FOREST AND STREAM, 



277 



The Largest Grapevine in America.— We learn from 

 an exchange that the famous grapevine from Santa Barba- 

 ra California, which is reported to be the largest grapevine 

 in'the world, has been taken up and securely packed, and 

 will be shipped to the Centennial, The history of the vine 

 is peculiar and romantic, and its age is placed at between 

 40 and 100 years, according to different traditions. It has 

 ff rown in the court-yard of an old house, about three miles 

 and a half from the town of Santa Barbara. The trunk 

 is about four feet four inches in circumference at the 

 largest part. It begins to branch six or eight feet from 

 the ground, and is then supported on a frame work, which 

 it covers as a roof. Thus supported, it covers an acre of 

 ground. Several of the limbs are ten inches in circumfer- 

 ence at a distsnce of twenty-five or thirty feet from the 

 trunk. The annual yield of grapes is from 10,000 to 12,000 

 pounds, and the clusters of grapes average, when ripe, 

 from two to two and a half pounds each. 

 ___ — ^» »» — ■■ 



—The sale of short horns, draught horses, and Cotswold 

 sheep, at Toronto, December 4th, was the largest ever held 

 in Canada. The three highest prices paid were, $4,500 

 for "Seventeenth Duke of Airdrie," bought by A. Mc- 

 Clintock of Millersburg, Ky.; $4,000 for "Kirkleighjton 

 Duchess, Eighteenth," bought by H. Cochrane, Compton, , 

 and $3,700 for "Oneida Bose," bought by B. B. Groom, 

 of Kentuchy. The total sum realized wa3 $79,000. 

 — •+• + ■■ — — 



—Lumbering in the Adirondacks promises to be very 

 lively this winter. A number of heavy contracts have 

 been taken by the lumbermen for timber, and the parties 

 will have to secure the services of a minature army of 

 men. Lumbermen are paid from $25 to $35 per month and 

 boarded, according to their worth. 



DOG FARES ON RAILROADS. 



THE Pennsylvania Company, operating the Pittsburgh, 

 Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railway; Erie & Pittsburgh 

 Railroad; Ashtabula, Youngstown & Pittsburgh Railroad; 

 Mansfield, Coldwater & Lake Michigan Railroad; Cleve- 

 land & Pittsburgh Railroad, have issued the following 

 general order to train baggagemen:— 



Chicago, Nov. 24th, 1875. 



From and after Nov. 24th, the rule allowing train baggagemen to col- 

 lect on dogs and guns as their perquisites will be discontinued. 



Hereafter, baggagemen will not be allowed to make any charge on a 

 dog or gun, but may receive any gratuity when voluntarily offered by the 

 passenger. They will be required to receive dogs and guns in the bag- 

 gage car when offered for transportation by a passenger going on same 

 train, and carry them free of charge. Baggagemen will be held respon- 

 sible for the care and prompt delivery of them. They will also make a 

 memorandum of them on their reports, naming the article or animal, 

 stating where received and where left. Hknry Starring, 



F. R. Myers, Gen'l Pass. & Ticket Agt. Gen'l Baggage Agt. 



These regulations seem to cover the ground satifactorily, 

 inasmuch as they insure transportation, (which has here- 

 tofore been denied on some railroads,) and fixes the re- 

 sponsibility of safe carriage and care upon certain specified 

 persons. There has been a difference of opinion as to 

 whether this plan should obtain, or a mileage tariff be 

 adopted. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas R. R., and other 

 railroads, have chosen and put in operation the latter system. 

 The charge is not exhorbitant, and will be cheerfully paid 

 provided safe carriage and proper care of the dogs is guar- 

 anteed. In the respect that this plan makes the companies 

 responsible— we presume for damages, in case of loss by 

 negligence— we prefer it. Besides, the sportsman knows 

 in advance precisely what he has to pay, and does not run 

 the risk of vexatious higgling with such baggagemen as 

 choose to be exacting; for certainly no gentleman would 

 think of accepting their services wtihout proffer of remu- 

 neration, although payment is optional. Neither can it 

 be expected that baggagemen will pay the same careful 

 attention to their charges without reward, as in case of 

 Pay. 



In any case, it is desirable that a uniform regulation be 

 adopted by all the Railroad Companies. It is a satisfac- 

 tion to know, in these days when sportsmen travel great 

 distances in quest of game, that transportation for their 

 dogs is assured. The number of gentlemen who thus travel 

 is very large, and increasing constantly, and railway offi- 

 cials will soon learn, if they have not already done so, that 

 their patronage constitutes a very considerable item of 

 revenue. We feel that their action will benefit all con- 

 cerned, and must offer our congratulations upon the adop- 

 tion of a liberal policy and enlarged views. 

 ^*+» — ■ 



Blub Blood. — A correspondent of the Turf, Field and 

 Farm asks for information, as to what constitutes blue 

 blood in dogs, and alleges that the "Squire" in his report 

 of the Memphis Bench Show and Feld Trial, holds that 

 only blue blood exists in imported dogs. Now let us 

 say that the "Squire" did not, to his regret, attend the 

 Memphis Bench Show, did not write the article alluded to, 

 and does not, after many years of careful breeding, believe 

 that dogs from what are called the best kennels of Europe 

 are better, in any respect, than some strains which have 

 been bred in this country since we first commenced to 

 shoot in 1825. We do not wish to be understood as under- 

 rating foreign bred dogs, or to discourage the importation 

 of them, for by breeding to such, as we have recently to 

 Pride of the Border, we obviate the danger from inbreed- 

 ing, a system which is, in our opinion, carried to too 

 great an extent in some kennels of England. We have 

 owned and shot over a few imported setters and pointers 

 which were good ones, but by crossing them with Ameri- 

 can bred stock we have found the produce to be stronger, 

 more stylish looking, and better dogs in every respect, 



Death of Some Noted Dogs.— Dr. Strachan has had 

 the misfortune to lose his fine setter bitch Flora, well 

 known throughout the South and West. The New York 

 Kennel Club will greatly miss Flora, but still they can 

 hardly complain, as out of eight litters there have been 

 but three deaths after the puppies have reached the age of 

 two months. Dr. Strachan believes in the "selection of 

 the fittest" and but little, if any inbreeding. We have 

 also to report the death of Sir Frederick, owned by Mr. 

 Steele, of Piermont, by Dr. Strachan's Don I, formerly 

 the property of Sir Frederick Bruce. Sir Frederick was a 

 fine dog, five years of age; the cause of his death has not 

 been communicated to us. The breeding of Flora can be 

 seen from the following abstract of pedigree: — 

 FLORA. (iLaverack.) 



Rnby, imp. by Dr. Qautier. 



Dan. 



Mystery. 



Cora. 



Dandy, by Mr. Job- Di, 



ling's Dandy, of Ld bred by Capt. 

 Jet. Duchess. Dash. Moll 3d. Rosslyn's blood, Bruce, Castle 



who took the 20 gui- Dawn, Ireland, 

 nea prize at Newcastle, out of Mr. Langstaff's out of Flirt by 

 Moll, who, three generations back, descended Fred'k, she by 

 from Sir Wm. Redley's Grouse. Duke of Gor- 



don's celebrated dog, Dandy. 

 Cora was sister to Countess and Nellie, owned by Mr. Llewellin, and 

 Duchess was own sister to Mr. Laverack's champion dog, Dash, sire of 

 Cora. 



Dandy and Di were obtained from Mr. Kendward, Esely Court, Herre- 

 ford, Esq., by Dr. Gantier of this city. 



Flora was half sister to Dr. Strachan's zed setter, Rake, one of the 

 handsomest setters going, in or out of the field, and was bred by Dr. 

 Gautier of this city. 



In addition to the above we have just learned of the 

 death of Mr. Chas. E. Coffin's fine old pointer bitch Meg. 

 Meg was of imported stock, twelve years old, and died of 

 old age. She was a dog of considerable local reputation 

 and it was said of her that she never got a bad puppy. 

 There is a young Meg in whom we have a personal interest, 

 and if the young one only inherits the good qualities of the 

 dam, we shall be satisfied. 



*»»+. 



The Brooklyn Dog Show. — It is a matter for regret 

 that a bench show held in a locality so easy of access as 

 Brooklyn should have turned out such a wretched failure 

 as was the attempt last week. For this, however, the 

 gentlemen of the Long Island Poultry Association have 

 only to thank themselves. It could hardly be expected 

 that any owner of a valuable dog would run the risk and 

 care of a three days exhibition for a five dftlar bill. Had 

 the same amount been invested in silver collars or appro- 

 priate trophies of some kind, it would have been much 

 more attractive. Upon being solicited we presented a cup 

 of the value of fifty dollars which we presumed was to be 

 offered as a prize in the Bench Show . Upon receiving the 

 catalogue we were astonished to find that our cup had 

 been donated for a coop of chickens, and we had barely 

 time to substitute a more appropriate offering, for the 

 handsomely embellished affair which would have found a 

 suitable resting place only on the sideboard of some ardent 

 sportsman. Mr. Yon Lengerhke's orange and white set- 

 ter Dash took the first premium in his class. 

 ^»» 



Enormous Dogs. — Mr. Stanley, the Herald^ African ex- 

 plorer, has found, near Lake Victoria, in the interior wilds, 

 near the shore of the lake, a breed of dogs so large as to 

 dwarf his large English mastiffs. 



-*.*- — 



Useless Canines. — Many people, particularly farmers, 

 have a habit of keeping large and ferocious dogs upon 

 their premises, which make it dangerous for either friend 

 or foe to approach the house. Many of these dogs, instead 

 of watching their master's home at night, are predatory in 

 their habits, and wander about the country, killing their 

 neighbors' sheep. Thus, farmers often incur heavy losses 

 while the authors of the mischief frequently remain un- 

 known. But again, ferocious dogs are of no use to any- 

 body. Thieves are never scared by them. The only way 

 a dog can be of real service to a family is to keep a small 

 one in the house at night, letting him have the run of the 

 hall or entry and kitchen. They are better than any 

 "alarm" arrangement costing hundreds of dollars. — Qer- 

 mantown Telegraph. 



«i. i ».. 



Kennbl Produce.— The splendid setter bitch Queen (Blue Belton), 

 purchased by J. J. Seitzinger, Esq., of Philadelphia, from our Field 

 Editor, recently whelped thirteen pups by his fine setter Count, and ev- 

 ery mother's son of them are bitches. Let us hope that at the next ef- 

 fort in the family way that Count and Queen will do better. All but two 

 or three of the pups have been destroyed. 



tar and Miver 



Cure for Distemper. — A writer in the Fanciers'* Gazette 

 suggests garlic as a cure for distemper. The remedy is not 

 a new one, as we tested it many years since and with suc- 

 cess. Still it may be new and of service to some of our 

 readers. This is what the writer in question says of it : — 



"And now, sir, I am anxious to ask j r our readers if any 

 have tried garlic as a prophylactic to distemper. Some 

 years ago there was a letter in Land and Water from a 

 breeder who had suffered greatly from distemper in his 

 kennels, and he had been induced, after considerable hesi- 

 tation, to try garlic, and, as he wrote, with wonderful suc- 

 cess. I have tried it, giving a piece about the size of a bean 

 of the raw bulb twice a week to puppies till they are nine 

 months or a year old, and I have had no fatal cases where 

 it has been given from puppyhood or for a lengthened pe- 

 riod. One of the chief predisposing causes of distemper 

 is cold, and every one is aware of the heating and warm- 

 ing properties of the onion tribe. If garlic is a preventive 

 of distemper (I say if, because I have not tried it long 

 enough to be sure, that is the reason I am asking for the 

 experience of others,) it is a medicine so simple that it is 

 well worth being known. I have noticed, too, that most 

 of the reputed patent specifics in the shape of pills smell 

 strongly of garlic. I know the natural feeling there is at 

 pooh-poohing 'nostrums' of any kind, but I trust that none 

 of your readers, if they reply, will sneer at garlie unless 

 they have tried it fairly, and found it to fail" 



FISH IN SEASON IN DECEMBER. 



eOTTTHEBH WATEKS. 



Pompano, Trachynotus carohnvs. Grouper, Wpinephelpus nlgrUus, 

 Drum (two species.) Family Scice- Trout (black bass,) CentroprieU» 



nidm. atrarius. 



Kingfish, Menticirrus nebulosus. Striped Bass or Rockflsh, JRocetts 

 S ea Bass, Sdmnops oceUatus . lineatus . 



Sheepshead, Archosargus probato- Tailorfish, Pomatrmus saltatrisg. 



cephalus. Black bass, Micropterus salmoidett% 



Snapper, Lutjanus caxus, M. nigricans. 



___ — -*. — — 



[Under the head of "Game and Fish in Season'''' we can only specify in 

 general terms the several varieties, because the laws of States vary so much 

 that were we to attempt to particularize we could do noAess than publish 

 those entire sections that relate to the kinds of game in question. This 

 would require a great amount of our space. In designating game we are 

 guided by the laws of nature, upon which all legislation is founded, and 

 our readers would do well to provide themselves with the laws of their re- 

 spsctive States for constant reference. Otherwise, our attempts to assist 

 them will only create confusion.] 



- ■ ■♦ 



Fish in Market.— The supply of fish during the week 

 has been fair and quite equal to the demand, although the 

 variety is confined to fewer descriptions of seasonable fish, 

 and a few refrigerated kinds. Our quotations are as fol- 

 lows: Striped bass from Ehode Island, 25 cents per pound; 

 smelts, from Maine, are rather scarcer and command 22 

 cents; bluefish, from Norfolk, 12£ cents; salmon, frozen, 

 50 cents'; mackerel, 15 cents each ; whiteperch, 18 cents per 

 pound; green turtle, from Key West, 20 cents per pound; 

 terrapin, from Savannah, $10 to $15 per dozen; frost fish, 

 15 cents per pound; hallibut, 25 cents; haddock, 10 cents; 

 codfish, 10 cents; blackfish, 15 cents; herring, 10 cents; 

 flounders, 12 cents; pompano, $1; eels, 18 cents; lobsters, 

 10 cents; sheepshead, 30 cents; scollops, $1 per gallon; 

 soft clams, 40 to 60 cents per 100; whitefish, 20 cents per 

 pound; pickerel, 18 cents; salmon trout, 18 cents; brook 

 pike. 18 cents; hardshell crabs, $6 per 100; Spanish mack- 

 erel, frozen, 50 cents per pound. 



English Soles and Turbot in America.— In our issue 

 of Nov. 25th we referred to the proposed effort to intro- 

 duce these fish into our waters, the subject having engaged 

 the attention of Prof. Baird, Mr. J. G. Kidder, of Boston, 

 Frand Buckland, of London, Mr. Henry Lee, and other 

 prominent naturalists, between whom much correspond- 

 ence has passed. There seems to be doubt of success in 

 the experiment, though opinions differ widely. Mr. Lee 

 says that absolutely nothing is known concerning the im- 

 pregnation of the ova of these fishes, and therefore the 

 transfer of their eggs is out of the question. He thinks, 

 however, that the young soles and turbot can be brought 

 across the Atlantic without much trouble. He recom- 

 mends that the experiment be made with soles from three 

 to five inches long, and turbot three to four inches in 

 diameter. 



Leaving aside all conjectures as to whether these fish can 

 be transported across the Atlantic and propagated here, 

 the question arises where is the necessity for so doing 

 when they already abound in our waters? We have 

 a statement from Col. F. G. Skinner, Field Editor 

 of our contemporary, the Turf, Field and Farm, that Ad- 

 miral Coffin, who commanded the British fleet off the har- 

 bor of New York, during the war of 1812, informed the 

 late John S. Skinner, who, with Francis Key, as Commis- 

 sioner for the exchange of prisoners, had much intercourse 

 with him, that turbot were caught in abundance just out- 

 side, if they would only fish deep enough . Every Spring 

 the herring fishermen bring them here in considerable quan- 

 tities and possibly if the English mode of fishing for them 

 was adopted the number might be largely increased. That 

 they have not been more appreciated is owing to the fact 

 that while the fish is comparatively a new comer its quali- 

 ties are almost unknown to our people. Turbot can be 

 seen on the slabs of any of our fish dealers during the sea- 

 son and have sold as low as four cents per pound. 



A Fine Trout.— While at Bridgeport a few days sinca 

 we had the pleasure of inspecting a splendid specimen of 

 trout which fell before the skill of Mr. A. J. Hobbs at 

 Lake Mooselucmaguntic, Maine, on the 26th of September 

 last. This fish, which was pronounced by Mr. Agassiz to 

 be a genuine salmo fontinaln, weighed nine pounds and 

 was taken with the fly in fair casting, on one of H. L. 

 Leonard's seven ounce split bamboo rods. Mr. A. N J. Col- 

 burn of No . 31 Boylston street, Boston has preserved and 

 mounted the fish in splendid style, and the trophy is one 

 of which Mr. Hobbs may well feel proud. 



—A salmon weighing a pound and a half was caught off 

 Provincetown, Mass., a few days ago among some mack- 

 erel seined by the fishermen engaged in that business. 

 Mr. Blackford had him on exhibition, placed alongside of 

 two magnificent specimens of salmo salar weighing thirty- 

 four pounds each and just received from the refrigerator of 

 Mr. Enoch Piper, of Bathurst, N, B. These fish looked 

 as fresh as though just taken from the water, and are pre- 

 served by some process known only to the manipulator, 

 Mr. Piper, who is the father of fish refrigerating, he hav- 

 ing adopted and patented his plan many years since. 



—A seal, a very rare visitor to these parts at this season 

 of the year, was caught off Montauk Point a few days 

 since. 



—Almost as rare an arrival as any of the foregoing was 

 a lot of three thousand pounds of pompano received from 

 Norfolk, they having been taken on the coast of North 

 Carolina. No finer fish have ever appeared in this market 

 twenty of them averaging five pounds each. This fish* 

 however, is for the rich alone, its retail price being one 

 dollar per pound. 



—Frank Burritt shot a seal weighing 125 pouadg ia Nor- 

 walk harbor last Wednesday. 



