FOEEST AND STREAM, 



73 



THE ADIRONDACK PARK. 



♦ 



IT may probably devolve on the next Legislature to de- 

 cide the question whether the Adirondacks will become 

 a portion of the public domain. While we have been so 

 lavish in granting whole sections of country — giving away 

 at a single stroke of the pen as much land as the area of 

 England — to railroad companies, it might be wise to recall 

 the old adage "that charity begins at home." The Com- 

 mission recommend the occupation of about 850,000 acres, 

 or 13,350 square miles, situated upon the Hudson river side 

 of the mountain divide which separates the head waters of 

 that river from the streams flowing to the St. Lawrence. 

 The Commission state that "this would be the approximate 

 area which would be required for the purposes of a forest 

 park, in case it should be determined that the preservation 

 of the forests covering and protecting the sources of the 

 Hudson is all that is necessary for that purpose." Of these 

 lands the State already owns nearly 40,000 acres, pertaining 

 to the general and school funds. Most cogent are the argu- 

 ments of the Commission. The principal and strongest is, 

 that it is the water reservoir of the Hudson river, and that 

 it influences the whole general climatology of the State. 

 Not only do questions of navigation enter into the subject, 

 but in a sanitary point of view such a reservation would be 

 a perpetual retreat for those who dwell in the cities. In 

 the United States such is the energy of the settler, who 

 only necessarily looks to his own interest, that forests are 

 cut down almost, as it were, in a single day, and without 

 some State interposition it is absolutely certain that in less 

 than ten years three-quarters of all this section will be per- 

 fectly denuded of trees. 



Legislatures are slowly but surely commencing to under- 

 stand these matters, and our hope is, that the whole subject 

 will be placed before them in a practical way. We do not 

 urge here the tourist or hunting question. As much as the 

 Forest and Stream advocates the preservation of game, 

 we would give it a secondary place, though the preserva- 

 tion of the woods is the life of the game. Cut down these 

 Adirondack woods and the lakes will dwindle into ponds, 

 and the rivers into brooks, and then, when the ground is 

 parched, when the rain does fall, will come those freshets 

 which will sweep away all man's works on the borders of the 

 streams. Then, exactly those capricious changes most det- 

 rimental to man's interests will be found. To-day the noble 

 rivers will run dry; to-morrow a huge avalanche of water 

 will tear down the channels. The right way for the Com- 

 missioners to place it before our Legislature is to have them 

 look at the preservation of the Adirondacks as a question 



of self-interest. 



-+«*» -* 



OLD SHOTS. 



SPORTSMEN of to-day, with their delicate sights, and 

 the utmost nicety in the bore of their guns, are entirely 

 ignorant of how well their ancestors used the fowling piece 

 and rifle. Two centuries and more ago it must have not 

 only required great accuracy of aim on the part of the 

 sportsman, but, what is more -difficult to explain, a contin- 

 uance of aim. With guns and rifles of the seventeenth cen- 

 tury, a certain interval of time, and quite an appreciable 

 one, must have elapsed before the match or flint which 

 brought the fire to the pan could communicate with the 

 charge in the chamber of the piece. It is not impossible to 

 suppose that the old marksman never knew precisely to a 

 second when his piece would be discharged, and was forced 

 to follow for a certain time with the muzzle of his piece 

 the movement of the bird or animal. We hear of Josseleyn, 

 in his voyage to New England in 1644, telling how a certain 

 Mr. Hilton shot at the Pilhaunan which he styles as "the 

 king of birds of prey in New England," and how "Mr. 

 Hilton, having made ready his piece, shot and brought 

 her down to the earth as she was soaring aloft in the air." 

 Now here we have a sportsman of the time of Charles the 

 First who must have shot a bird flying with a single ball ; 

 for from the size of the bird described, as frightening all 

 the ducks and birds in the neighborhood, it was very prob- 

 ably an eagle. We have evidences, too, that the Moors 

 were quite good shots, for in 1637 one Alkaid Abdallah, am- 

 bassador from Morocco to England, is quoted in the old 

 chronicles "as being so good a marksman with his piece 

 that he will shoot eight score at a mark as big as an English 

 sixpence and hit it with a round bullet," 



Good marksmen of to-day will allow that to hit a mark 

 of this size at 160 feet is quite good practice. In the 

 "Good News from New England' of 1621 there is an ac- 

 count of some of the early English settlers going to Packa- 

 nock, where lived the great Indian chief Massassoye, and 

 how this good savage gave the Pilgrim fathers a kind of 

 bread called maman y and the spawn of shad, and in return 

 for his hospitality Massassoye begged them to kill some of 

 the crows which damaged his corn. "When one of our 

 men," says the account, "shooting one some fourscore 

 yards off (eighty yards) and killing, they (the Indians) 

 much admired it, as they did our shots on other occasions." 

 The same authority goes on to state that wanting a duck or 

 a goose to make some pottage therewith, ' l I took a man with 

 me and made a shot at a couple of ducks some six score off 

 and killed one, at which the chief wondered." 

 -#-»^- 



The " Canadian Gentleman's Neicspaper and Spirit of the 

 Times''' is published at Toronto, and gives a valuable weekly 

 resume of sporting intelligence throughout the Dominion of 

 Canada. To gentlemen who are interested in Canadian turf 

 matters this paper must be of essential service, as it is we 

 believe, the only paper of the kind published in the Do- 

 mino n. 



INEFFICIENT PROTECTION OF RIVERS. 



k 



Professor Curtis, of New Haven, in another column, com- 

 plains of the negligence or inefficiency of wardens upon the 

 interior rivers of New Brunswick, and makes the statement, 

 without qualification, that some of those persons who are 

 appointed to guard and protect the rivers, actually wink at 

 or countenance the destruction of salmon by netting and 

 spearing to that extent that rod-fishing in the upper waters 

 amounts almost to a nihility. His statements, we regret 

 to say, are borne out by letters which we have already pub- 

 lished iu this journal, as respects other rivers in Canada 

 and Nova Scotia, over all of which overseers are appointed 

 and paid to protect them from this most baneful description 

 of poaching. 



Certainly, the beneficial results that have followed in the 

 remarkable increase of salmon in rivers that have been 

 efficiently protected, ought to stimulate the vigilance of the 

 higher functionaries of the Canadian Government, and in- 

 duce them to apply the penalty provided by law in all cases 

 of dereliction, of which they must, assuredly, be cognizant. 

 That there may be no plea of ignorance of these violations 

 offered, by way of excuse, we shall forward copies of the 

 Forest and Stream, containing these letters, direct to the 

 Hon. Peter Mitchell, the Minister of Marine and Fisheries 

 at Ottawa. 



It is unjust and dishonorable to take the money of gen- 



tlenien, who pay liberally for their leases, as in the case of 



the Miramichi, while they secure nothing but emptiness in 



return for the time, trouble, and outlay of their vacation 



journeys. We shall no more assist the flourish of Canadian 



trumpets, until these abuses be corrected. Hitherto our 



words have been only those of praise and admiration for 



Canadian energy and efficiency. 



«+.»» 



Nova Scotia. — Desolate Nova Scotia ! She really seems 

 literally and practically to be doomed. Blowing up of her 

 mines in the spring ; fearful forest fires later on, and now 

 the hurricane catastrophe, which has been almost unparal- 

 leled in the history of storms, over such a comparatively 

 small area. Cape Breton's sea-board is lined with wrecks, 

 and dead mariners on the sand tell the ghastly tale. The 

 small towns and villages on both sides of the Bay of Fun- 

 dy have suffered distressingly, and what the people are to 

 do for food, &c, this coming winter, and in such a cli- 

 mate, is beyond comprehension. We who have hunted 

 and fished in Nova Scotia, who have enjoyed its hospital- 

 ity, have learned to^ appreciate the good-heartedness of its 

 inhabitants. Is there no v?&y of showing, in a practical 

 manner, this feeling other than by words ? 

 -+••». 



"Adirondack Life:" a Lecture. — We could hardly 

 imagine a more interesting topic, when properly handled, 

 than pleasing lectures drawn from forest and stream. Sub- 

 jects of this character, have been mostly given to the pub- 

 lic in book form ; we therefore welcome the more popular 

 method of lecturing, believing that it will further the ap- 

 preciation of out-of-door-life. The Kqv. W. C. Winslow, 

 of Boston, a thorough sportsman and pleasant writer, who 

 is familiar with all the haunts of the " wilderness," will de- 

 liver a lecture on the Adirondacks this winter. Lecturing 

 committees would doubtless find here a topic of great in- 

 terest and novelty, and likely to be appreciated by their 

 audiences. 



Lost Carrier Pigeons. — As the breeding and training 

 of carrier pigeons is on the increase, and from stormy 

 weather accidents frequently occur to the birds whilst fly- 

 ing with messages, we should be very glad to advertise in 

 our paper, free of cost, the announcement of any carrier 

 pigeons that have come into the possession of our readers 

 who may be desirous of returning them to their owners. This 

 method of gratuitous advertising is common in France, 

 Belgium, and England, and it would give us pleasure if we 

 were the means of restoring any lost birds to their owners. 

 Any parties having strange birds will carefully describe 

 marks r &c. 



As the winter terms of our colleges and universities are 

 to commence this month, we would be thankful if the offi- 

 cers of their athletic and boat clubs would report to us their 

 plans for the future. It would please us to promote in< 

 any way within our power the development of gymnastic 

 exercises and out-door recreation in our colleges through- 

 out the country. As a member of the class of '54 at Yale, 

 and afterward at Amherst, we naturally have the interests 

 of collegians at heart, and feel that we have some claim 

 upon their consideration. 



— A committee of citizens have undertaken to improv 

 the appearance of Washington's headquarters at New 

 burh, N. Y. , now in a dilapidated conditition. The ex- 

 penses will be defrayed by private subscription. The 

 War Department at Washington promises co-operation. 

 Secretary Belknap has ordered thirty cannon, ten Spanish, 

 ten Mexican, and ten pieces taken from the confederates, to 

 be sent there to be placed on the headquarters grounds. 

 -*~»~ . 



.—An economical Iowan, who had the tooth-ache, deter- 

 mined to remove his tooth in the Indian fashion. Accord- 

 ingly he bent down a sapling in the woods, lay down him. 

 self and attached a stout cord to his tooth and to the sap- 

 ling. Then he touched the spring, and the next he knew he 

 had jumped over a grove of about forty small trees and 

 was trying; to get out of a small pond that he happened to 

 lu'.ht in. 



A 



FISHERIES' PROTECTION IN CANADA. 



SINCE the inauguration of Confederation, the Do- 

 minion Government has given a great deal of attention 

 to sea and inland Fisheries, particularly to the latter, which 

 previous to Confederation, were rapidly declining, owing 

 to the wanton destruction of fish by persons who, for the 

 sake of present gain, selfishly carried on a warfare which- 

 seriously affected the interests of future generations. Un- 

 der the efficient management of the Fisheries department, 

 presided over by the Hon. Peter Mitchell, the Fisheries 

 have been vigorously protected, and under the fostering 

 care of the law are yearly becoming more and more valua- 

 ble. For this alone the Government of Canada deserves 

 well at the hands of the people. 



In order to make the fisheries still more valuable, the 

 artificial propagation of fish has been resorted to, which 

 has been so successfully carried on in France and England 

 for years past. The example set by Canadians has awak- 

 ened enterprising Americans to the great importance of 

 the subject, and in this country also the artificial method 

 is being carried on under the fostering care of the Govern- 

 ment. We copy from the " Union Advocate" of New- 

 castle, Miramichi, the following resume of Government 

 operations' in Canada, and respectfully suggest that the 

 Government proceed without delay to extend its long con- 

 templated supervision to the rivers of Nova Scotia, before 

 they are totally depleted. We do not need any testimony 

 to corroborate our own experience of the needs of the 

 case, which are woefully pictured by a prominent gentle- 

 man of this city who spent five weeks in Nova Scotia 

 this season. He says:"I am satisfied that the netting and spear- 

 ing which is carried on by the Indians and others with im- 

 punity will utterly destroy the little fishing afforded by 

 Gold river and other streams. A few years' care and pro- 

 tection extended over that section of Nova Scotia, and in 

 fact throughout the Province, would be rewarded a thousand 

 fold. With such attractions, in addition to the bracing 

 climate and the really beautiful scenery, this coast might 

 well command the patronage of summer tourists." 



"Previous to confederation, S. Wilmot, Esq., of Now- - 

 castle, Ontario, carried on the artificial process as an ama- 

 teur, but when the Provinces became united, the Minister 

 of Marine and Fisheries secured the services of this gentle- 

 man, who had met with considerable success in his pre- 

 vious efforts. Under his direction, the artificial propaga- 

 tion of fish has become quite a success in Ontario, and we 

 are pleased to know that the North is now to have the 

 benefit of his valuable services, which in the past have 

 been recognized most substantially by societies formed for 

 the promotion of Pisciculture in both England and 

 France. 



Mr. Wilmot arrived here recently. The object of his 

 visit is to select some eligible site for the erection of a 

 salmon breeding establishment. The principal object of 

 introducing this new industrial work in this section of the 

 Dominion is, that the Miramichi river, once so famous for 

 its great product of salmon, may by this artificial method 

 of propagation be, if we may so term, it, largely subsi- 

 dized in its production. By so doing, the Minister of Marine 

 and Fisheries has again shown his usual sagacity in advan- 

 cing the general interests of the Fisheries Department, 

 not only in introducing this important work on the Mi- 

 ramichi river, but also in other parts of the Dominion ais 

 well. 



The gentlemen referred to, after taking some time to 

 thoroughly inspect the various brooks emptying into the 

 Soutwest and Northwest branches of our river, has at last 

 selected one about five miles distant from Newcastle, on 

 the last named branch, just above the bridge on Stewart's 

 mill stream. This sight is represented by Mr. Wilmot as 

 being a very eligible one, and well adapted for all pur- 

 poses of an extensive fish breeding establishment. The 

 large and constant flow of water in the stream, with suffi- 

 cient fall for the easy erection of dams— the fine cove at 

 its outlet— the proximity to our town — and its truly pic- 

 turesque appearance, make it a charming spot, not only for 

 the practical carrying on of the work, but also a very at- 

 tractive one for the lover of nature and the study of the 

 naturalist. 



The above location, including the whole lot, has been 

 purchased at a very reasonable figure. Mr. Wilmot has 

 let the contract for erecting the darns, and is on the eve of 

 closing the contract for constructing the breeding house. 

 This will be a building of considerable magnitude, and is 

 intended to have somewhat of a commanding appearance, 

 its size being about 67 x 27 feet. The lower story will be 

 used wholly for artificial breeding purposes, whilst the 

 upper flat will be fitted up for a comfortable dwelling for 

 the person in charge. Though the season for its comple- 

 tion is very limited, Mr. Wilmot's great anxiety is to a;et 

 it so far advanced as to be enabled to lay down a large num. 

 ber of salmon ova this autumn, in order that its beneficial ef- 

 fect may be felt here as speedily as possible. When we 

 consider the location, and the method to be adopted in dis- 

 tributing the young fry after being hatched out, the site 

 must commend itself to every intelligent inhabitant; for 

 it is intended that the fruits of this establishment shall be 

 distributed equally in all the various tributaries of our 

 river that can be approached. The modus operandi will be 

 as follows: The parent fish will be procured at the most con- 

 venient points on the river, just previous to spawning, and 

 placed in the dam. So soon as they become matured for 

 manipulation the ova will be taken, duly impregnated, and 

 then placed in the breeding boxes; and when hatched out 

 in the month of April or May, will be carried in barrels or 

 cans of water in boats or scows, and towed up to the 

 rapid parts of the various tributaries forming the Mirami- 

 chi river. The system pursued in Newcastle, Ontario, is 

 to carry the young fry hundreds of miles by railway, and 

 it has been done most successfully, the losses in transporta- 

 tion being very trifling indeed. How much more easily and 

 safely, then, can the system of distributing young salmon 

 be practiced here, where water conveyance will be resorted 

 to, and where fresh supplies of pure water can be given to 

 the young fish on their journey, which requisite is found 

 almost impossible to procure whilst journeying upon the 

 railway cars. We therefore look forward to a successful 

 result, for the interests of all concerned in the advance- 



