TTS* 



alone will preclude a possibility of shaping a law to BUit the states, to meet the views of Bogardus. My experiments have 

 country over, except thai the open season be from October 1 been made with a 7J lb. 12-bore gun, using the2£ paper shells, 

 to April 1 or 15. Turkeys are too young September 1, and | We have never seen any of it that seemed to ignite quickly 



ftOl nt T'.rmin nnH Icon r T, irlroTra nro r,tilT, fat on/1 In n-nr»H onnn^n nnrl *n nU*,'.,,, r, *UT«T ..-.. fi~,.i- 1 J_ L, ,. .1 __i 



full ot vermin and lean. Turkeys are only fat and in good 

 condition fay five, months of the year— November to April. 

 They usually get fat on mast, and you know that in this lati- 

 tude Die mast does not. fall to any extent until in October, 

 and then the turkeys only have one month to eat enough 

 mast, get I he ticks off and get fat by 15th December. Tur- 

 keys arc at their, beat condition in January, February and 

 March in all the Southern Smt es in which I have bunted them, 

 and it would be a ruinous law to prohibit their being killed 

 in the very months that they are in best keep. 



They lmve scarcely done moulting by December 1. 1 have 

 often killed tlieni with pin feathers at that date. 



Wild turkeys do not begin the period of incubation as 

 early as the domestic bird. It is true they gobble here in 

 February, and sometimes January; but that signifies nothing. 

 I have yet to see a wild turkey egg before April. The hen never 

 allows the cock to accompany her to her nest of eggs ; if she 

 did. he would make a meal of them at once and bring her to 

 grief • he will even destroy her ycung after they are hatched. 

 Where there is one cock bird left in a. ladius of two miles, all 

 the liens in that scope will possess unto themselves each a 

 happy family. As an instance : Some years ago, in the State 

 of A labama, my brother and I lived and hunted in a portion 

 of Clark County, 1hat State. We had full sway of a region 

 whose Tadius was some ten miles, and full of turkeys and deer. 

 Every spring we began on the old gobblers, and by t>e 1st of 

 May "had them pretty well decimated, leaving about one or 

 two in each locality. The result was that the next fall the 

 woods everywhere were full of turkeys. We. had a sportsman 

 friend, Mr, Jim Slcptes, who lived en the west side of the 

 river, who often joined us in our hunts. 



In conclusion, 1 ran but think that the Eeasons for shooting 

 wild turkeys, as they are fixed in some or most of the States, 

 are not in keeping with the natural seasons "made and pro- 

 vided." However, I expect to catch thunder from somebody 

 on this score ; but I don't care for all their thunder, so they 

 don't stop me from shooting old gobblers in March and April. 



C. L. J. 



A DITTMAR POWDER USER. 



Van Bcren, Ark., March 13, 1879. 

 Ediwk Forest and Stream : 



At tome of the individual correspondence respecting Ditt- 

 mar powder, I have felt much astonished, while all admit 

 tbat there is less recoil and less residuum than that in use of 

 black powder. Now, I am an old sportsman of Western Ar- 

 kansas. Have been thoroughly conversant and associated 

 with guns of all kinds used by sportsmen, shot-guns and rifles, 

 both muzzle and breech-loading weapons I have from lime 

 to lime used different brands of powder, Dupont'g, Hazzard's, 

 Curtis & Harvey, English, Laflin & Rand, Lightning o, and 

 7 ( canister), also American Powder Co.'s Dead Shot, etc., 

 etc., s)l of which 1 have used on game and at the target, and 

 have found no very great difference in the use of either one 

 over the other. All foul the guu and all make big smoke, 

 and all produce more or Itss recoil according to quantity used. 

 But I have been using lately putty extensively the Ditt mar 

 powder and desire to add my experience in using some five or 

 six canisters of A, B and C, designated slow and quick. I 

 use a 12-gun, W. & C. Scott & So^'double-bolted, laminated 

 8-lb., 30-inch barrels, invariably using 3 drams Dittrnar for 

 quail, 1 1-8 oz. shot, and for duck and turkey 3£ drs and 

 1 1-8 shot, with little or no recoil, so little smoke as not to be 

 noticed, and no residuum in any uumber of shois. At the tar- 

 get, a 30-inch circle, 40 yards, "with central pod, find pattern 

 about same as with best black powder, but penetration de- 

 cidedly greatest with 1he Dittmar, loading with both equally 

 by Dickson's measure, using both soft and chilled shot, and 

 this singular fact is a puzzler to me, as action and reaction 

 being a fixed principle in mechanical force. But while there 

 is decidedly less recoil or back force there is most unquestion- 

 ably a greater force given to the shot, as from 15 to 18 sheets 

 of Scribner's old magazines, showed in favor of Dittmar 

 powder, every shot made with equal loads of each. 1 am so 

 thoroughly convinced of the many advantages in favor of the 

 Dittmar powder for sporting purposes tbat I shall never use 

 any other kind when I can get it, and have, no hesitancy in 

 recommending its use in all kind of shot-gun shooting at game 

 or target. There are others of our club having used ihe Ditt- 

 mar who are ready at any time, to add like testimonials, 

 among which are 0. D., D. B., and J. A., of Tan Buren, the 

 first, 0. D,, the best shot in Western Arkansas. 



Biohtj. Thurston. 



A Dittmar Cos vest. —Springfield, Mass.,AprUYI.—l have 

 been verv much interested in reading the reports from some 



enough, and to obviate this I use first \ dr. black and place on 

 this 3 drs. of the Dittrnar .bringing the charge to 3j drs., which 

 I consider enough for any "field shooting. I use on the 

 powder three wads— one Eley waterproof Na 12, and two 

 Eley pink edge No. 11. They should be placed perfectly 

 even and solid, but no necessity of hard ramming. On the 

 shot Iuse either a 12 Baldwin or cardboard wad. I shall be 

 pleased if some brother sportsman will try this formula and 

 report, particularly if he has not been able to use the Dittmar 

 satisfactorily. T fear the new kind will be too slow, but we 

 will see and not condemn it beforehand. H. 



Dittmar Fowdkk.— Would "Wood Duck" give the exact 

 plan upon which he loaded tbe shells with Dittmar powder, 

 which cave him such good results as stated in Foekst and 

 Stream of tbe 13th nit? I think every shooter of any ex- 

 perience has his own mode, which in his eyes is the best. 



M. B. 



—See Bogardus' advertisement. 



PIGEON MATCHES. 



New Tote Gcn Club— Bergen Point, JV. ,/., May 8 —Sweepstakes 

 BhootiDK at the opening of the club grotnxls ; so -yards boundary, live 

 traps, two barrels, club Tales (smeDded Hur.ingtiaru): 



W Tell, is yards I 1111-5 W Stcne, 24 yard* n 1 1— 2 



II Hehlin, "24 yards.... till 1—6 UB Greer. 23 yards.. .a Oil 0—2 



O Bntler, 2S yards 1 ill 1-5 Dr Zellner. SO yards ..0 1 1 w 



E Ba iuon, H yan1*....l 1 1 1-4 S Armsfoug. 26 -sards.O 1 1 w 



JLneai', 24 yards 1 Oil 1—4 I. Wright, 28 yauls. . .0 1 1 w 



DrBaiuiu, 25;aru*....l 1 1 1-4 



Ties divided first, second and third. 



Classltied sweepstakes, 80 yards bonndary : 



'Armstrong, 29 5ards...l 1 1 1 1—6 *W Tell, 29 yards 1 1 1 1 0—4 



•ManuiDg, 28 yards 1 1 11 1—5 *L Johns, 2S yards 1 10 1 1—4 



•Salmon, 24 y8rds 1 1111-5 "CButler,29 yauls. ...1 1 1 1 0—4 



•stone, 24 yards l 111 1—5 Logan, 25 yards 1 1 1— s 



•Dr Zellner, 31 jurfls..0 111 1—4 H Beblln, 85 yards... 0111 0—8 

 'Dr Barton, 25 yards... 1 10 1 1—4 FHLee, 24 yardjs 111 0—3 



Unknown and Warner withdrew. 



* Lett first and second money to next shoot. 



Shkkwsbukt Ocx Cldb.— Red Bank, S, J., May 5,— Ninth match for 

 gold cinb medal ; Parker revolving traps, screened ; IS vards ; ties, 21 

 yards : 



GHWild 1 1110111110111 1— IS 



GFMaredei) 1 1010111111111 1—13 



LB Campbell 1 1111110011111 0—12 



U O White 1 1111111111110 1—14 



.! B Bergen .1 11 11 1 1 11 11 I 1 1—18 



CHSUllwell 1 1111111111111 0—14 



A R Coleman 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0-10 



a W r Morford l llllllOlllllo o— 13 



TteB on fonrteen. 

 White 1 l 1 1 1—6 Stillwell l 11 1—4 



MINNESOTA— Beater Falls, April 25.— Kfdwocd Falls Fnortrmen's 

 Olub; match lor the cbtinpien baogc held by Horace Daniels; all 

 matches shot rrcm Beg arc'ns pivot screen trap ; 18 yards rise, Bo- 

 gardus ra'ea ■■ 



H Daniels 1 mill 11111111111101111 1—24 



G Bohn ,..i-l 111100 111110101111001 1—17 



Second match. 



H Daniels 1 11.11111111111111111111 1—25 



GBohn 111111111110000111011111 1—20 



Third a.steh. 



HDanlels 1 11111111111111111111111 1—25 



TM Paine 1 lllllllllllllllliollioi 1-23 



Daniels, you will see, broke 74 cm of 75. He has only shot a short 

 time at trap. Is this Lot better than the average 7 T. M. P. 



Wisconsin— Baraboo. April 27.— Sci 

 and inks, IS yards rise: 



Brewer 1 1 



Kavtoek 1 1 



Saare 1 1 



Metcalf ... 1 



Whistance 1 1 



t glass balls; Bogardns trap 



11111110 

 11111111 

 11111011 

 10 10 1 

 110 110 



1 1—1. 



1 0—14 

 1 1—14 



1111 e— 10 



10 1—10 

 Fn. H. 

 The Glass Ball Match.— The medal now held by Master Eugene 



Brgardue, and for irl'lch he has received no challenge, is to be put up 

 under the same conditions as before— 100 glass balls, Bogardus rules— 

 and to be shot for at. Kieinman's Shooting Park, Chicago, 111., May 20. 



,„ a good report — 

 Borne five years ago I purchased and tried to use some of the 

 powder in a muzzle-loader. 1 could do nothing with it. I 

 emptied the contents of my flask on the ground and set fire 

 to H. From that time until this spring I have not tried it, 

 but have been watching the leports of those who have. The 

 first of Match 1 put chased some of the C brand from Lovell 

 & Bon, Boston, and used it in an eight-pound Fox gun. My 

 charges on the first trial were 3^ drs. of powder and l|oz. 

 Willi ibis charge, at forty-seven yards, 1 put 

 fifty five Inside a SOrinch ring, and nearly one-tbird of that 

 number passed 1I1 tough an inch pine board. Therscoil was 

 nothing, so 1 increased my charge to Sk dts. powder, which 

 Vvill bi tflnd no trouble in using the Ditt- 



mar powaer. 1 put two pink-edge wads (No. 11 for lSshcll 

 paper, ISo, 10 for brats) over powder; commou cardboard 

 ebet. 1 press the wada well down on the powder, but 



,,,'• pound them in loadings then turn the shell down 

 well- 1 shall always use the Dittmai powder as long as Mr. 

 Dittmar c> 11 limits 10 give as good an article as this I am using. 

 I find it quick enough tOBuil me. Ihaveused oowders thatcost 

 more, boih Hagard's Electric and Orange Lightning, but none 

 equals Ibe DillmsT. Being wholly disinterested, I merely 

 give my experience for the benefit of those wishing to use 

 this powdi 1 I will inlorm Mr. Birt tbat if he will get the 

 O brand of Dittmai powder and load his shells with 34 or3^ 

 dts. and lj! oz, shot, he will stick them in a board at forty or 

 ., 'yards. S.N.Jones. 



DniMAK Vow mm.— Philadelphia, March 21.— Editor Forest 

 and Stream I have observed such a variety of experiences, 

 and read so many different opinions concerning Dittmar 

 powder, that, with your permission, I will give my own. 

 First, then, I have not found it to lose strength by age or to 

 injure the barrels, using tie O brand, made, as Mr. Dittmar 



§achting and §odting. 



YACHTING NEWB. 

 Pbaotioal Boat Sailing.— It is with pleasure that we can 

 announce the appearance before long of a little work on practi- 

 cal beat tailing by an esteemed contributor to our columns, 

 Gen. Douglass Frazar, of Boston, whose letters over the sig- 

 nature " Fusil " our readers will, no doubt, recall with pleas- 

 ure. Literature of a nautical character ib something so scarce 

 in America that any addition to the same will be welcomed 

 by all who desire to see us take rank with our British cousins 

 in this respect. English works are excellent in their way, 

 but are not always applicable to the different circumstances 

 under which the sport is carried on with us, and this new 

 book on boat sading will fill a gap long existing, as we know 

 from the many inquiries received for just such a work. 

 Further notice will appear in our book reviews. 



South Camden (N. J.J Yaobt Club.— The officers of this 

 club are as follows : Com., W. Harper, yacht Feeney ; Vice- 

 Corn., 3. K. Sweeney, yacht Sweeney; Rear-Com., \V. How- 

 ell, yacht Qnavg; Pres., W. Harper; Sec'y, G. Davis; 

 Treas., W. Weaver. 



Cleveland (Ohio) Yachting Association.— Officers 

 elected lor the Year : Com., G. W. Gardner; Vice-Corn., F. 

 B. Merchant ; Bear-Corn., W. Sbipman ; Sec'y- W. P. Fran, 

 cis; Tieas., H. O. Phelps; Measurer, H. Gerlach ; Executive 

 and Begatia Committee, F. H, Smead, Chairman ; R. E. Gill- 

 W. Gerlacb, B. D. Mix and B. Lyman. 



BrFFALO Yacht Club.— A commtttee has been appointed, 

 composed of Messrs. P. C. Doyle, F. E. Nettleton, G. G. 

 Smith, E. E. Benedict, C. M. Coidell and Clarence L. Bry- 

 ant, to consult with the Fourth of July Committee of the 

 Commou Council in regard to getting an appropriation to as- 

 sist in making ibe rropesed regatta a success. 



We are glad to see tbe establishment of an annual mu- 

 nicipal regatta in Buffalo. Other cities might follow this ex- 

 ample to advantage, New York among them. 



Maine Items.— Mr. T. H. Wyman, of Sebec, Maine, has 

 built a sharpie 88ft. over all, 7ft. besm, with a 7ft. centre- 



board and two masts 35ft., with leg-of-mutton rig. Robert 

 Bottomly has launched his catamaran, and Mr. F. M Ford 

 has put a 31ft. mast and 18ft. boom in his cat-boat. Boating 

 mattere are reported brisk in that neighborhood. 



The Question op Ttfe. — A "practical" yachtsman— if 

 life-long sailing can make one such — has this to say on rig 

 and hull : " I have the lines of a ten-ton cutter ready, and 

 will build next winter. With her under my feet I would sail 

 to New York to see you ; but you won't catch me trying those 

 larks even in a twenty-ton sloop. My new design is yawl 

 rigged— next best to cutter ; some think better." We are 

 evidently not alone in our preferences, but have the indorse- 

 ment of all who have bad experience in the sloop and cutter 

 type in rough water. 



Another Cutter.— A handsome cutter is being laid down 

 in Greenpoint to the order and from the plans of Mr. Roose- 

 velt Schuyler. She will be 32ft. over all, 20ft. 6in. water- 

 line, 7ft. beam moulded, and oft. 2in. draft ; displacement, 7 

 tons ; hull, 2 tons ; 3 tons lead on keel and 2 tons lead inside; 

 flush deck, with oft. cabin height, and oft. 6in. under sky- 

 light. "When finished she will be a fair representative of the 

 type. 



The Old Una.— The "old Una" is still at Portsmouth, 

 N. H. She has been thoroughly overhauled and her sloop 

 rig changed to a schooner. Competent judges say that since 

 her new rig has been put on her speed has decreased very 

 materially, so much so that there are a number of fishermen 

 in port that can outsail her. The steam yacht James Samson, 

 ot Dover, N. H., has changed hands. She now belongs in 

 Kittery, and runs as ferry between that place and[Portsmoutb. 

 The different parts of the new light on York Nnble, Me., 

 have arrived and are being put in position. W. A. G. 



Le Yacht— Our French contemporary, with its usual com- 

 mendable enterprise, publishes a series of plans of the Her- 

 resheff catamaran. This kind of craft should " take " on the 

 waters of the Seine, especially about Argenteuil and tbe 

 lower reaches of the river. 



Rowing at Binghaitton, N. Y.— The ice in the Susque- 

 hanna has broken up, according to the Morning -Republican, 

 and the rowing clubs have a clear course. 



Bevebly (N. J.) Yacht Club.— This is the name of an 

 organization effected last fall, at Beverly on the Delaware 

 River. Officers for the year : President, C. H. Feast ; Com- 

 modore, E. D. Cooke ; Vice-Commodore, L. C. Osmond ; 

 Treasurer, Seth W. Holt ; Secretary, C. C. Warner. The 

 club owns twelve small yachts. 



Easteen Yaoht Club. — In tbe proposition made to tbe 

 Light House Board, April 10, the committee of the Eastern 

 Yacht Club has undertaken a real service to yachtsmen and 

 coasters alike. The committee, consisting of Messrs. Ed. 

 Burgess, Herbert Wadsworth, T. Dennie Boardman and B. 

 Nicholson Kane, Commodore N. Y. Y r . C, suggests that for 

 better distinguishing at night between the buoys and beacons 

 certain differences in shape be adhered to besides difference 

 in color, " that all (say) red spar buoys might bear at the top 

 a cask, ball or some similar object, which, as far as tbe 

 buoy could be Eeen at all, would at once make known its 

 nature. In this case the absence of such marks would equally 

 distinguish all black buoys. Where " nun " or " can " Duoys 

 are now used tl.o same system could be carried out by con- 

 fining the ' nuns ' to one side of the channel and the 'cans' 

 to the other." 



Boston Yaoht Cldti.— In the "open to all" match to be 

 sailed under the auspices of this club on June 21, the follow- 

 ing classes will be adhered to: Schooners— First class, 38ft. 

 and over ; second class, 20ft. and under 88ft. Sloops — First 

 class, 38ft. and over; second class, centreboards, 20ft. and 

 under 38ft,; third class, centreboards, 20ft, and under 2Gft.; 

 third class, keels, 20ft. and under 20It.; fourth class, all under 

 20ft. In the second and third classes of sloops, the keels and 

 centre-boards are separated, and in all others no distinction is 

 made. Measurements will be one-third of the overhang added 

 to the length on tbe water-line. Allowance will be made ac- 

 cording to the Herreshoff table. Hero we have a fine pros- 

 pect of a race between keels and boards in the schooner 

 classes and among the first class sloops without allowances to 

 the keels. 



Eastern Items. — The famous sloop Viking, of Boston, one 

 of Lawlor's best models, noticed in previous issues of this 

 paper, will have a new house wilh 0ft. 3in. headroom. She 

 is also to have heavier sticks than formerly. Esperance, 39ft. 

 water-line, has bad 4in. more free-board given her, and a 



mast 40ft. long, boom 39ft., gaff 21ft., topmast 20ft Mr. 



Thos. Armstrong's new schooner Moneymiuk, is said to be a 

 powerful ship. She is 40ft. long with spars as follows : Main- 

 mast, 45ft.; foremast, 44ft.; topmasts, 16tt.; bowsprit, 14ft. 

 outboard. Seven tons of ballast will help her keep her legs 



The venturesome Louis G. Goldsmith, who has nothing 



else to do in life but to try and get the cramps in a trip across 

 the ocean in the little boat built for him by Smith, of South 

 Boston, has named bis boat the Uncle Sam. 



San Francisco Yacht Club.— The new club-bouse of the 

 S. F. Y. p„ near the ferry lauding at. Saucelito, was formally 

 opened April 18 with a ball and festivities of a most enjoy- 

 able kind, two hundred members and their guests being 

 present. Nothing but 0,000 miles of rail prevented our be- 

 ing present upon the occasion, and we must therefore draw 

 upon our correspondents for an account of the sailing events 

 with which the occasion was suitably supplemented. The 

 fleet mustered fairly strong, and lay lo their moorings in 

 close order off tbe club-house. The evening looked so dirty 

 that only the schooner Consiuh (Vice-Commodore Sprec- 

 kels) and the yawl Jled Cross (nee Sappho), Captain Critten- 

 den, got under way as per original progiamme, at 7£ p.m., 

 for a run to Vallejo, a distance of 28 miles. The wind was 

 quartering and blowing stiff from the SE., accompanied with 

 rain. 1 be Con&udo and the Cross, however, made good 

 work of it with the flood tide, fetching in after a spirited 

 run of a little over two hours, the little yaw] doing most of 

 the distance tinder jib and " driver " — as our San Francisco 

 friends designate ibe yawl's "mizzen." The yawl Frolic, 

 with Commodore Harrison's flag at the masthead, got un- 

 derweigh next morning, bound on a week's cruise to Suisun 

 Bay, with a patty of ladies on board. Our correspondent 

 writes enthusiastically about the handiness of the yawl rig, 

 now tbe favorite of all in Pacific waters. The lied Cross, 

 while sailing under her old name Sappho, and in the bands 

 of her present skipper, having once carried away her rud- 

 der, was upon a previous occasion worked 30 miles, from 

 the southern end ol San Francisco Bay to Oakland Creek, 

 with only a pull now and then at the sheets. " This, with 

 only two men in a 40-foot craft and a stiff breeze, 1 call sea- 

 manship! This could not be done with any other rig. Our 

 San Francisco yawl is the best rig in the world for any boat 



