible, and especially in finding rare vari eties, early blossoms, or plants that grow in unusual surroundings. To others an equal source of pleasure is found in the study of insects, animals, and especially the varied and fascinating birds. Not only is the beauty of the birds a great attraction, but their numbers, their almost constant presence and yet their elusiveness, and the delight of hearing their songs, finding their nests, and watching their young, make " birding " one of the most delightful recreations. Formerly people thought that they had to kill the animals and pick the flowers in order to enjoy them. Today, we are learning that studying the habits of living creatures and engaging in the art of photographing them gives far greater satisfaction than mere killing. Moreover, it often takes far more skill to get a photograph of a wild animal, or of a bird on.the nest than to collect a skin or some eggs. A photograph of a beautiful bit of vegetation needs most careful study if one is to get it from the right angle and with the right light.
The business aspect of all these pursuits is important. For example, the National Forests, National Parks, and National Monuments, with their millions of acres, are as useful for recreation as for lumber. The advisability of having certain places where plants and animals can live absolutely undisturbed and where everyone can observe their habits without interference from lumbermen, trappers, forest fire, or other outside agencies has led the Ecological Society of America to carry on an active campaign to secure the preservation of certain specially guarded tracts in each state in their primitive condition. This wide spread use of the land for recreation is in itself an important element in business, as is the demand for cameras, films, camp equipment, and proper clothing for the woods.