FOREST AND STREAM. 



67 



QUESTION AND ANSWER. 



Somerset, O., Jan. 13, 1879. 

 Editor Foebst and Stkeam ; 



I send to-day by mail two of the parasites taken from the 

 raffed grouse. TUe Bmaller Of the two 1 have had in alcohol 

 STB, the other only a few weeks. 

 "Straight- Bore" gives an excellent description of the fly, 

 especially its disposition to get into the hair and beard of the 

 sportsman after he lias killed its natural protector. 

 But I am a little skeptical as to his assertion that 1 1 

 wing when the bird does, keeps up with it. and then again 

 is when the grouse alights. How does he 

 know this ? Surely the wildness of the grouse and its swill, - 

 lid make it impossible to see the fly while in 

 motion, and is it Dot more reasonable to suppose that the in- 

 sect remains in the feathers of the bird during its flight, and 

 thus makes the same tup in I lie same time ? 1 am inclined to 

 think that, au old grouse j the thickets and 



brushwood would be apt to leave Mr. Bug behind. 



C. H. Hopb. 



"Left Shoulder" inquires how I know the partridge fly 

 rides with the bird or leaves Die bird and flies by the side of 

 it f For myself, I am free to confess i have never seen this, 

 but I was Inform a , , essrs. Mayland Smith, J. 

 Helms, and others, whom 1 believe to be credible witnesses, 

 that they had on several occasions seen them accompany lie 

 birds in their Sight, and aiso that they had seen the flies OH 

 pie fresh excremen i I tie "in! on which theyappea 

 feeding, ir is no: alarmed that the Qv leaves the bird in its 

 follows ii. bin that the Hies thai, are, detached from 

 the bird, buzzing around perhaps, follow it. With the six- 

 lighteen birds dressed in my family this fall, my 

 attention was not culled to any unusual marks on theui, 

 Of them when shot. The gentle- 

 men named live in the mountains, twelve huml. 

 more above (he level of the sea, in a rarified atmosphere. 

 Where partridges are around them summer and winter, aud 

 Mr. Smith is remarkable tor aculeness of vision and observa- 

 tion. Steaigut-Uoue. 



We have received the specimens of the fly forwarded by 

 Mr- Hope, and beg leave to thank him for them. They are 

 similar to the One recently described iu these columns. 



An Owl's Food.— Summit, Union Co., N. J., Jan. 25. — 

 Editor Fored.nnd Stl'eam: To-day, while hunting in B pine 

 "'uued an Acadian owl. Upon dis- 

 secting ii 1 found that its stomach ; , i v mg squirrel 



Which had been swallowed whole and but slightly digested, 

 .small a bird should swallow an 

 annual ol ! Quo. Lawrmscb Nicholas. 



A large prey for so small a bird to capture. We have had 

 many captive owls which treated their victims iu several dif- 

 ferent ways. Usually they would seize Ihe rat or mouse by 

 the back of the neck, lull it and then tear it to pieces, bu 

 sometimes, when hungry, they would swallow it whole and 

 then go to sleep, often with the tail of the animal sticking out 

 of the side of the mouth. 



ISM.— fit Johnmiillc, Me., Feb. 7 — Editor Forest 

 VV'nile out rabbit hunting recently iu the wilds 

 north of this village I shot and killed two black rabbits. 

 Since it is the first known ever to have been seen iu this 

 vicinity I desire to Know it" there are any other instances 

 where wild black rabbits— black as a coal—have been cap- 

 tured. They are the same as the common white rabbit except 

 their color. They are regarded as quite a curiosity here. 



James Bhbok. 

 An instance of melanism we presume. Such cases are 

 rare, however, and we do not remember to have heard of one 

 in this particular species. Black tame rabbits are common 

 enough, but black wild ones are "scacB," -nig rogue thniUim 

 cyyno. 



. — *»^^. 



New Questions is Natural History.— Here are some 

 subjects for the consideration of our Southern readers, which 

 have been suggested by an Ohio correspondent i 

 • Mr. Editor : Now that l lie seem Of the quail, and what he 

 can do with it, and how the partridge drums are both settled, 

 and inasmuch as we are all satisfied that the trout takes his 

 food by the mouth instead of by the tail, would it not be well 

 fc-start on some new investigation in natural history? For 

 instance, will some of the many correspondents and readers of 



,i and Stbbam please inform us in whs 

 muskrat opens the shell of the fresh water clam, or how the 

 'coon makes a good meal in the same way off the raccoon 

 oyster? The discussion on the former subjects have given us 

 puch new and interesting nip ation regarding I 

 of the animals concerned. Nov. suppose we try coir hand on 

 the muskrat and 'coon, jttcspectfully, 



,,<:. 0., Feb. 17. Da. e. Stkkli.no. 



Mokk Mohgbri, Gsaaajt,— WmMSh^Jm. 6.— Mr. Ehelmer 



M'Green, ol Jefferson Co., ! wild goose, whose 



Which associated with ins 

 imeslic geese for years.' She was never 

 be. mated. After a number of years, however, she laid a nest of 

 oggsand sat upon them, but did not succeed iu hatching our, 

 any young ones. The following y.ar sh. 



when found to be laying again, her own eggs were substituted 



for others fi | ■ , , atoned out 



one, which proyed ■„, b Mich she subsequent- 



m mated, and froo tha ,. laid and hatched out 



several Iwoodaof young, which hi . (.he ma i I the two dis- 

 tinct breeds. The offspring didnot breed, but showed: more 

 characteristics ol the wild than of the lame goose. 



„ , <i J. D. H. 



Animals Eeceiyfi i, :aj . uariiens, Philadelphia, 



: - I mi axes, Maatmt 



■ I , one OfinaOa gopse, BromUk no i , , 



■■'■■■■ , ,..,.-..,. I „,, 



presented by A. K. i ',„,,„_ b oru in 



,' 

 , , a tison, presented bj 

 Umarfower, Glasabori i . fl, Eumeecut 



I, Bogemwim, Georgetown, 1 



AKTHim E, Bbown, Qen'l Bnpt. 



%ffaodlmd r jH<mn mrtd (^nrdm. 



TEXAS, THE POOR MAN'S REFUGE. 



PAiNriiu Post Ranch, February 10, 1879. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



Texas utters a welcome call to those who will come and 

 seek refuge in her wide-spreading arms, and are willing 

 to cam and eat their btead by the sweat of their brows. She 

 never fails to pay the debt of toil, nor does she reward her 

 hirelings with stinting fingers. For the poor and needy of the 

 land there have been eighty million acres of land reserved, 

 and under the Homestead act any married man who owns no 

 land in the State can gain possession of 330 acres with but the 

 cost of surveying and paying the patent fees, which are pro- 

 hibited by law to exceed $20. Single men half the quantity, 

 and, considering the productive qualities of the land, one can 

 readily see that it, is |rilhin the power of every man who is will- 

 ing to work to gain a living for himself and family, and that 

 without grovelling in the dust of humiliation, or hovering 

 round like a flock of starving animals to catch the scrapings 

 from the board of plenty, as men have to do earning a living 

 in or around money centres. The laws are made in Tezas for 

 the people and by the people, disregarding as much as pos- 

 sible capitalists and moneyed corporal ions, placing the poor 

 man on a stand where he has his rights, and can demand 

 them. Fifty million acres of public domain have been set 

 aside for the maintenance of public schools, each comity being 

 allowed four leagues of land which cannot be vented, sold or 

 in any way disposed of except for that purpose, showing that 

 ample provision has been made for a permanent and per- 

 petual common-school system, which will be ample for every 

 child in the State without auy direct taxation for that purpose. 

 2-Jo man can say, " "Tis not the place for me I" for though 

 in consideration of the fact that it is a comparatively new 

 Slate, and all branches of trade are not represented as in some 

 older and more thickly settled ones, yet the spirit of enter- 

 prise and the desire to get along ought to give rise to a will- 

 ingness to change the tenor of his way, and if needs be to 

 take up a new branch of industry. 



Texas might he called a small world in itself, for indeed it 

 possesses all varieties of climate, soil and production, aud any 

 man, no matter how poor, can come here armed with the de- 

 termination to win, and in time gain possession, and have the 

 advantage of any or all of them. As a matter of course all 

 the advantages and varieties do not confine themselves in any 

 one spot, nor do I ever expect to find such a combination out- 

 side of Paradise. In the choice of a home in Texas a man 

 should decide distinctly what sort of business or occupation 

 he wishes to pursue, and endeavor to choose the section of 

 cotmtry most suitable, and one promising the greatest amount 

 of success tojiis choice. If farming be the desired object, the 

 northern, eastern, or middle portion of the Slate will be found 

 most acceptable, high rolling prairie.wilh no obstacle save the 

 expenditure of labor to guarantee crops of all descriptions. 

 The southern part of the State is also capable of producing 

 fine crops, but owing to the dry seasons prevailing in that 

 locality, it is deemed advisable to irrigate, which" requires 

 more capital than otherwise. The chief productions of the 

 above-mentioned divisions are : Cotton, corn, wheat, potatoes, 

 sweet and common oats, rye, millet, beans, and in fact all 

 varieties of vegetables, grains and fruits of northern climes; 

 while in the southern portion nearly all kinds of tropical fruits 

 and vegetables may be grown with comparative success. It is 

 said the average sugar production of Fort Bend County is ten 

 hogsheads; per acre, antt that is only one of the many counties 

 capable of doing likewise. In conjunction with farming, it 

 may be found a source of great profit to invest a small sum in 

 breeding cattle. Institute an inaividual brand, and turn them. 

 out on the vast and almost boundless prairie to increase and 

 enrich the owner, with no trouble attached but the yearly 

 breeding of calves. The annual increase of a herd of cattle is 

 33£ per cent., allowing for ordinary casualties, so that in three 

 years the original has doubled, after which the young ones 

 begin to bring forth their increase, when compound interest is 

 realized. In the North the hard winters render it necessary to 

 feed cattle six months iu the year, whi le here they find a bounti- 

 fulsupply of food throughout the year on the prairie, and from 

 the time of their birth never see the inside of an iuclosure ex- 

 cept in breeding season. Cattle in Texas, as in all parts of the 

 world, are transformable into cash at any and all times, hence 

 it is equal to a bank account, and cau be drawn upon at will. 

 The average yield of wheat is from 15 to 25 bushels per acre, 

 making a tine sample of flour, and being superior to northern 



! ' i -i .m the fact of its being of a drier nature, and will, 

 when converted into flour, keep sweet a much longer time 

 than any other wheat. Of late years the export of Texas 

 wheat to South America has assumed enormous proportions, 

 ' i i ng a constant and live market for that grain. Corn 

 ranges from 25 to 40 bushels per acre, and sometimes as high 

 as 50 or 50, and is sold from 35 to 50 cents per bushel. 

 Potatoes, oats and all other productions yield well, especially 

 those of a semi-tropical nature, all of which find a ready mar- 

 ket. Of cotton, it will be useless to say more than that the 

 quantity varies according to soil aud location, but from half a 

 bale to a bale is the common yield. In regard to its value ami 

 demand, suffice to say that it, is a staple article, consequently 

 always saleable, and the price controlled by the market. If 

 cattle raising be the main object, there is but little choice in 

 Ideation, as the rich and luxuriant grasses that everywhere 

 abound, sufficient for countless myriads of cattle or horses, 

 make the State a vast pasture, and leaves but one obstacle in 

 selection of a ranch, that being to avoid proximity to farming 

 districts. The most suitable locality for the culture ol sheep 

 aud wool is iu the southwest portion of the Stata, where the 

 country is hilly, the soil of a dry gravelly nature, grasses short 

 and nuirioiouB, and shrubbery of a low growth on which the 

 sheep feed and also gain protection from the keen winds of 

 winter. Sheep, alike with cattle, are never housed or fed in 

 Texas. The climate is truly salubrious, being neither insuf- 

 ferably hot in summer nor intensely cold in winter. The entire 

 summer is ruxde comparatively pleasant by a never-ceasing 

 Gulf breeze, relieving the extreme heat that inignf, otherwise 

 be felt, and there is not a night in summer that sleep cannot 

 be made enjoyable if there , in (or or window in the 



room. As a test of its healthful properties, it is but necessary 

 to look at the native?, and ti ' i said gr iveyards 



are mockeries, as people diy up and blow away rather than 

 give the undertaker the Satisfaction of si ■, , . , died. It 

 is needless for me to linger longer on the advantages offered 

 by Texas, as the above will serve to intimate her willingness 

 and capabilities in offering homes aud fortunes to the public. 



This, then, T would respectfully tender as an answer to the 

 perplexing question, " What can be done for a Buffering 

 people?" j. q. 



— ,-». — . 



Effect of Cold on Oranges— Mr. Editor : Not long 

 since I noticed an inquiry in Forest and Stream as to how 

 much cold orange frees cau endure. I inclose an excerpt 

 from the Charleston A>wx, showing that we have had real 

 bard winter weather in South Carolina this winter. Never- 

 theless my orange trees have not suffered a cent's worth, 

 young or old. The same temperature back from the salt 

 water, where the air is fresh, would kill the trees at once. It 

 seems noteworl by that tbey should have colder weather along 

 the Gulf and in Florida than we have had here. In Mobile, 

 6 dog. above 'zero ; in Florida, 20 deg. to 24 deg. reported ail 



, 'hile. in this placs the lowes't noted was 20 deg. at 

 8 o'clock a. m. (.'. Q. Kendall. 



Port Mogul, 8. O., Feb. 18, 1879. 

 _ The thermometer, Feb. 3, indicated 16 deg. above zero at 

 six o'clock in Charleston. The. following is a record ol' the 

 minimum range of the thermometer there for seven years, 

 taken at 8 a. m. each day : 



Deg. 



Deg 



1573. January 19 <ti VS76. Decembers •__ 



1ST5 Decemlier3l 28 1ST5. December 13 25 



1574. January ig 29 1877. Jarmary 2 2S 



tS7s. Iiia-emner ts .21 is?s. .lannaryfl 3D 



1S7B. January U u 1879, January 4 ss 



The Largest Lemon— Editor Forest and Stream: I 

 notice in the Forest and Stream - of December 12 that your 

 special correspondent from Texas, who siLoied himself ■' N. 

 A. T.," thinks that Texas has grown the largest lemon. Now 

 1 think Florida carries off the palm for the largest lemon. 

 When I came from there in 1870 I brought a Sicily lemon 

 which measured fifteen by fifteen and one-half inches in cir- 

 cumference and weighed twenty-nine aud a quarter ounces.. 

 It was grown by Mr. John G. Webb in Manatee County, on* 

 the shore of l.ii tie Sarasota Bay. J, O. Bronboh 



Vernon Centre, iV. 7., Feb. 10, 187S). 



IP* !!?'*«# 



A NEW METHOD FOR PREVENTING 

 BARKING. 



Pflii/ADELPniA, February 10, 1879. 



Editor Fobkst and Stream : 



You gave in a former issue your remedy for stopping dogs 

 from barking at night, stating the whip as your preference. 

 A correspondent in last issue, in objecting to such a preven- 

 tion, presents a point that to me appears well taken; for who 

 wishes, when the thermometer indicates zero, to several times 

 in Ihe night jump out of a snug depression in a warm bed, 

 seek the kennel, and pour out one's wrath most unmercifully 

 on poor Touser, for one, at 3 o'clock in the morning, would 

 not be likely to use that discretion which I will call justice 

 tempered with mercy. This plan, however, at first thought, 

 would seem at least to have this efficacy ; it would give the 

 dog's master a most refreshing airing, as he would sniff the 

 morning breeze, and taste that sweet ambrosia that is sup- 

 posed to lurk thereon. Our professor, however, used to call 

 it malaria, of which the atoms, molecules and other inorganic 

 matter were only dispelled by the sunlight. All scientists 

 agree that it is the heavy atmosphere at break of mom that 

 carries in suspension the most miasma. You will therefore 

 observe that your plan, with its many other defects, has the 

 important one of being unwholesome. Dr. Hall, in his valu- 

 able work entitled "flow to Live," is very emphatic in his 

 condemnation of disturbed and irregular rest. 1 have no 

 doubt every one of your adult readers can call to mind the 

 sudden pain caused by sudden waking, and the sleepless hours 

 caused by rising and merely walking two or three paces for a 

 drink of water. This exercise, however slight, immediately 

 stimulates the mental organs to action. Now, the remedy 

 which I will present further on does not avoid waking, but I 

 do claim that it is an amelioration. 



Your correspondent in last number, while condemning 

 your suggestions, offers one of his own. Although it. ia an im- 

 provement, it also has many defects. For convenience of 

 comparison I will designate it the "elevator plan"— a sort of 

 hoisting apparatus, witn lever attachment, by which he 

 poses to take man's most faithful, forgiving and obefieDl 

 friend and servaot, lift him up by a "choke and spike," sus- 

 pend him in mid-air iudehnite.y, which would Burely be the 

 result if the line should become accidentally fastened. I 

 therefore protest against his system on the ground Of cruelty 

 and any reader who has lUfflcieui. , ,-,.,, in and humanity to 

 fill the shell of a lilbert will coincide wilb tins view. 



Now, Mr. Editor, prompted by a humane impulse, I in- 

 vemeil a plan ,.l my own, which is sur.mor. 1 iliiuk, to either 

 of those uku toned above. Irefertomy "Eli:ctlic Method " 

 The mail rperfority are briefly these : Infallibility, 



as it nevei tails; instantaneous action, as ithasthe speed Of the 

 electric sparK; harmlesaness and non-li ; ;:,m...:, ,;;„i lm ce. 

 The kennel may beplaced-at thet) ill pond, down iu the hack 

 Held, or miles away, and be as effective as ihough the kennel 

 was at one's door. Uf, course if miles away, the telephonic 

 attachment must be used in order to convey the rlog'ebarfc to 

 the sleeper, and the automatic alarm to .King. 



The tones of the alarm are quite low and indistinct at. first, but 

 they gradually increase to the requisite TOlUme. This 

 arrangement was introduced to prevent thai, sudden waking 

 referred to in the hygienic paragraph in the Eorepart of this 

 treatise. 



Direeti&M.— Place on your dog a steel collar; on the inside 

 should be several platinum uobbets.or bosses, with bluni, points 

 penetrating through the coat to insui i ten to 



the collar a copper wire, which you con , , , , 

 Window. With a two-inch auger you bofe 

 the window casing ; then taki an ordins , 

 bottle, which can be found in :., ,,..., 

 they are always empty uiau at u me. .-bra 



miTAculi (u 

 rceommen,: i, ,,!.,, , mder the denser part ear >r vitse 



front lawn ; then, with . 

 ring (which every sportsman wears) you cut off the bottle 

 neck and iuserl it, in the auger hole. Thns vuu obtain per- 

 fect insulation. Pass the wire through this to a battery, 

 which should be a powerful one— aay, cue mule power. This 

 might be placed under the bed to b'u out of the way. Con- 



