FOREST AND STREAM 



345 



— The annual meeting of the Mississippi State Associa- 

 tion for the Protection of Fish and Game, will be held at 

 Madison on the third Wednesday of January, 1876, (January 

 19th, 1876). R. H, Strong, President, M. T. Bailey, Sec- 

 retary. * % 



Buffalo. — The report on the geology and resources of 

 the region of the thirty-ninth parallel, from the .Lake of 

 the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, by Mr. Dawson, says: 

 "From what I could learn, I believe that at the present 

 rate of extermination, twelve to fourteen years will see the 

 destruction of what now remains of the great northern 

 band of buffalo, and the termination of the trade in robes 

 and pemican, in so far as regards the country north of the 

 Missouri River." 



—The people of Islip have been in the habit of fishing 

 with pound nets, and those of Patchogue with fly nets, and 

 each has insisted that the practice of the other was ruinous. 

 It is understood that Supervisor John Wood, of Islip, and 

 the Hon G. F. Carman, of Patchogue, have decided that 

 the difficulty can best be settled by entirely prohibiting the 

 use of nets of any description until the close of the spawn- 

 ing season, or until the 1st of July. It is probable that the 

 baymen of both towns will accede to this proposition, as 

 it is regarded as directly in their own interest by tending 

 to promote the continued success of the fisheries. — Babylon 



Signal. 



**•*. 



AMERICAN AMMUNITION. 



WE have received a number of communications from 

 t>ur readers on the subject of paper shells of Ameri- 

 can manufacture, from which we make the following ex- 

 tracts. It must be admitted that the balance of opinion is 

 in favor of the home made article, and when a uniform 

 system of boring the chambers of guns shall have been 

 adopted we have no doubt that the Bridgeport shell will be 

 the one generally used. One correspondent, writing from 

 Randolph, Mass., thinks that the superiority of English 

 ammunition over ours lies in the fact that across the water 

 sportsmen are willing to pay more for a good article than 

 are our own. We think that he is wrong, or why the 

 enormous sale of Ely's production ? The fact is, that the 

 difference in the price of labor between the two countries 

 enables the English manufacturer to produce an equally 

 good, if not better, article at far less cost to himself, and 

 some compete with us in our own market. When the in- 

 creased use of American ammunition will enable our makers 

 to realize a profit from larger sales, any difference there 

 may now be will disappear. Our correspondent adds: — 



"Bat, in justice to one American firm, I am bound to state that I have 

 bought of various dealers, (and to all of whom I am unknown, thus pre- 

 cluding all chance for partiality), and shot during the four months end- 

 ing October 1st, 1875, four thousand rim fire, No. 38 calibre, rifle car- 

 tridges, without a single missfit- or missfire; cartridges made by Union 

 Metallic Cartridge Company, of Bridgeport, Conn., and I have never 

 succeeded in making so good even shooting (at target) with any other 

 make of fixed ammunition, whether American or foreign made. 



F. R. 



Worcester, Mass., December 13th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: — 



As you wish to hear from some person that has used the Bridgeport 

 shell in the Parker gun, I will give you my experience in that line. My 

 gun is 10 bore, 9J- pounds. I have always used the Bridgeport shell, and 

 have used five hundred this season, and I have not had any troubie with 

 them, and not one missfire as yet. Holden Bird Shooter. 



Clinton, Iowa, December 13th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



I have got a Parker gun, and have used these shells and others . I 

 never had a missfire. I ain greatly troubled with the shells bursting, or 

 rather ripping, apparently up the seam. Now the shells fit the chamber 

 of my gun as nice as any one could wish. Where the trouble lays I 

 don't know. I have thought that they were a poor material, or were not 

 fastened right. If any others have had the same experience I should 

 like to know their views on this subject. Geo. Dinnie. 



We published some time since a letter from Mr. W. B. 

 Hanworth, of Quincy, 111., who had had much difficulty 

 with missfires. He now writes : — 



"I can now say that I have shot over two hundred of the Bridgeport 

 paper shells since I had my gun fixed by Joseph Batter, of Chicago, and 

 over three hundred of the Ely shells, and have not had a single missfire. 

 I use the 2 J inch shell in the field, and 3 inch blue shells over the trap. 

 Before my gun was repaired I used to average about six out of a hun- 

 dred missfires with Ely's shells, and of the Bridgeport sheils, at least 

 one-fourth of them would miss fire. I am glad to say that the fault lay 

 in the gun, and that I found it out, and that I have now got something 

 reliable. I think the American shells just as good as the Ely shells, 

 aud would just as soon have them, and if they do not make any No. 12, 

 3 inches and 2| inches long they ought to do so, as these lengths are used 

 in No. 12 guns for trap shooting and ducking. " W. B . H. 



The Union Metallic Cartridge Company are now masing 

 the 2£ and 3 inch shells. 



Port Richmond, December 3d, 1815. 

 Editor EoreisT and Stream:— 



Last Spring I purchased 1,000 of the U. M. Co. cartridge paper shells, 

 an£ had at that time a first-class breech loader. For the first two or 

 three days every cap exploded, and I felt well pleased to think that we 

 would now be supplied with American paper shells; but the next morn- 

 ing American shells had lost all favor with us, as I pulled on a wood 

 duck aud both barrels missflred. The same thing happened on an Eng- 

 lish snipe, and I began to get provoked, and would have sold the balance 

 of shells I had for a song, but I did not know but that I had made some 

 mistake in loading, and that evening I loaded some more, being very 

 particular. Out of eleven shots that day one shell missfired, and I 

 never used any more until last Fall, when I tried them in my new 

 "Greener." She never allows any missfires, audi shot nearly every 

 day the first part of the season, using and giving away something like 

 1,200 of these shells, and never a missfire. But now my objection to 

 them, and that is, their not being uniform in size. < have two shells to 

 Bend you that you may judge for yourself. One of them fits the cham- 

 ber very nicely and the other jams, and when once in, it is impossible to 

 extract it. I have had to take my gun across my knee to unlock it for 

 the purpose of putting a new cartridge in after firing. At first I attribu- 

 ted the fault to my using too large a wad, and never discovered the cause 

 until recently, so I use no more TJ. M. C. shells until I am sure I can get 

 them out of the chamber without being obliged to fire them off or use a 

 stick. The latter is a method I don't approve of, and I caution all 

 sportsmen not to try it too often. As for parties loading them twice, it 

 may be done, but I never used, or saw one used, that was suitable for 

 unloading; and a "treble wedge fastening" I consider more likely to 



save a cartridge from bursting than the ordinary double bolt, and the 

 former is what I use. I fully agree with Mr. Hobbs, that there 

 should be a standard for the chambers of breech loaders, and when I 

 can get American ammunition to suit me, will use no other. As for the 

 head pulling off, I never saw that happen. The complaint I have is, that 

 some of them fit my gun "too much." Does any sportsman who has 

 ever read the Forest and Stream believe it anything but an impartial 

 journal, Mr. Holden? Mortimer. 



THE DITTMAR POWDER. 



A CORRESPONDENT who has recently visited Mr. 

 Dittmar's works near Boston writes us the following 

 description of the mode of manufacturing the explosive. 

 As it is a secret, we presume Mr. Dittmar alone knows the 

 proportions of the different ingredients. With regard to 

 its safety we are assured, by Mr. Dittmar, that on that 

 point there is nothing to fear, hut we agree with our cor- 

 respondent that the results of various tests, as already pub- 

 lished, do not decide the question entirely in the affirma- 

 tive. It would be very satisfactory if some decisive tests 

 could be made, of a nature to set at rest the vexed question, 

 is, or is not, the Dittmar a safe powder to be used in shot 



guns: — 



Hartford, Conn., December 10th, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



Recently while in Boston I met Mr. Dittmar, and although I did not 

 at that time learn much of the composition of his new powder, I was 

 struck with the many advantages it had if it equalled his expectations. 

 The following description of its composition and method of manufac- 

 ture may enable many to understand its working, and why there were so 

 many different opinions. It consists in taking any suitable kind of vege- 

 table fibre, in the raw or manufactured state, such as flax or old linen or 

 cotton ra<*s, reducing them to a fine pulp, pressing this pulp into sheets 

 of suitable thickness, which are properly drieo. and then reduced to 

 grains or powder of suitable size in a cutting or grinding machine. 

 These grains are then treated with acid, or a mixture of nitric and sul- 

 phuric acids, in the same manner in which gun cotton is made. Before 

 subjecting it to the action of the acids it may be soaked in a solution of 

 sugar, mannite, amylum, or inuline, taking care to clear it of any super- 

 fluous acid by applying to it a solution of alkali or soda. It may also be 

 soaked in a solution of nitrate or chlorate of potash. After being sub- 

 jected to the action of the acids, and dried and desaicated, it is ready for 

 use. The mixture of the vegetable palp with the sugar, etc., produces 

 a very powerful explosive compound, and overcomes the dilliculty expe- 

 rienced in preparing, without the pulp, either of such matters with acids. 

 For improving the powder for blasting purposes, it may be soaked in 

 nitro-glycerine, or have applied to it soda or saltpetre in a fine state after 

 it is dried. All the above compounds, without the use of nitro-glycerine, 

 can be used fev gunning or artillery purposes, and can be kept wet and 

 transported in that condition with safety, it being impossible to set it on 

 fire or explode it by concussion. Before use it is to be dried in the sun 

 or otherwise, the grains remaining whole, and losing none of their 

 strength. Owing to the elasticity of the matrial,it is claimed to be safer 

 than any other similar explosive, and it may be so. The only similar ex- 

 plosives I can find are Shultze's sawdust powder, and gun felt, which I 

 believe are sold only in loaded cases for sporting purposes and not 

 in bulk, as they are considered too dangerous to be used by persons 

 not acquainted with the proper methods of using them. In appearance 

 the Dittmar powder resembles fine cork, being of nearly the same 

 color and specific gravity. I am not acquainted with the English laws 

 regarding gun cotton, etc., but as I find it advertised in a London 

 paper— "sold only in loaded cases, with or without shot" — I am led to 

 the conclusion that it is subject to some special restraint. W. R. C. 



December, 1875. 

 Editor Forest and Stream:— 



I have watched with much interest the experiments made by your cor- 

 respondents with Dittmar's powder. Beyond all question, if the powder 

 can be made safe, and as effective as black powder, its other qualities 

 will rank it far above the old explosive. My own experience with the 

 new powder was most disagreeable. I sent last year to Mr. Dittmar for 

 a sample, hoping to find it all that it was represented. I received by 

 mail a small can, and loaded some metallic shells with 3J drachms, (by 

 measure, not weight), using aDizox charger. I put one red-edged wad 

 over the powder, and struck the loading plug twice only witn the palm 

 of my hand, so that the powder could not have beon too tightly com- 

 pressed. Six of those shells, fired from two different guns, burst both! 

 They were fine breech loaders, of high price aud approved makers, so 

 thst the fault did not he in the guns. AsT am not a millionaire, or de- 

 sirous of going to the happy hunting grounds yet, I shall let others ex- 

 periment for the future, and stick to the black powder till I see better 

 reports of the new than I have seen yet. As for the comparative shoot- 

 ing of the black and Dittmar, I can only say, that I was out one day this 

 season with a friend who was shooting Dittmar powder, and he con- 

 stantly wounded birds that he failed to kill, while mine fell dead. I 

 told him that his powder did not shoot, etc., gave him some of my 

 shells, after which he killed his birds as cleanly as myself. 



Arnold B urges. 



•»-*» ! ' 



Transportation of Game.— Live game is a kind of 

 freight not much coveted by express companies, some of 

 which we think decline to receive it on any terms. There- 

 fore we are not quite sure that we shall do our friends of 

 the United States Express Company, a kindness by volun- 

 teering an expression of satisfaction at the very excellent 

 condition in which consignments of game, both dead and 

 alive, is received by their lines . We have had occasion to 

 ship at one load as many as ten live deer a 1,200 miles jour- 

 ney; while our receipts of dead birds, fish, &c, have been 

 many. In no case ^have we known of suffering or loss 

 through neglect or inattention. We understand that a 

 great deal of this kind of freight passes through their 

 hands, and inasmuch as the Company is now "in for it," 

 and in view of the probable increase of game and fish all 

 over the country by attempted propagation by artificial 

 culture, it may possibly result that we shall have improved 

 methods of transportation and special trains running. In- 

 deed, many attempts to obtain portable refrigerators for 

 dead game, and suitable conveyances for live animals, have 

 been, and are being made, but we believe that no result 

 has been reached that is perfectly satisfactory, if we ex- 

 cept the one or two cars built by the Alligrett Refrigera- 

 tor Company. It has been definitely rettled that as a means 

 of preserving meats or fish, the new method in which, by 

 a packing of ice, an equal temperature of about 20° is 

 maintained, is far superior to the old. Trout have been 

 kept fresh by the Alligrett process for a year^or more, 

 and strawberries and other fruits are preserved so that 

 even the leaves retain their freshness for a very long period. 

 Indeed, the immense refrigerators used by our large fish 

 and game dealers, have entirely superceded the old ice 



chests. Now, by means of" a hollow casing or iron tubes 

 filled with ice, this low temperature is maintained without 

 that disastrous loss of juices which is the result of actual 

 contact with ice. The exigencies of trade demand a more 

 perfect system of transportation for fish and game, and it 

 wij.1 be found in the construction of these double framed 



cars. 



c, Camp Life in Florida."— When the agents for the 

 sale of this valuable book offer it to the new-comers at the 

 Jacksonville depots, they are very often met with the nega- 

 tive reply that they bought the book before they left the 

 North. No visitor to Florida who possesses a copy would 

 be without it, and every one who has heard of the book 

 purchase it before leaving home. It is a volume of 350 

 pages, and is sold for $1 50. One hundred times its cost 

 can often be saved by buying it. Copies can be supplied 

 at this office. Dealers are furnished by the American 



News Company. 



«♦♦+- 



Advertise in Forest and Stream!— Mr. H. H. Thomas, 

 pisciculturist, of Randolph, N. Y. , in renewing an adver- 

 tisement says: "The advertisement which I recently put 

 into your paper of '20,000 Brook Trout eggs for Sale,' has 

 brought me a sale of 260,000 eggs." This is the testimony 

 that we receive from nearly all who have tested the utility 

 and advantage of our columns as an advertising medium ;. 

 and yet there are some dealers who probably would not be- 

 lieve "even Moses and the prophets." The advantage in 

 using our paper is that nearly every one of its readers are 

 purchasers; they are men who can afford to buy luxuries; 

 and needing what they deem essential to their gratification, 

 they are constantly searching our columns for those articles 

 they desire. For this reason each 1,000 circulation of 

 Forest and Stream is equal to 10,000 circulation of the 

 daily newspapers, as a very large proportion of those who 

 buy the latter cau scarcely afford the cost, much less the 

 money for luxuries of life. Let any one who chances to 

 glance at these lines, make a note of it. 



<*-•-»» 



Obituary. — Robert G. Scott, of North Elba, so well 



known to the readers of Headley's & Street's fascinating 



volumes on the Adirondacks, recently died, after a long 



illness. His age was nearly seventy-one years, and this 



patriarch of the mountains had spent the most of his life in 



the sublimely mountain-girded home, from which "his 



spirit took its flight." 



-+•+*. ■ 



Warm! — The warm weather of the past week opened 

 windows, set vegetation to sprouting, brought out the 

 wasps, flies, and garter snakes, liberated frozen-up craft, 

 spoiled market truck, and retained the tide of trarel to 

 Florida. There is scarcely any snow in New England any- 

 where now. At Danversport, Mass., last Saturday the 

 mercury indicated 110° in the sun: so a correspondent 



writes, but we guess he pinched the thermometer a little. 

 ■ -«►•-*• 



— Richard Henry Lee, of Clarke county, Va., has been 

 selected to read the Declaration of Independence at the 

 Centennial celebration at Philadelphia July 4th, 187G. Col. 

 Lee is a grandson of the Richard Henry Lee, who, in the 

 Continental Congress, moved "that these United Colonies 

 are, and of a right ought to be free and independent States " 

 He is the nephew of Charles Lee, Washington's Attorney- 

 General, and nephew, also, of Light Horse Harry Lee, 

 the father of General Robert E. Lee. He was a gallant 

 soldier, aud is universall respected as a gentleman of irre- 

 proachable character and great intelligence. 



More Foxes.— Mr. Clarence H. Johnson of the Staten 

 Island Sportsmen' Association, who is now in Virginia 

 writes us that he has been presented by Mr. Wm. H. Mar- 

 tin of Gloucester Co., with two live foxes which he will 

 bring on with him for a hunt on Staten Island on his re- 

 turn. They are, he says, in good condition, and will afford 

 some capital runs. 



A party of thirty gentlemen started out from Norfolk, 



Virginia on New Years day for an old time fox hunt! 



They had two brace of hounds with them. When last 



heard liom, the fox was ahead and likely to run until the 



next Centennial. 



: ■*»«». . 



A Noble Charity.— The Infant Asylum Grand Ball will 

 be held at the Academy of Music in this city on the 13th 

 inst. Of all our many charities none are more deserving 

 of countenance and encouragement than this, the one that 

 provides a home for little waifs of fortune thrown adrift 

 on the world's wide sea. The ball itself is under the direc- 

 tion of ladies and gentlemen who hold the first position in 

 our social and business circles, and thore of previous 

 years have been noted for their elegance and success. 

 ' . — ^ «» » 



The Health Lift.— Known also as the Cumulative 

 Exercise and Lifting Cure is an invaluable aid to boating 

 men, and others who desire to fit their frames and lungs 

 for continued exertion. It is said that ten minutes a clay 

 with one of these machines will double the actual strength 

 in three months, while it does not fatigue or exhaust, but 

 rather refreshes and invigorates. For those suffering from 

 the effects of sedentary occupations it must be invaluable. 



. — »» W . r 



-No wonder so much is said about the blubber of 

 whales when they have often such a right trying time 



OX lti. 



-♦♦^- 



—Stories of panther encounters are current now We 

 have two fromVermont, two from Pennsylvania, and one 

 from Texas. Bear adventures are too common to mention • 

 in fact, there is trouble IrmirC all over the woods 



