298 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



private mans-ion ntltiverview. twill send lo yoiu office nil Information 

 necessary, so that due Inquiries and nrraiieemeute can be rattde, 

 "Houi"," take notice! 



-'•■tun and party returned from their Intnl. in the Indian coun- 

 try with satisfactory results. Thoir trip win prerty much over the <jmo 

 mute a- that of tin* tri-h teinn, somewhat extended. The aited war 

 chief, Gen. S., bagged live doer, one b^ar, and one opossum, saying noth- 

 ing of Ihe feathered game. At his bountiful Bible I had a taste ol bis 

 venison and opossum, thongta the latter srum-u-ed yerj tench nf pis; but 

 pig or possum, in the confusion of lOng«e», Madame Clioiiol, the reumm 

 lady who presides over the wine prow, is alone responsible for the true 

 discrimination, and With her I will le' it rest. The unbounded hdspi 

 talk, of the General is proverbial, which marks the true Southern gfn- 

 tlnnnn, "all of the olden time." He is not of those doughty families 

 hugging old nragty quarrel* to their hearts, bnffetfog eacli other from 

 generation to «i iteration, btfl Is extremely liberal In lii- »Ie\v», Adhering 

 to ail Oat is good and ennobling in hfe Sot herl n nns, lie opens 



bis heart and home to hosts of Wends that his congeniality has drawn 

 ■ lid ' mi- Besides, he is a crack sportsman with his famous title, 

 •Killdeer," which, if any or you should wish to examine, lie would be 

 happy to show up its points on call. 



Of bis kennel lie docs not have much to say. and neither could I inter- 

 est the sportsman to run their pedigree, other lhau to say their ancestry 

 were of the high altitude of the Alps, and their coursing noted only for 

 their rim after beer. His excellent stud is famous throughout the V. est, 

 as well as his tattle, sheen, and hogs, and his extensive farm a model for 



the gentleman fanner. It is lonci-ii . I miles out. ol IJulur-.y. to 



the Eastward, and where a gathering ol the clan Is often made on many 

 festive occasions. B. 



gen and giver S isn "(S- 



FISH IN SEASON IN DECEMBER. 



Striped Bass, lioccasUneatm. Weakllah. 



soimtF.nx watch*. 

 Pompano. Trout (black l>a->st. Sjiaep»liBtuit, 



Snapper. Drum (two species). Tail .rllsb, 



i . Mini Klllgflsh. Sea llitss. 



Kocktisli. Striped Bass. 



Fisu is M.AitKET. — Codfish is abundant, owing to the 

 large catches made within tlte hist week off the Jereej 

 shore. Price, eight to ten cents per pound. Bine lislt 

 from the South, but principally Norfolk, Va., is profuse 

 at ten cento per pound. A small catch of mackerel hits 

 been made during the last week, but not enough to reduce 

 the price, as it now brings twenty-two cents, or an iiierea.se 

 of two cents per pound, since last report. AVhiletish is 

 scarce at eighteen cents, but while perch is abundant 

 enough at fifteen cents per pound. Sniped buss has been 

 very rare tit from twenty to twenty-five cents per pound. 

 One caught last week off Long Island weighed sixty-four 

 pounds*. Smelts are still coining in abundantly, so they 

 Bell now at twenty cents per pound. These tire caught off 

 Ihe Maine Coast, at present. The only unusual fishes in 

 market are the ceres, a denizen of the Florida waters, and 

 a few Spanish maeketel. The former bring eighteen cents 

 per pound. Green turtles, weighing from twenty lo loO 

 pounds, are coming from Georgia and other Southern 

 States, so that they are now so common that they sell at 

 frem eighteen to twenty cents per pound, according to size, 

 the smaller bringing the highest price. Hani crabs are 

 plentiful at $3 50 per hundred. Lobsters from Massachu- 

 setts are abundant enough to supply the demand, which is 

 not large. One on Mr. Blackford's stand weighed ten 

 pounds. Price, ten cents per pound. 



—Our esteemed correspondent, F. C. Field, Esq , of this 

 city, has shown us two roils of exquisite finish and appar- 

 ent excellence of quality, manufactured by Mr. Crook, of 

 Fulton street. One is a black bass rod, of ash and green- 

 heart, and the other a natural bamboo, with Iancewood 

 tips. 1 he mountings aro superb ou each. Indeed, the 

 order lo the maker was without limit, as to price. Thai 

 One in which we were most interested was a fly rod 

 of extra length, representing just what, we have often 

 thought would be most .serviceable in Kangeicy, Grand 

 Lake, and Nepignn waters. It is less than a salmon rod, 

 arid inure than a trout rod, as lo length and weight, while 

 it-, quality as.a lly tosser would unquestionably stand the 

 most, critical test. The bass rod, we think, would certainly 

 pass muster before our Western anglers. We have had 

 several opinions expressed of late in these columns r.s to 

 what constitutes " a good bass rod," and believe that this 

 rod would cover the most reasonable of them all. 



—A fine display of fish was made at the Halifax market 

 last week. Cod and pollock were abundant, and some tine 

 salmon were offered at forty cents per pound. 



— A cargo of 419 stripped bass, one of which weighed 

 more than fifty pounds, was brought into New London, 

 Conn., by an old fisherman a few days since. One hun- 

 dred and eighty-five of them were caught with a hook and 

 line in three hours. 



This Latest Fis;i Story.— A Southern exchange tells of 

 a Methodist divine of Ala.puha, Ala,, who recently. caught 

 i n hat hail swallowed a juvenile alligator. 



—The Philadelphia Star says:— 



"Somebody would do trout fishing correspondents a 

 great favor by inventing some other poetic designation for 

 their favorite fish tbau "speckled beauties." It has been 

 worn threadbare." 



Well; why not" call them "trout" for short? 



—At a meeting of the Great Falls Fishing Club, of Wash- 

 ington, D. O, the following gentlemen were electetl of- 

 ficers: Mr. Conrad Eber, President : .Mr. L. Oppenheimer, 

 Vice President: Mr. Theo. Firebus, Secretary; Mr. B. 

 Brercton, Treasurer, and Messrs. Oppenheimer, Sloatt and 

 Seheilly, were appointed Executive Committee. 



■»♦*■ 



THE PERFECT BASS ROD 



St. Louts, December 3, 1874. 

 EniTon FortEST and Stream:— 



By some unaccountable oversight t did not read yonr remark? on liass 

 roils in the number for November Slith, until my attention was specially 

 colled to it to-day. You any truly " there is something in knowing jttsc 



what a good bass red is," anil then, pardon me. go on to show that yonr 

 '•having" in that knowledge la indeed "a younger brother's portion." 

 The perfBOt Mack bass rod is in three pieces of live feet each, the but 

 and second joint of natural Japanese bamboo, cut from near the top end, 

 nnd of line taper, tile tip (five feet lpng) of rent, and glued Malacca cane. 

 IhfllOWer Ideeeu should be thoroughly saturated with boiled linseed oil 

 before ilnl-hlng. and then varnished with shellac, and the three pieces 

 shoiM he joined with ordinary Gorman silver ferules, and provided with 

 hlahly polished standing guide* The tip should be of a strength and 

 taper about half way between [lie best split bamboo salmon rods, and the 

 common eight ounce, single hand, split bamboo trout rods. 



Thus far I shall have the hearty concurrence of all true anglers for 

 ,...../. black ba-oj; but when I announce my preference for a large 



"Merle mil M.lbr.Mi reel WW I ikt i Issue « lth mo— they casting In the man- 

 ner .1 stripe. I hiss anglers, while 1 cast everything, minnows, crawfish, 

 Simons and Hie-, by d neing Brat the line I wish to use, lifting it from 

 Ihe water, swinging itgiralgl it behind mo, and then launching it lightly 

 forward. 



I um tempted to use some very hnrsh expressions regarding those 

 Eisleru sportsmen (?) who,' "having hooked their llsh (bass), drop the 

 red and draw in on the line, hand over hand," What you would think 

 ora sinner who should haul a speckled trout in "Hand over h ind" that 

 d i I think ol fti y soulless pot hnuter, such as alone cnuld be guilty of 



I feel a sense of personal injury in such unfeeling treatment of a noble 

 gameflsll. Because you !ove your spaniel, therefore, (if for no other 

 reason) yon would refrain from kicking my hound, would you not? and 

 In common reciprocity of respect, while we concede the Supremacy of 

 brook trout, let Eastern sportsmen refrain from hauling black bass In 

 "hand over hand." Gasconade, 



"»•*■ 



St. Louis, Dec. 0, 187-1. 

 Editou FOltEsr and Stream :— 



I fl 111 try to reply brietly '0 the iuterrogatoiy of Z. A. L., Colon, Mich 

 who desires Information of "the gome birds, animals and wild fowl of 

 the Gttsconade." Premising that I inn not a gunner, but derive my in- 

 formation from friends who have hunted tbeie, and from the "natives," 

 all good rille shots, 1 will say that quail are very plentiful along 



ihe ( 



valle; 



eof r 



hardly know what would be considered good duck shooting, but am im- 

 pressed with the conviction thai a fair abundance of them may be found 

 there. Squirrels are, along the valley where it is wide enough for farms, 

 surpiisiugly numerous. The great game attraction, however, of the 

 .. imtiflt] I btatk range, and especially of the Gasconade region, is deer; 

 these with wild turkeys, are easily found in great numbers by even inex- 

 perienced hunters. The week before last Mr. Iiolton, as a mere incident 

 of a fishing trip lo the Boiling Springs, shot two deer.four turkeys and an 

 avrag.' of fifteen brace. of quail per day— this within sight of his camp, 

 and only with the object of art ling to his larder. The game market of 

 St. Louis is conceded to be the cheapest and best in the United States, 

 and is .-upplie 1 with larger game chiefly from the Ozark Mountains. 



If Z. A L wishes to try it, let him disembark from the A. &. I'. E. R. 

 at Jerume and look up 'It nice U irris or old man Rutherford, who will 

 give him a 1 local information, Smith, fifteen miles above Arlington, has 

 u good pack of deer hounds, knows all the runways, and is u good 



mper 



All hough nol 

 set in. splendid 

 ItwiUbereme: 

 amy be im Igil 



ol the i»-<i ol t 



that of the rm 



dition, which m ly be t iken in almost any quantity with the live 



T. ii. A. and Keltou intend to hunt there during Christmas week, and 

 I will report the trip for the further information of Z. A. L. 



Gasconade. 



/i to the inquiry, 1 add that, since cold weather has 

 elieve unique sport, may be hud at Boiling Springs. 

 tint- iu a former letter I described the place. They 

 u 1 say brietly, that it is the irruption of a river out 

 The water of the springs being now wanner than 

 with large and game, blaely bass in splendid con- 



TO SOFTEN LEATHER. 



New Yduk, December 7, 187-1. 



l>i> 



t I<o 



) STl 



"W. K. P." asks what he can do to render 

 stiff and warped from wotting, soft and 



In a late issm- of your pi 

 a sole leather gun case tha 

 pliable. 



Answer: Soak it in water until it. is wetted through, hang it up. 

 mouth downwards, for two or three hours; then by stretching it over a 

 '•hay fork handle or round, straight, stick," whip it into shape; next 

 pour into the case as ranch castor oil as is necessary to thoroughly cover 

 or grease the inside of the case, and apply the oil to the outside as often 



as long as the leather will absorb it; dry in the sun, or a warm room, 



occasionally rubbing ami bending the case with the hands. After this 

 treatment it will be more soft and pliable than when first made. 



for years I have treated my fishing shoes, whicii are made of heavy 

 French kip. alter eacli bout, and « bile wet. to a large dose of castor oil, 

 and by that means keep then, soft and pliable, rendering them less liable 

 to rot, and much more durable. Anglers ivho wade the stream, if they 

 have not tried the expedient would do well to try It. Never suffer the 

 shoes to dry after wetting, beforo they are thoroughly oiled, soles, as well 

 as uppers, with castor oi l. Tftex, 



§nchtin$ unci goiifiiig. 



All CQptmunicaiions from Secretaries and frieitdt should be mailed, no 

 tuler than Monday la each week. 



HIGH WATER. FOR THE WEEK. 



licle. 



Boston. 



Kew York. 



Charleston . 





II. M. 



It. M. 



it. u . 





5 U 



2 30 



: 12 





b 3» 



3 86 



1 ".!' 



Dec.lt. 



7 40 



4 25 



3 40 





S It 







Uec. 21 



9 43 



ti 38 



5 42 



Dec. H - 



}j -12 



7 2« 



6 42 



Dcc.SM 



11 3S 



8 20 



7 S8 



Bishop's Canob Voyage.— This intrepid and persistent 

 voyage( has written OS A note in lead pencil, dated at the 

 head of Currituck Sound, ou tiie North Carolina line, 

 where he has been driven bv stress of weather, away Up 

 among the marshes. He says his hands are much swollen, 

 as helms had the misfortune to break his row-lock, lie 

 writes: "As my row-lock is broken, 1 must wait until 

 night, when the strong northerly wind will go down, and 

 then 1 can paddle to a blacksmith's shop, if one is to be 

 found within ten or fifteen miles of camp. I will mail this 

 at first opportunity. 1 hop.; to reach Newbera, N. C, in 

 about ten days." 



— Mr. Prank Itees, ihe Captain of the Columbia. Col- 

 lege CteW, has received notice of the postponement ol the 

 Intercolle: ate Boating G:.EV2nfott whrgh wits t: have 

 liuen held at Hartford on Wednesday until next. January. 

 .1. K. Bees, the President of the club, and Edward S. Ka- 

 palloarethe delegates elected by Columbia ^to attend the 

 convention, and they have been in8tmeted£to cast their 



vote for Saratoga as the place for holding the next college 

 regatta. The plans for the new boat-house on the Tiarlem 

 River have been adopted by the Columbia Club, and il is 

 expected that it will be finished in time for next year's crew. 

 It will he one of the finest boat-houses in the counltv. The 

 cost will be about $10,000, half of which has been col- 

 lected. 



— The eighteenth aunual meeting of the Waverlev Club 

 was held on the 8lhinst. at the Knickerbocker Cottage, Sixth 

 avenue and Twenty-eighth street.. The following gentle- 

 men compose the' hoard of officers for the ensuing year : 

 President, Doctor Walter Al. Fleming; Secretary", Win. 

 II. Innett ; Treasurer, John Stout ; Captain, William K. 

 Williamson; K?corder, Benjamin F. Brady; Trttsiecs, 

 John O'Neil, Benjamin P. Brady and William Marriner. 

 The Waverley Club has for many years been known as one 

 of the best of our rowing organizations, and with but two 

 exceptions is the oldest boat-club in the United States. 

 The members have always confined tlieiiisel.es to 

 pleasure rowing, and their log-book contains the record of 

 many notable events, more particularly their famous trip 

 to the beautiful Lake Mohopac, and their many/ete* on the 

 Russian nnd French men-of-war visiting our harbor. Re- 

 cently a disposition litis manifested itself in the club to 

 send out one or more racing crews to engage in the princi- 

 pal regattas of the season of 1875, and everything looks 

 favorably to that end. 



—The copper sheathing of two royal English yachts was 

 covered in Ihe Fall of the year, by order of the Admiralty, 

 with "Jesly's Anti-Fouliiig Composition," and after re- 

 maining moored in the harbor, until the end of the follow- 

 ing April, they were found as free from algae and other de- 

 posits as when first coated, except in very small patches 

 near the rudder. This should be employed on our own 

 yachts if we would prevent the annoyance so common to 

 them, and which often proves detrimental to their sailing 

 powers. 



—The pilots of the Sylvan Glen and Harlem, two rival 

 boats on the East River, have been censured for their racing 

 raid colliding proclivities by the United States Inspectors-, 

 but any cases of the same "sort will in the future receive 

 the full penalty of the law. 



—Canoe clubs are increasing rapidly in England. It set n a 

 to us that this cheap and pleasant mode of aquatic exercise 

 ought to be popular here. 



—Brown and Sadler are expected to row somewhere in 

 Ireland early next Summer. 



♦•♦- 



BOATING AT CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 



Acorrespondent of the Magenta, writing from Cam- 

 bridge University, England, gives the following gossipy- 

 sketch of how they select crows there for the great col- 

 lege regattas : 



" Harvard seems at last lo have awakened to the fact 

 that if she wishes to retain the high placeamong American 

 colleges which is her's traditionally, she must exert herself 

 to secure the best possible training for the men wiio row her 

 boat. 



Another and perhaps the most important step towards 

 the selection o£ the 'Varsity crew at Cambridge, is the 

 "Trial Eights." Substitute the word " Sixes," and it be- 

 comes applicable to Harvard as well as to Oxford and Cant- 

 bridge. They— "Ihe Trials"— are Just getting under 

 way here, and a short, account Of ihcm may nol. be unin- 

 teresting or unitisiructive lo ihe captains of the Harvard 

 clubs. They are rowed during the titst week of Decem- 

 ber, although the 'Varsity race is not till April. The rea- 

 son is, that men get " rowed out " and utterly " stale " if 

 they are kept at it Without intermission, and a three or four 

 months' absolute rest, from work at the oar is found most 

 beneficial in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Any mini, 

 however poor an oar, has the. right lo ask his (college) cap- 

 tain to send in his name to the Secretary of the '.\ atsity ; 

 they are then tubbed once or twice by members of the 'Var- 

 sity, the hopelessly bail ones weeded out, nnd about three 

 Eights taken down the river every day for a week or St). 

 These three Eights, by another " weeding " process, are re- 

 duced to two, and go into training {under two of their mem- 

 bers as captains) for from two to three weeks. Thou liny 

 row a three-mile race, and those that acquit themselves the. 

 best, without reference to their being in Ihe winning boat 

 or not, are selected to fill the vacancies on the '\ amity. 



The selection of those wdio are to row in the "Trials" 

 rests with the President of the 'Varsity, and even old 'Var- 

 sity oars are not excused if he is not satisfied with their 

 form. Iu the last two years, for example, five men have 

 rowed in the Trials who were ou the preceding 'Varsity 

 crews. Of course, the selection is not definitely made SO 

 long before; quite a number of men— say sixteen— are put 

 into half training and tubbed for some weeks before the 

 'Varsity go to Putney, and the next best four are kept in 

 training at Cambridge for a week after their deparune. to 

 supply the place of "tiny man who may " crack." 



In furtherance of the plan of not overworking it 'Varsity 

 oar, the 1st Division (answering to the " Champion Sixes " ) 

 of the Cambridge boats do not take part in the Lent term 

 races that precede the 'Varsity by a few weeks, but only in 

 the Mav races that follow it, since, sonic of their members 

 being wanted for the 'Varsity, It would be impolitic to 

 make them row, and unjust to force the clubs to which 

 they Lelong to race without their best oars. 



If the same ruleiu regard to subscriptions were followed 

 at Harvard as here, tue clubs would soon be iu a tlourish- 

 ino condition in regard to money matters. The Charge is 

 jfou the llrsi year, and *I5 each succeeding year, which is 

 divided iuto three Iri-month payments; Ihe 'Varsity also 

 levies a poll-tax lrom the clubs sufficient to meet expenses 

 for cups, medals, boats, training expenses, etc., while ihe 

 esprit tie OOIJM is SO strong that, practically, everybody be- 

 longs lo hlS college boat-club. 



SAILING REGULATIONS. 



Boston, Decemher 14lh, 1ST4 



iDITOlt FOBEST AND STREAM.!— 



In looking over the sailing regulations of oar yacht clubs, whose hend- 

 qhsrtera tue nut a thoiismul miles from South Boaton Toint, I and one 

 prtwomlea wlileb. I do not tlitnk at all necessary. The llrat Is:. "No. 

 ballast sluill be thrown overboard after the atiirt." Now. this is tin old 

 rule, nod 1 hove seen it in the sailing directions of maaya elnb; but what 

 is tli) ronson for iti li it not n B0J t of supplement to the title lorbwldJutf 

 the Shifting of ballast? Tf the wind dies out dnrln;arace,wlw P9»»f- 



