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DRIVING A BUCK. 

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BY THE DOMINIE. 



i i t-x RIVING deer" is a very common expression in the 

 JL/ Adirondack^, used by almost every body you 

 meet, by some "knowingly," and by others for the sake of 

 appearing "to be knowing. Many readers of Forest and 

 Stream, however, I suppose, do not know, and therefore 

 w ill not resent it if I say, by way of explanation, that 

 "driving deer" is usually understood to mean putting 

 hounds on their track, and forcing them sooner or later to 

 take to the water, in which they are sometimes killed and 

 sometimes not. There are people who pretend to disclaim 

 against this practice as being very "cruel," "unsportsman- 

 like," &c— for example :*the Rev. Mr. Murray, who, how- 

 ever, does not hesitate in July to allow himself to be pad- 

 dled up amid the thick darkness of night to deer feeding 

 along the shore, and under the strong light of a "jack," 

 take deadly aim, and kill and talk about it as quite a great 

 achievement. 



It is however, in a particular and not general way that 

 I am writing about "driving a buck," and a sight well 

 worth seeing it was. On a certain morning, in September 

 last, an early breakfast having been dispatched, we started 

 down to the landing place to take our boats and row to the 

 watch-grounds that had been agreed on the night before. 

 There were four of us — the "Executive," "Jeemes," 

 "Louis," and the writer. The Doctor, who had been with 

 us had fled that very morning at earliest dawn to' Canada 

 —forced away by superabundance of "tin." Quite an un- 

 usual experience— the scarcity of the article generally 

 being the difncultv in extended tours. But he went, chan- 

 ting! have no doubt, according to Tennyson, 

 " Tin to the right of me, 

 Tin to the left of me." 



. I could tell you a good many stories about the 

 Doctor— how he got caught in a gale on "Big 

 Tapper," and in a dense fo on Saranac — but he 

 fled on ! on! never stopping until Montreal was reached; 

 and there, at a hotel, .in the middle of the night a commit- 

 tee waited on him, and waked him, worn out as he was, to 

 ask permission to examine into his general health, that the 

 cause of such unusual "bass" might be known and remedies 

 applied. The Doctor looked at them in disgust, murmured 

 tin, turned over and went to snoring again. I could tell 

 other stories, but I forbear, for I must be after the buck 

 we started for. The scene is on "Little Tupper"— the 

 mists are driving away toward the east,, before the tirst 

 breathings of a northwester, that proved to us before night 

 got around what a rumpus it would kick up.! and what an 

 angry fret "Little Tupper" could work, itself into ! The 

 morning was not a poetic one, so I cannot stop to sigh and 

 sparkle over it. On the contrary, it was intensely practical 

 —chill and rough; it was a true harbinger of the cold, 

 snowv, rainy, haily winter day that followed. "Jeemes" is to 

 go to Stoney Pond, so he and "Ted" are first off. As their 

 boat gets from under the lee of Sand Point, she pitches and 

 jumps about in a way most lively and suggestive of a soak- 

 ing but "Jeemes" is a philosopher, and merely smokes the 

 harder, while "Ted" pulls the harder, and away they dance 

 like a cork across the lake. Louis and his solemn story- 

 telling guide start for the foot of the lake. The "Ex- 

 ecutive's" man had crossed the lake to put out the dogs, so 

 I invited the "Executive" to go with me on my watch 

 ground, which was to be . "Sand Island," or, as I shall al- 

 ways prefer to call it, "Cranberry Island,", for here, when 

 tired of watching, I relieved the tedium by crawling about, 

 and picking cranberries, an abundance of which grew on 

 the island. Cranberry Island lies well out in the lake, but 

 is only a small heap of rock and sand, with a few scrubby 

 bushes, and a single tree growing upon it. After a tho- 

 rough shaking up on the lake our heavily ladened boat got 

 safely to the island, where after due preparation we pro- 

 ceeded to watch. It was perhaps 8 o'clock, a. m., when 

 we began this interesting vigil. Will. Moodie "went up a 

 tree," and looked blue at the angry lake, but the lake did 

 not seem to mind it. The "Executive" and I dug holes in 

 the sand and spreading our rubber blankets watched with 

 all our eyes, and with all the extra one we could muster. 

 "Sparrowgrass" says that a "man is a good thing to have 

 in the house." Well, the "Executive" is a good man to 

 have with you on a watch. He never sleeps, has plenty of 

 stories to tell and is generally lively. So he talked, and I, 

 as became one of my profession,, smoked, listened and 

 meditated gravely— now and then crawling after cranber- 

 ries. "Will." had said to me, as we landed, that as the 

 lake was so very rough, if a deer came in at any consider- 

 able distance from the island, he would not be able to go 

 after him with either of us in the boat; but he would go 

 alone and try to drive it past the island, within shooting 

 distance, if possible. The boat was pulled up on the sand, 

 emptied of every thing except a rifle and the oars. And 

 then we watched. What an endless number of names I 

 traced on the sand that day ! What canals I dug'! What 

 elaborate geometric and mathematical figures I marked out, 

 and which the mimic waves washed out ! What lines of 

 poetry 1 composed ! all now lost to posterity, for which I 

 have no doubt posterity will be forever grateful. The 

 "Executive" was, I think, in the midst of a discussion con- 

 cerning the proper method of regularly opening a certain 

 street at home, called fourth, in which, for various personal 

 reasons, he was very much interested, when all at once he 

 stopped. "I see a deer swimming," said he— (this was 

 about 2 o'clock, p. m.,)— I jumped,' as one can, under such 

 circumstances, and looked, but thought the "Executive" 

 had seen a loon. We were discussing this difference of 

 opinion, and looking first with nature's eyes,, and then with 



glasses, when Ave were started by a rush, a jump, and a 

 surge behind us, and turned to see Will. Moodie come 

 down out of hid perch "like an Indian in the wake of a 

 scalp," as old Cap. would say. He rushed at the boat, and 

 with a tremendous "send" pushed it out into (he lake, 

 jumping in himself with not a word to us ! He quickly 

 got his seat and his oars, and then, that light boat sped over 

 the waves and right before the gale like a thing of life in- 

 deed ! We guessed where the deer must be from the direc- 

 tion in which the boat had gone. But for some moments 

 could see nothing. At length, risin'g upon a huge wave, I 

 caught sight of a pair of horns more than a mile away. A 

 buck ! and a big one evidently, was trying to cross the 

 lake, and had accomplished two-thirds the distance when 

 "Will." caught sight of him. I watched the boat through 

 a capital field glass. A hard job "Will." had to turn that 

 buck so near to shore as he was, and to force him to swim 

 right in the teeth of that gale and those waves to our 

 island! But at length I saw the buck "coming for us," 

 with the boat two or three lengths behind him, with Moodie 

 taking it leisurely. As they came near enough to enable 

 us to distinguish them clearly, what a sight it was ! The 

 buck (a five year old one, as he proved to be.) strong and 

 active, with a magnificent pair of antlers, breasted the wind 

 and sea most gallantly ! He seemed to swim on the top of 

 the crest of the waves as they rolled by him, blowing out 

 the water from his nostrils in little clouds of mist ! Glorious 

 old buck ! How he rose on the wave with proud shake of 

 his head, striking out boldly tor liberty. Little did he 

 know what eyes on his death in tent were watching and ad- 

 miring him from the shore he was struggling so bravely to 

 reach ! The boat following him was equally interesting to 

 watch; very light at either end, the waves as they rushed 

 under the bow would lift it up, and almost stand it on its 

 stern for an instant, and then would let it fall into a seeth- 

 ing shower of spray ! And this continued all the way as 

 deer and man struggled up to us ! The "Executive" had 

 never shot a deer ! And we needed the venison very 

 much, for there was next to nothing in camp in the way of 

 meat ! I really felt badly thai there was a necessity to kill 

 that buck. If ever buck had earned an escape he had ! 

 But there is little time to moralize about the matter, for 

 here he comes within shot, and 'tis settled the "Executive." 

 is to shoot him. ' We stepped out from the cover, "E." in 

 advance, and as the buck caught sight of him he stopped 

 and stared at him, and I mentally introduced the strangers 

 —"Mr. Executive— Mr. Buck; Mr. Buck— Mr. Executive." 

 They eyed each other for a moment; and the deer turning 

 to swim off, up went the gun— a sharp report followed— 

 the proud, defiant head fell, and it was all over. The 

 "Executive" had made a sure shot and killed his deer with- 

 out murdering it. Soon "Will." rowed up and then we 

 finished the work. There w^as no beating that deer to 

 death— no "tailing" him, and then shooting him, as a 

 Brooklyn artist did. We needed the meat, and we used it. 

 I do not feel ashamed of the work under such circumstances, 

 nor does the "Executive," who has since decorated his 

 dining room with head and horns of his first buck ! 



Late in the afternoon we returned to camp. "Jeemes," 

 as philosophical as ever, had just got in, but had not seen 

 nor heard of deer or dog that day. Louis had seen a buck, 

 and pursued him in his boat, had shot at and wounded him 

 but had failed to get him. But I have no doubt Louis 

 found comfort in paraphrasing to suit himself the couplet— 

 •■ Better to have loved and lost 

 Than not to have loved at all!" 



ffcodlmid, j£mvn mid §nrd(m. 



WINDOW OR PARLOR GARDENING. 

 «. . 



Ntjmbeb. vi.— The Finished Bay Window. 

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"Bring orchis— bring the foxglove spire, 

 The little speedwell's dailing blue, 

 Deep tulips dashed with fairy dew, 

 Laburnums, dropping walls of fire." 



WE again take up the subject matter of our last 

 p a p er _"No. 5 ; or, Box Culture in the Bay Win- 

 clow "_ on a more elaborate and varied form, and in this 

 design show how for a small outlay any one may surround 

 himself with plants of varying and changing foliage, 

 giving the most beautiful contrasts. Our aim in the filling 

 and oTouping of this second box is to present a harmo- 

 nious, unique, and somewhat novel and picturesque ar- 

 rangement of quite a number of our common and rare 

 plants— to associate together the broad leaf of the sub- 

 tropical plant with the quieter denizens of the woods and 

 o-ardens and by a proper adjustment of soils and atmos- 

 phere make our own little family perfectly at home in their 

 several relations. 



We do not expect you will be able to do so with a first 

 or even a second effort, for there is, we frankly tell you, 

 not only considerable knowledge, but much careful pa- 

 tience necessary to perfect success. Our own attempts to 

 organize and unite a "happy family" of plants succeeded 

 only after numerous trials, attended at first with indif- 

 ferent success; but we in the end produced a pleasing and 

 quite satisfactory result. You can do the same, and in 

 order to aid you in the cultivation of these plants we give 

 you the best results of our patient study. 



In the culture of the parlor plants, and the peculiar ar- 

 rangement of the same, our German- gardeners, in many 

 points, excel in their modus operandi almost any other na- 

 tion, 'in conversation with a great lover of flowers, a suc- 

 cessful German cultivator, he said:— "Wo make in Ger- 

 many a very pretty garden in our deep windows with the 



very commonest flowers, yet we gain one very grand effect 

 with the different kinds of high colored foliage." I found 

 upon further conversation wilh my German friend that he 

 placed "all the good work," as he called successful plant 

 growing, in a competent knowledge of how to prepare the 

 soils. "Soils," said he, "lime, is everything to the flower," 

 and although he could not speak good English, 1 found 

 him to be a proficient in German gardening. 



I had acUd in accordance with the plan of German an 

 thorify, although without having had any previous knowl- 

 edge of their style of plant arrangement other than my 

 own self-taught" experience. I could therefore go on in re- 

 newed confidence with my own plan of contrasting strong 

 colors with each other, being only mindful of the harmony 

 of colors as given in paper No. 5. 



A.toneendof this second box, near the cactus gallery, 

 I placed a strong, small, fine root of the maurandia climb- 

 ing vine; this should be well trimmed, as should all vines 

 previous to planting. In the other end place a good plant 

 of the Mexican colea, or, if you prefer, a small English 

 ivy. Both these vines you can train over wires, arranged 

 on the sides of the window, with fine effect. The further 

 aim being to still keep up the contrast, you can place pelar- 

 goniums and heliotropes, and if you would have a grand 

 effect place in the centre of your box of earth a calladium, 

 and at its sides lower sized plants. There can be no grander 

 sight in a parlor window than a choice calladium in the 

 centre, flanked on each side with a vigorous growing calla 

 lily. This accomplished, you can still very much heighten 

 the picturesque effect by adding to your collection a few of 

 the low growing zorale geraniums. Of these I would rec- 

 ommend the Azucerui, salmon color; Cylister, bright scar- 

 let; Snoicball, pure white; Lady Ctcllum, and Mrs. Palloc/r., 

 zone of red. These six flowers I have used as I have 

 named, and blossoming, as they did, at nearly the same 

 time, under the broad, expanded leaves of the calladium 

 and callas, the beautiful effect can scarcely be conceived 

 without being seen. 



You can add much to the fine effect of your window 

 plants, as they now stand, by procuring and placing in the 

 second background a fine healthy root of the Papamer ori- 

 entalis and the Pa/pamev rJiotas, oriental and French pop- 

 pies. The manner of procuring these plants of the poppy 

 for the winter window will behest attained by planting the 

 seeds in small pots in the latter part of summer and grow- 

 ing them until cold weather, occasionally thinning out the 

 plants; they can then, with care, be placed in the pots 

 where they arc designed to grow. 



The oriental poppy makes a very grand show, and with 

 care can be grown in the window to perfection, sending up 

 a goodly sized clean stock, and developing into a magnifi- 

 cent flower, this root can be procured of the florists in the 

 fall, and should be obtained at that time, as it is impatient 

 of transplanting, though a hardy plant. 



The French poppy, though rather an article cultivated 

 for the opium of commerce, is nevertheless a very showy 

 plant. The whole tribe, of which there are many, and 

 very diversified in color, have the highly narcotic quality 

 of giving sleep in a greater or less degree. It is this pecu- 

 liar quality of the plant to which Shakespeare refers when 



he says — 



■'Not poppy, nor mandragora, 

 "Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, 

 Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep 

 Which thou ow'dst yesterday." 

 You will add the Irimula chinemis to your collection, or 

 it will be incomplete. It is of all colors, and blossoms sev- 

 eral months in the year. You will notice you are to keep 

 the plants, all of them, in subordination to your middle, 

 tall plants, as the calladiuni and callas. These should 

 stand with their peculiar foliage above, and overtopping 

 the whole of your box. Low T plants, as the sedum, and a 

 very pretty plant called "house leek" by the ladies, and all 

 low creeping plants, can be used to good advantage in such 

 positions, being always careful not to mass the plants in 

 too great numbers, or have them all nearly of a height. 

 Your window should allow you to look under the plants as 

 upon their foliage. Here, just in this place, is where you 

 will probably require the most care. If you fail, and the 

 grouping does not suit your taste, try again, and if a sec- 

 ond or third trial does not give you the desired satisfac- 

 tion try again the fourth time, as it is a healthful sign that 

 your taste for the beautiful and true is improving, and at 

 last you must succeed, as you surely m ill. I could tell you 

 how to produce a very pleasing effect at once, and you 

 would do it undoubtedly, and then forget it immediately. 

 It would not be desirable for me to make you a mere copy- 

 ist when my desire is to make you a self-reliant florist. 



Having filled to your satisfaction these two upper boxes/ 

 you can now proceed to place in the lower box, which we 

 win suppose rests upon the floor, or but little raised from 

 the same a larger class of plants, as monthly roses, azalias, 

 and others, always putting the latter ones farthest from 

 the front of the room, and the tallest of these you will in 

 no instance permit to be of more than two feet four inches 

 in height, so as not to cover up j^our plants from view in 

 the second box. In this arrangement you can use the 

 lautanas and some choice specimens of carnation. Acliy- 

 rantlius are, as a window garden decoration, a splendid 

 addition to our green leaved plants. They are easily culti- 

 vated, thriving well at a temperature of from fifty to sev- 

 enty-five degrees, and as your glass is always hanging at 

 your window this is easily regulated. The Lindeni has the 

 most splendid deep red foliage, each leaf being a study of 

 itself, and there are few plants surpassing it in beauty. 



You can now turn your attention, if you please, to the 

 Begorda family, and here you may revel in a garden of de- 



