116 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



&8tf §n!twte. 



This Journal is the Official Organ of the Fish Cultur- 

 ists' Association. 



Tee U. Si FjShhrx Commission. — The season's work of 

 the Fish Commission parly atNoaukhasjust come to a very 

 satisfactory close. The steamer Bluelight has gone out of 

 commission and is laid up for the winter at the New 

 London Naval Station. Prof. Baird will spend a month at 

 various points on the coast, looking into the condition of 

 the fisheries and taking the statements of the fishermen re- 

 lative to the results of their season's work, but the members 

 of the party have, most of them, returned to their homes. 

 The results of the campaign have been quite equal to those 

 of any previous year, and will, we trust, soon be brought 

 before the, world in tangible shape. 



- *»♦ 



Dkstkuctton ok Fish cn the Connecticut River. — 

 We may well despair of ever restocking our streams with 

 fish, and consider the money appropriations of the States 

 and General Government as utterly wasted, if mill owners 

 are to so wantonly disregard the public interests and the 

 efforts that are being made, as to deliberately pollute the 

 waters in which the fish swim. A case in point is thus re- 

 ferred to in the Rutland (Vermont) Herald, of Sept. 22d: 



lu t lie early summer the fish commissioners placed a large 

 quantity of young salmon in the Connecticut river ut Bel- 

 lows Falls." A gentleman of experience in fish culture 

 sends us the following account of what he saw there re- 

 cently. He says: "We observed a strange discoloration of 

 the Connecticut river for more than half a mile below the 

 mills. Thinking that the matter would bear investigation, 

 we proceeded toward thf river, before reaching which we 

 made inqmrifcs is regard to it, and were told that the Fall 

 Mountain Paper Company had dumped their chloride of 

 lime box into the race. "We proceeded to the race, and 

 found the water therein about the consistency and color 

 of a tub of half-settled whitewash. Several fish were seen 

 rising to the surface in the same manner that fish will do 

 aftefpartaking too freely of coculus indicus. We were, 

 however, much pleased bn receiving information from a 

 gentleman present that they would all recover. We did 

 not see, but were told by reliable parties that eels were 

 seen in the same condition. We trust that they are by 

 this time convalescent, and also that it will have a beneficial 

 effect i ii the hundreds of thousands of young shad and 

 salmon which have reel ntly been placed in the river by the 

 commissioners M fisheries." We had heard something of 

 this before, and hope the fish commissioners will, now their 

 at teulion has been called to the subject, take some action to 

 prevent the destruction of these salmon and shad. 



-*••»• 



PROGRESS OF FISH CULTURE IN ILLI- 

 NOIS. 



HKBTCHU OF THE STATU FISH cneTUBISTs' ASSOCIATION. 



Edithh Fuiiest axd Stream:— 



•The millsof ihe gods grind exceedingly slow, bnt fine," While near- 

 ly ev u ry Suite ol the Union has an efficient Fish Commission, and laws 

 for the protection or fish, Illinois is far in the background in this great 

 and Important subject. Save what the writer o[ this article and Dr. W. 

 A, Pratt, or Elgin, til., have done in the field, few kindly utterances have 

 been made in behalf of this Industry. Six months ago a few benevolent 

 gentlemen united in a call for a Slate Association, which met in Elgin, 

 and '■The Illinois State Fish t'ulturists' Association" has grown out of 

 thatmoveuitm. Tin: FOBSSr a so Stuf.oi i.-.ii.li-Leil the minutes or 

 that meeting. On Thursday .-- i 9 ;..:■: l"th, the first semi- 



annual meeting was held in i'emhi. 111., during Fair week, and ihe meet- 

 ing proved an interesting and profitable nuefor the association. Several 

 influential men were made member--. The following proceedings or the 

 meeting may not be without interest to the numerous readers of your ex- 

 cellent journal: 



K. K. Jones, of Qnincy, in the chair. The proceedings of the last 

 meeting wen read <■: <'■■•■ -"i-i eiarj, . S. E. Ballon, of Sandwich, and 

 adopied. SeVBtal of the citizens of Peoria joined the society. 



Dr. 1 of Elgin, called for the report of Ihe committee appointed to 



draft a law to - : • sen! 1 1 the next Legislature for the protection of 

 the food fish in toe Illinois Itiver. 



Mr. Ballon, chairman of the committee, reported progress, but said the 

 committee bud not completed the draft. 



it was moved that the report of the committee, be received and the 

 committee discharged. Carried. 



It h.hs moved that Dr. Ballon and Dr. Pratt lie directed to draft a law 

 toi the protection of food adieu, with power to act in the whole matter. 

 Patriae!. 



A general discussion took place upon the subject of fish culture by the 

 members present. 



Dr. Ballou stated that the food fishes of the Illinois Kiver were excel- 

 lent, and that i.hej ought to be protected, so that they migbt be made val- 

 uable as one of the food resources of the State. He denounced the pres- 

 ent methods of capturing fish a; execrable. There ought to be an effi- 

 cient law to regelate the taking of flah. He referred to the condition of 

 the fifth at our I'eoria fish-bout s-a mass of dead and decaying fish;con- 

 : - lie wondered how the people of 



Peoria. could consent to eat hsb thus treated. There ought to be a law 

 regulating the time when rish should not. be taken. The black bass should 

 not be taken taring the spawning season ; they were then unfit for food. 

 There were in the Illinois itiver many varieties of good Bab. 



Dr. Pratt, of Elgin, said that we could all fish with a hook aud line, and 

 that in the spawning season fish wonl risi to a bait. Therefore, in 



.nli -.i hook ana line, we. cun be sure that we can eatch only 



benlthv fish. 



K. Ii. ilones ; ■:: i-- • '■■''<• Dr Pratt, ami said he had caught fish ont 

 of lus pond with a hook and line while full of spawn. 



Dr. Pruii insisted, and ni'-nfioiied the wall- eyed pike or jack salmon, 

 Which Would bite "■•- ' " mm* The Doctor said that, the 



on r noil d better wa'erithau most any other fish. The pickerel was 



P ShtohlBl se 



K. K. Jones said tuny person who had water to water his horse had' a 



.,. ii i; i ind croppies would thrive anywhere. The 



brook hour, in poo? water, would deteriorate. The rule is, the better the 

 Wilier the better the fish. 



Dr. Ballon offered ihe following |iesolution, which was unanimously 

 adopted : 



Whereas, The State Board of Agriculture, having generously appro- 

 priined suilici.-ut iiioiiev to oroifci mi e.,hit,iti»n of trout, salmon, and 

 -i, - i - ,,'.. i- si their annual fair, therefore 



;. i ' . i Uliuois State Fish CulturiBE' Association, on ac- 



count of ui- ■ ■ i ; , endol ■ thanks for the aid received 



' ' ".-in ,:' n 



n . ,.:.o;i .hied jt- n.Mi^eini-annual.convention at^Peoria, on 



■ 1 1 1 t Thursday of May next. 



A committee consisting nr R. K. .Tones, of (Jiilncy, N E. Ballon, of 

 Sandwich, and E. Emery, of Peoria, were, appointed to prepare a pro- 

 gramme and procure essays at the next convention. 



Dr. PrAtt, of Elgin, was requested to prepare 8 paper ill regard W Fall- 

 spawning fish- - 



The meeting then adjourned. 



It is proposed to constitute a Fish Commission, and to procure laws 

 for the protection of fish, for out suite lu- sadly ncJ.vV.I this feature 

 of State legislation. We have at least, a half million acres of water area, 

 and every means should he used to make it valuable as a source of food. 

 N. E. Ballou, Secretory. 



^fatotyi. 



Stuanuk Incident in Fish Life. — Our correspondent 

 J. L., of Galveston, who contributes frequent notes upon 

 the sports of Texas, has sent us au account of a yachting 

 and fishing cruise in the western bay (Galveston,) in the 

 course of which he mentions having captured a large sting- 

 ray, or stingaree, three feet wide, with a. tail five feet long. 

 It required the strength of several of the party to bring 

 him to beach. But the most remarkable part of the 

 incident lies in the fact that the monster, after be- 

 ing landed, gave birth to three little ones, each four 

 inches in diameter, with tails five inches long. The 

 little ones, he says, upon being thrown into the water, 

 swam away as if they had always been accustomed to the 

 brine. A description of this singular parturition would 

 prove extremely interesting. 



.*♦*- 



*• The Destruction of Buffalo. — Itis estimated that the 

 "hide hunters" of Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Southern 

 Nebraska kill 50,000 each year for the skins alone; that 

 the Indians kill three times that number, and that per- 

 haps 10,000 more are killed by sportsmen and those 

 pioneers who depend on buffalo for their winter meat; thus 

 we have the enormous figure of 210,000 as the annual 

 slaughter. But this even will not represent the grand total, 

 for many calves are captured to be sold to menageries, 

 museums, and to private gentlemen who desire such pets. 

 I cannot approach a summary of the latter, but I think that 

 from five to ten thousand would be an approximate estimate, 

 though a low one. 1 have known instances where a hun- 

 dred of these creatures were caught in a day by being run 

 down, and not more than one-tenth were alive the next, 

 for, though apparently strong, they cannot endure much 

 hardship. By giving the figures in round numbers, we 

 may estimate"! hat a quarter of a million bison aTe destroyed 

 annually, — Correspondence of Ihe New York Times. 



— Dr. La Conte, the distinguished naturalist, of this city, 

 has Tead a paper before the Ameiican Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, in which he recounts the experi- 

 ence of Philadelphia in its efforts to get rid of "measuring 

 worms" by the introduction of town "sparrows. A descrip- 

 tion of this worm, and of the white moth into watch it de- 

 velops, is scarcely necessary here, as its appearance and 

 characteristics are well known. The town sparrows brought 

 from England soon put an end to the "measuring worm," 

 and restored to the freest the power to retain the green leaves 

 put forth in spring. But soon after this had been done 

 another pest appeared, which is becoming, in its turn, a 

 great nuisance, although it is not as annoyiug and disgust- 

 intr to pedestrians as its gymnastic predecessor. This is a 

 slender caterpillar, covered with stiff yellow and black hair, 

 with tufts of much longer hair. The sparrows decline to 

 eat it. not because their tastes have been pampered by other 

 food, but because they cannot, on account of the worm's 

 hairy covering. Fortunately, however, the structure and 

 habits of the caterpillar and the "measuring worm" are so 

 different that the means which failed to exterminate the 

 latter will he found efficient if used against the new pest. 

 The wings of the female moth of the caterpillar remain 

 abortive, and she is obliged to crawl up the trees to deposit 

 her eggs. If the cocoons in which the larv* are developed 

 into moths be destroyed, and girdles of tar or some similar 

 substance be put around the trees, the propagation of the 

 caterpillar will be prevented. The same remedy failed 

 against the female moth of the "measuring worm," because 

 its wings were fitted for flight, but with the sparrows to pre- 

 vent the continuance of "measuring worms," and some 

 such means as above described used against the caterpillars, 

 both pests may be removed from city shrubbery and shade- 

 trees.— Public Ledger'. 



— Buffon, the great French naturalist, becomes quite en- 

 thusiastic in his description of the humming bird. "Of all 

 animated beings," he says, "the humming bird is the most 

 elegant in form and splendid in coloring. Precious stones 

 and metals, artificially polished, can never be compared to 

 this jewel of nature. The emerald, ruby, and topaz sparkle 

 in its plumage, which is never soiled by the dust of the 

 ground; for, its whole life being aerial, it rarely lights on 

 the turf. It dwells in the air, and flitting from flower to 

 flower, it seems to be itself a flower in its freshness and 

 splendor." 



—The Salem (Mass,) Register, makes mention of a canary 

 bird in that city which has laid thirty-four eggs since Jan- 

 uary, 1874, fifteeu of which hatched out, thirteen of them 

 still living, and seven of the thirteen singers. She is now 

 setting on six eggs. 



•»•■»- 



DO PINNATED GROUSE REMAIN IN 

 "PACKS" ALL THE SEASON? 



Editor Forest akd Stream:— 



In reply to yonr Philadelphia correspondent in Pokes* antj Stream 

 of September 10th, who asks yon why less shot should be used for pin- 

 nated grouse shootiug than for ruffed grouse, in the course of your ex- 

 planations you state: "Pinnated grouse, at the beginning of the seasou, 



sav August 20th, are mostly in pacts," &c. Ac., and then c IB: In 



a week or so, when the pack or brood disperse, eaeh seeking Us own live- 

 lihood," &e. Now I cannot, see how any naturalist, or sportsman who 

 has ever shot this bird can agree with yon, for pinnated grouse are. known 



l.i keep together in coveys or packs (as the phrase is) until to 



ing season^ and do not, disperse in a week or two, as you say, to seek 

 their own livelihood. On the contrary, two packs often run together, 

 and 1 have known a hundred and more "chickens" to have been seen in 

 one gathering, composed, no doubt, of a number of broods. The broods 

 or packs never disband until the muting season the following spring, and 

 in this respect resemble a covey of quail. .Sometimes a single prairie 

 chicken Is pnt up without companions, bnl it la generally an old cock 



—As Charles E. Thompson, who resides on West, street, 

 Concord, N, H., was engaged in digging up an old fence 

 post-one Spring day, lie discovered a settlement of toads 

 under the post, of all sizes -from a ten cent piece, to a full 

 grown garden toad, and in such abundance that he con- 

 cluded to gather them in a pail, and did not stop until one 

 hundred and forty-two live ones had been collected. 



CENTRAL PARK MENAGERIE. 



Department op Ptint.io Pahks, I 

 New York, Sept. 87, 1874. f 

 Animals received at Central Park Menagerie for the week ending 

 September 2t;tli, 1874: 



Two Sparrow Hawks, J<;,!«, xpararlvs Presented by Miss Emily 

 Avraull. 

 One Tiaceoon. Prmuoo lotor. Presented by Mr. Henry Si Bavemeycr. 

 One Rattlesnake, Crolir'i,. flurtest®. Presented by Mr. Julius Arnold. 

 W. A. C 



foadlnnd, ]j£iwn md <§<irdm. 



A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN. 



IN OCTOBER PREPARE FOR APRIL AND MAY. 



AS April and May are the months in which you are to 

 plant out many of your choice seeds, you can, at 

 the time you make your flower seed beds, lay out and ar- 

 range, either in spring or fall, a circle for the display gar- 

 den or decorative mosaic upon the green lawn in front of 

 your windows. In order to have a fine show of herbaceous 

 flowers, yon will prepare your ground for the reception of 

 the same by the selection of the best combinations of 

 colors. First strike your circle; let it be twelve feet in 

 diameter, and raise the earth in the ccntrec point eighteen 

 inches higher than at the edge next the grass. This should 

 present the appearance of a watch crystal when well dug, 

 manured, and carefully and smoothly raked off. It is now 

 ready to plant with your choicest specimens of herbaceous 

 plants, which you will procure whenever you can. _ For 

 your centre you can suit your own taste. You will at 

 once see what flowers harmonize in color i f you have a good 

 eye. Many persons have not a good eye for colors, hut 

 are what is termed "color blinds* they confound one color 

 with another, and thereby make*had mistakes in the ar- 

 rangement of flowers. 



Having prepared your circle as above named, you can 

 commence in the centre with your embellishments. Here, 

 if you choose, if you have water from public pipes, or an 

 elevated source, you can attach a small quarter inch lead 

 pipe, and sink the same about one foot beneath the sur- 

 face, so that it will not freeze in winter, as you will shut 

 off by a cock the water from your main supply. Run this 

 pipe tinder the soil, and make its termination in the centre 

 of this mound, precisely as you would for a fountain, as it 

 is a small fountain to a certain extent, and bo designed to 

 be used. This is necessary to be done at this stage of pro- 

 ceedings, as it can be made at a very trifling cost, and you 

 can assure yourself that no more graceful or beautiful gar- 

 den arrangement can be had than this will afford. I have 

 such an arrangement attached to a fernery in my own 

 grounds, where I can so adjust the quantity of water as to 

 run only a barrel during the twenty-four hours. 



Having thus arranged with or without water, your plot 

 or circle, I will give you some suggestions of my own for 

 laying it out, which 1 have frequently adopted with pleas- 

 ing variations, as circumstances made it necessary. Under 

 the most favorable circumstances you will find yourself 

 lacking this or that plant or shrub. Now don't fret; about 

 it, or waste unnecessary time over it, but get the next best 

 plant, set it out, and wait until you find the plant you wish 

 for, and then replace the one first planted. I rather pre- 

 fer to "change base" sometimes, and professionally I am 

 often compelled to do so. One will be truly astonished to 

 behold the pleasing results arising from what after all is a 

 harmonious combination of particular plants, and their de- 

 velopment of color. To understand my idea, you will call 

 to mind the wonderful combination produced by the cul- 

 tured landscape gardener in what is known under the fa- 

 miliar name of ribbon gardening. One single row of china 

 asters are of a deep purple, the next may be a pure white, 

 a third scarlet, then an almost infinite variety may be 

 added. You have seen one stately aster, with its dozen 

 fine blossoms, giving you the perfection of plant growing. 

 The association of numbers in an extended line gives you 

 the ribbon style of gardening, on which I shall in future 

 give you a full practical paper. 



If you have no water to use, or only such as you give 

 through the watering pot, you will find" the following selec- 

 tion, with the necessary variations you will have to make, 

 probably as good as you can select. Herbaceous plants, 

 you have heretofore been told, are many of them very 

 beautiful, and quite readily adapt themselves to the place 

 assigned them in the garden. The system known as the 

 "modern bedding system," whereby many of our old, well 

 known herbaceous plants are less used than formerly, gives 

 us a very great advantage in the arrangement and use ot 

 new garden materials. ~ The first plants we would use in 

 the centre of our circle would be a very fine Specimen of 

 Qyrmtem argmteum, or pampas grass, a very fine, rapidly 

 growing grass in warm localities, but not well adapted to 

 our more Northern Suites. If this grass would stand our 

 winters it would be considered one ol the most valuable 

 acquisitions to our Northern gardens. The best we can do 

 with it is to plant in a goodly sized tub, house it during the 

 winter, and subject it to a gentle heat in the early spring, 

 before'placing 'it out of doors. It deserves all this care. 

 You can obtain extra strong plants of this in the spring by 

 the above process, and with early planting and extra care 

 may see a tall, beautiful centre piece in your garden. If 

 all our New England subscribers are not willing to encoun- 

 ter these risks, we advise them to choose some other plant 

 i ",-- . , iir-e The F.rianHata may be chosen; this is a beau- 

 tiful grass, and perfectly hardy. The leaves are narrow 

 rowing to four feet in length, and of a partially 

 drooping habit. The Bower stalks are numerous, feathery 

 head and always agreeable. It may be planted either in 

 the spring or aulttmu. You can next plant, say three and 

 one half feet from centre plant (which, if you have no 

 water, will be the mriatdhm, and if you have water the cal- 

 ladium or canua), the Tritmaa vmria. The effect ot the 

 contrasting fountain shaped leaves of the pampas grass, 

 and the oorgeous scarlet flowers of the TrUonin, must be 

 seen to be fully appreciated. Between the space left by 



