FOREST AND STREAM. 



21 



Length of Roots.— Prof . Beal, of Michigan, who has 

 given special attention to this subject, furnishes the Country 

 Gentleman with the following interesting facts from his 

 forthcoming Report: — 



"The nature of the soil has much to do. with the length 

 and number of roots. In light, poor soil, I find roots of 

 June grass four feet below the surface. People are apt to 

 underestimate the length, amount, and importance of the 

 roots of the finer grasses, wheat, oats, etc. A young wheat 

 plant when pulled up only shows a small part of its roots. 

 They often go down four or six feet, or more. The roots of a 

 two-year-old peach tree in light soil were found seven feet 

 four'inches long. In dry, light soil, this season we_ pulled 

 up one parsnip three feet and a half long. Of course 

 smaller roots went down still farther. The noted bufialo 

 grass on the dry western prairies is described in the agri- 

 cultural reports at Washington as having very short roots; 

 but Mr. Felker, one of our college graduates, found, where 

 a well was being dug, that the roots went down seven feet. 

 The roots grow'best where the best food is to be found. 

 They grow in greater or less quantity in every direction. 

 If a root meets with good food, it flourishes and sends 

 out numerous branches. Roots do not "search" for food, 

 as vegetable physiologists now understand it. Many of the 

 smaller roots of trees die every Autumn when the leaves 

 die, and others die in Spring. 



Near a cherry tree in my yard was a rustic basket, with- 

 out bottom, filled with rich soil. On removing the basket 

 and earth which had been there several^ years, cherry roots 

 were found in large numbers, in this rich soil. Roots in 

 such soil will grow up just as well as down. 

 -*-«-»» 



Forests and Climate. — The question as to the nature 

 and extent of the influence which forests exercise on cli- 

 mates commands the thoughtful attention of many careful 

 observers. Among the more recent presented with a view 

 to establishing the affirmative of the argument, viz : that 

 the climate and other physical conditions of our globe are 

 certainly modified by the existence or removal of forests, 

 is that of M. J. Clave, in the last number of the Revue des 

 Deux Mondes. After repeating with renewed emphasis the 

 well-known points regarding the prevention of evapora- 

 tion and sudden snow-thaws^where the land is wooded, the 

 writer suggests a possible effect which forests may have on 

 producing rain, which is certainly worthy of consideration. 

 Forests are obstacles to atmospheric movements, hence, 

 when rapidly-moving air-currents come in contact with 

 them, their onward course is checked, and they are forced 

 upward. As a result of this movement, the layers above 

 are compressed and so compelle dto yield up some of their 

 moisture. Another interesting fact is noticed with regard 

 to the influence of forests upon hailstorms, which is to 

 check them. An instance of this is given, to the effect 

 that during one of these storms in France, it was observed 

 that when, during its onward course a forest was encount- 

 ered, the hail was changed to rain, the hail being resumed 

 in the unwooded country beyond. 



■ -*■♦*»- 



Liquid Manure for Pot Plants.— Continuous water- 

 ings, especially when the pots are small, and the plants 

 comparatively large, have a tendency to make the earth 

 poor. An occasional watering with liquid manure is a 

 benefit in such cases. Decayed cow manure is excellent 

 for the purpose, but the kind is of no great moment. Do 

 not make it strong. Use enough manure to make the 

 water the color of weak tea. This is the best rule for 

 making it that we can give. Only growing plants are ben- 

 efitted by its use. 



r )it Mmnel. 



Another Dog Show. — A preliminary meeting in refer- 

 ence to holding a bench show of dogs was held at Newark 

 on Saturday evening last. Some of the most prominent 

 citizens of that city were present, and after the appoint- 

 ment of an executive committee, the meeting adjourned, 

 to meet again the first of October at the Park House in 

 Newark. Full particulars of the meeting will be given in 



our next issue. 



~*»*- 



— There will be a bench show of dogs at Manchester, 

 New Hampshire, 7th. 8th, 9th, and 10th of September. 

 The premium list in 22 classes of dogs, is very large. 

 — , -*-•♦■ 



—We have just received from Mr. L. H. Smith, of 

 Strathroy, Can., a very fine picture of his famous im- 

 ported field trial setter dog, Paris. It is a rare thing for us 

 to see a picture presenting finer points. 



. -+•«* 



Free Transportation for Dogs.— In addition to the 

 three Railroad Companies which we mentioned last week 

 as having decided to carry sportsmen's* dogs over their 

 lines free of charge; we are now enabled to give that of the 

 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. We print a copy of a 

 recent notice of the company to Hon. J. V. Le Moine, 

 President of the National Sportsmen's Association, who 

 has been -greatly instrumental in bringing about this new 

 order of things, so much to be appreciated by sportsmen. 

 We hope the Railway Companies will be gainers by their 



liberality:— 



[copy.] 



General Superintendent's Office, } 



Chicago, August 9th, 1875. f 



J. V. Le Moine, Esq. 



Dear Sir— Orders wilt be issued to Train Baggagemen to carry free 

 in baggage cars dogs belonging to passengers. 



Yours truly, (Signed) R. Harris, Gen'l Snpt. 



Follicular Mange.— Last year you published a letter of 

 mine referring to a new skin disease in dogs, which had 

 attracted the notice of Dr. Sparks, and from whose paper 

 thereou you made some extracts. The conclusion then ar- 

 rived at was, that the disease was due to a minute parasite 

 found in the hair follicle, and that it was incurable. I then 

 mentioned that we were experimenting with a view to find 

 a remedy, and I now offer the result of our work to your 

 readers. In conjunction with Mr. Duguid, the veterinary 

 surgeon to the Brown Institution, I have seen and treated a 

 number of cases, and we have reason to believe we have 

 found a radical cure. Having tried sulphur, mercurial 



ointment, green iodide of mercury, carbolic acid, iodid^ 

 of sulphur, and other agents with no success, we adopted 

 creosote, but not at first with much benefit. Thinking that 

 possibly a strong alkali might, by softening and breaking 

 up the cuticular layers of the skin, facilitate the penetra- 

 tion of the drug, we used a mixture of oil and creosote, to 

 which was added a strong solution of caustic potass. This 

 dressing seemed to be efficacious, and after a few experi- 

 ments we adopted the following formula: Creosote, 1 

 part, olive oil, 14 do., solution of potass, 2 do. This acts 

 admirably, and has cured every case, save one, upon which 

 we have used it. The exception was a very small toy ter- 

 rier, and suggests that no small or weak dog may be able 

 to stand a dressing of sufficient strength to destroy the 

 parasites. All cases of follicular mange are obstinate, and 

 require time to cure. It is safe to allow twelve weeks as 

 the minimum, so that we can decide at once whether or 

 not a dog is worth the trouble and expense. Some extreme 

 cases may require seven or eight months to effect a radical 

 cure, though only rarely. All cases must have allowance 

 made for the renewal of hair on those parts which the dis- 

 ease has left bare. The proper treatment of follicular 

 mange requires not only the regular use of the parsiticide 

 above mentioned, but occasional thorough washings with 

 warm water and plenty of soap. A dog generally requires 

 dressing about twice a week, and each dressing should be 

 applied" after Hie dog has been well washed, and become 

 dry. To limit the disease and prevent its spreading, the 

 hair around each spot should he shaved off for an inch or 

 so on the sound skin, and in very bad cases it is good pol- 

 icy to shave the entire animal. The skin diseases of the 

 dog, though usually described under the single term 

 mange, are many and various. To detect this particular 

 disease the parasite must be sought for with the micro- 

 scope, and then treatment can be carried out rationally and 

 systematically. Diagnosis of skin disease without the 

 microscope is very uncertain, and even tolerably experi- 

 enced persons may confuse red mange, common mange, 

 and follicular mange, all of which require separate and 

 different treatment. I must in fairness add that the chief 

 credit of the treatment found so successful is due to Mr. 

 Duguid. — Wm. Hunting, in Land and Water. 



A Great Loss to the American Kennel. — We record 

 with marked regret the death of the beautiful, affection- 

 ate, and finely bred red Irish setter bitch, Bess, owned by 

 that thorough sportsman, "Ajax," which occurred in 

 Brooklyn on the 1st inst. • Bess, imported by her owner in 

 1874, was by Haitian's Pat (lately a prize winner in Ire- 

 land), and her dam was Ity the celebrated Hutchinson's 

 Bob. But her chief fame in this country was won through 

 her progeny by "Ajax's" celebrated red setter, Dash, and it 

 is probable none better were ever bred here. Dash and 

 Bess took the two first prizes at Watertown Show, 1875, 

 as best Irish setter dog and bitch. We sympathize with 

 "Ajax" in his loss, which indeed is a loss to American 

 sportsmen. — Turf, Meld and Farm. 



COLOR OF THE SETTER. 



Savannah, Ga., July 31st, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



I have seen in your issue of July 8th a letter from Mr. Arnold Burges, 

 with reference to color in setters, and I must say I am surprised to read 

 such a communication from so learned a geutlemau. First, he condemns 

 liver and liver and white in setters, and gives Ms authorities— authori- 

 ties whose theories are without any foundation, as I can prove. One of 

 these, Stonehenge, he says, considers liver, liver and white, and liver 

 and tan as low grades of color; that they too often indicate a cross with 

 either the pointer or water spaniel. Now, of what color is there a setter 

 that you cannot find a pointer or some other breed of dogs which has a 

 similar color, and if a cross is indicated in the one case, why not in the 

 other? I would as soon look for a cross in a black and white as in any 

 color, for there are black, black and white water spaniels, springer 

 spaniels, cockers and pointers, and I can find as many setters of impure 

 blood of any color you can mentio i as there are of liver, or liver and 

 white. "Dmks," another of Mr. Burges' authorities, omits even men- 

 tioning black, orange and white, and lemon, and white, as well as liver, 

 and liver and white, while Stonehenge considers them first-class colors. 

 With this exception one is only a copy of the other's theory, without 

 any base to build upon, each having his favorite color, none other being 

 good in his opinion. 



Our dog judges and would-be teachers of this country and England too 

 often take their own or their friend's kennel as a base to bui.d their 

 judgment upon. English writers admit that their setters have been 

 crossed with pointers and other breeds of dogs, so much so that as far 

 back as the year 1800 they differed entirely from the land spaniel or Irish 

 setter t and in the face of this they take certain colors as a basis to incti 

 cate the purity of blood of an English setter, which any one of good 

 judgment would deem ridiculous, seeing they try to condemn one of the 

 oldest colors of the setter, which is liver and white; and the reason why 

 no fancy breeder in England has adopted this color is, that it was too 

 common for any one of them to claim as his strain, and this is why the 

 dogs so marked have no noble title, such as tha Gordon and Laverack. 

 Pride of the Border is the one swallow which would have been con- 

 ' demned had it not been for his noble name. 



Lord Gordon bred for color, and this color, according to English 

 judges, must be black and tan. English writers state that in the best 

 strains of the Gordon, red, orange, and black and tan, with "white feet 

 and frill will appear. On the bench, red, orange, and black, tan and 

 White would not be considered, and a black and tan from the same litter 

 might take the prize. The judges stick to color, but Lord Gordon could 

 not. Laverack also bred for color; black and white, and black, tan and 

 white, and after forty years there comes one of the condemned color- 

 liver and white. 



Mr. Burges says that our sportsmen will be constantly imposed upon 

 by unscrupulous dealers, if color is not adopted in this country as in 

 England, or words to that effect . If color is to be the standard of good 

 setters the unscrupulous dealers will profit considerably by it, for they 

 can palm their black and tan for Gordons, red for Irish setters, and 

 black and white for Laveracks. I have seen red dogs sold, and that 

 very recently, for Irish setters, and at extremely high pricrs, that would 

 require a microscope to find the Irish in them, possessing not a single 

 point, save their red color, to show they were such. 



Dinks places black and tan among the best bred. If color is to be ac- 

 cepted as the standard for well bred dogs, this color, and black, white 

 and tan— which are not the colors of a setter, as a careful examina- 

 tion of Mr. Burges' authorities will show— will be sufficient in itself to 

 show that the English writers and judges take to color as to fashion or 

 prejudice. The old writers, as well as those of the present day, admit 

 that the English setter is a cross of the land spaniel and Spanish pointer, 

 and the Irish setter is the land spaniel. Dinks, Frank Forester and 

 Stonehenge do not claim black and tan for the Irish setter, and say if 

 tan is one of the markings on a pointer it indicates a cross of the hound. 

 If this be the case, how is It that black and tan is such a fine color and 

 indicates a pure English setter, when this color and the feather would 

 indicate there was a cross of the spaniel, pointer, hound, and Newfound- 

 land dogs. There must be Newfoundland in him to give him this long 

 feather, for it is longer than the spaniel's, and could not be had from 



the pointer or hound. This is the mixture that the learned authorities 

 quoted by Mr. Burges place at the head of the list of colors. They 

 never stop to consider' whether the dog's actions belie his color, but 

 raise him up to a high standard over the liver and white, which, as a 

 color, do not possess these qualities which the black and tan and black, 

 white and tan possess, as I will show. These setters are, as a class, 

 (those with tan, I mean) gun shy; the liver and white are not. The tan 

 marked are hard to break and easy to forget, unless constantly worked, 

 which is not the case with the liver and Avhite. Then, too, they have a 

 greater variety of positions in pointing, and can go longer without water 

 than a setter of any other color. Had the authorities of Mr. Burges 

 taken such points as these to condemn the liver and white, there would 

 be some foundation for their theories. 



Frank Forester says the Irish setter is the original type of the En- 

 glish setter; that he— the English setter— is found of ad colors, and that 

 the colors of the Irish dog are red, red and white, or yellow and white 

 spotted. In this he contradicts himself ; for if these be the only colors 

 of the Irish dogs, how can the English setter be black, black and white, 

 black and tan, or entirely white? Liver, and liver and wh'te, he thinks, 

 indicate a cross of the pointer or water spaniel; here, too, he contra- 

 dicts himself in this way: He condemns the dropper, and states that in 

 a well kept kennel such whelps would be consigned to the horse pond, 

 and with the Irish sportsmen, who are very choice with their setters, a 

 cross even with the English setter would be regarded as a blemish. It is 

 a fact well known that there are a greater number of liver and white set- 

 ters in Treland than there are of any other color, which proves them to 

 be of the best blood. Richards, author of the "Irish Fossil Deer," 

 states that liver and white are the usual colors of the English setter, 

 and with this we will leave him and take up the Irish dog. 



Mr. Burges states that the Irish setter cannot be liver and white, and 

 that there is no authority in the world which gives him this color; which 

 shows he has not examined all the authorities that can be referred to. 

 In answer to a letter written by me to a gentleman who spent over forty 

 years in Ireland, traveling all over the country— one well posted on the 

 Irish setters, and a good sportsman— I received the following with ref- 

 erence to the color: "I have seen," says he, "full bred setters red, red 

 and white, black, liver, liver and white, and yellow. Yon cannot deter- 

 mine an Irish setter from his color. My friend, you ought to know and 

 to be a good judge of such an one, for you have seen fine Ones yourself 

 in Ireland." A gentleman, writing from North Wales to the Spirit of 

 the Times, under date of Juno 22d, 1872, says with reference to this sub- 

 ject: "Such cast iron rules as to what should be the color of an Irish 

 setter, would leave us few good ones, and would exclude some of the 

 very best of that breed. Facts show us that Irish setters of the very 

 purest blood can be and very often are of almost every color." As for 

 liver, and liver and white, what is it as a color when applied to dogs, 

 English setters or pointers? It is any shade of brown, from a dark bay 

 to almost black; chestnut is one of the shades included in the colors of 

 an Irish setter, and comes under the head of liver. "Old Calibar," one 

 of the oldest writers for the London Field, advertises full-blooded, chest- 

 nut Irish setters for sale. In "The Dog," by William Youatt, we find: 

 'Many Irish sportsmen were exceedingly careful to preserve the breed 

 pure; nothing of thg pointer can be traced in them, although different 

 in appearance rrom the English or Scotch setter. The Irish sportsmen 

 are, perhaps, a little too much prejudiced with regard to particular col- 

 ors: their dogs are very red, red and white, lemon colored, or all white, 

 patched with deep chestnut. The "Field Book; or, Sports and Pastimes 

 of the United Kingdoms," compiled from the best authorities, ancient 

 and modern, by the author of "Wild Sports of the West," published in 

 1833, places dark chestnut and white, or all red, as the colors of the Irish 

 setter. R. B. Thornhill's "Shooting Directory," published in London in 

 1804, (page 66) says: "There is not a country in Europe that can boast 

 finer setters than Ireland. They are there called English spaniels, and 

 differ widely from the setters of England and Scotland. They are not 

 esteemed in Ireland unless their color is either a deep chestnut and white, 

 or all red, A black and white setter, or any color but red, or red and 

 white, would not be looked upon or reputed well bred, allowing them to 

 be ever so good." This work was written in 1801— seventy-four years 

 ago — and as to color ought to be considered the best authority. 



All of the authorities quoted by Mr. Burges admit that red is qn§ of 

 the colors of the Iris"h dog. Dinks and Frank Forester give no particu- 

 lar shade of red. Stonehenge gives blood red, strained with port wine. 

 This is all the English judges give to base their opinion on, which opin- 

 ion must be only as to the shade of red. The union of crimson with the 

 color of port wine would give a mixture in color very much like liver, 

 and not one of Mr. Burges' authorities deny liver red to be one of the 

 colorB of the Irish dog. R. B. Thornhill, already quoted, says that 

 chestnut is the shade of red. Examine a chestnut and you will find it 

 to be liver color, or a shade darker. Webster's definition of red is, that 

 it is the color of blood. Now, there are different shades of blood— dark 

 and light— for he considers liver as red. If liver, then, is one of the 

 shades of red, as Webster says it is, it becomes only a matter of name, 

 red, liver, or chestnut being only different names for the color of the 

 Irish dog. Further, the red of former times, as applied to dogs, and the 

 so-called red of to-day, are entirely different. One is a deep chestnut, 

 or liver red; the other is a light red— a cross from the orange and chest- ' 

 nut. I have never seen a dog of the pure liver red, except the Irish set- 

 ter. The so-called liver of the water spaniel and pointer is not really a 

 liver color, for it lacks the peculiar shade or tinge of red which the liver 

 has, and no cross from them would produce the liver red of the Irish 

 setter, so much admired by Irish sportsmen; so much so that as far back 

 as 1790, two hundred and fifty guineas were paid for a brace of them, 

 that being a common price. 



I am the party referred to by Mr. Burges, in speaking of the brace of 

 Irish setters purchased by a gentleman in Georgia, the dog liver and 

 white. I have a brace of imported Irish setters, the bitch dark chestnut 

 with every mark of full blood, the dog deep chestnut and white, and as 

 fine a specimen of the Irish setter as I have seen in this country or in 

 Ireland. His dimensions are as follows, and you can judge for yourself- 

 Nose to end of stern, 4 feet 4 inches; girth behind fore shoulder, 2 feet 

 41 inches; round top of fore leg, 10^ inches; round cranium, 1 foot 5 in- 

 ches; length of head, 10 inches; inner corner of eye to end of nose 4 

 inches; length of stern, allowing 3 inches cut off, 1 foot 3 inches; height, 

 2 feet 1|- inches; ears reaching to the end of the nose. I have one litter 

 of whelps from this pair of dogs, and I want no better evidence of their 

 purity of blood than to see these puppies point and stand steady at five 

 weeks of age. 1 bought the dogs from Mr. Wm. G. Parker, of Mt. Pal- 

 atine, 111., arfd to-day I would not take three times the amount I paid for 

 them. Were I to place my dogs on the bench and the judges were to 

 rule them out because-they were entered as liver and white Irish setter?, 

 it would not be the first time I have seen judges more ignorant than ex- 

 hibitors. 



Understand me when I say that the liver red, or chestnut, is the pure 



color of the Irish setter. I do not condemn any color. With me, if a 



dog has all the qualities of a good one, color will not make him bad! 



J. P. White. 

 . -»•»- . 



Lancaster, Penn., August 9th, 1875." 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — 



Having noticed some communications in the late issues cf your much 

 valued paper in regard to fleas on dogs, and the best mode of destroying 

 them, I have concluded to give my experience, which has never failed 

 having two fine pointers as subjects. In the first place, if the dog has 

 fleas they are also in the kennel. The first thing to doris to clean out his 

 domicil; throw away or turn the bedding, and whitewash inside and out- 

 side, then put in new bedding (pine shavings are the best), and o-et ten 

 cents worth of Persian Insect Powder from the nearest drug store and 

 distribute it over the bedding; so much for the kennel. Take your doo- 

 and give him a thor@ugh washing wilh Irish washing soap (manufactured 

 at Zanesville, Ohio, and for sale by all grocers and soap dealers). I can 

 guarantee that the above will kill every flea, ana by renewing the wash- 

 ing about every two weeks and the powder once a month, you will never 

 be troubled with fleas. There is nothing in the soap or powder that can 

 injure the dog. Pointer.. 



