FOREST AND STREAM. 



73 



it does not now exist the growth of this wild "rice" in ex- 

 pectation of its attracting the ducks flying fast to stop there 

 and feed, thus affording many a shot to the gunner where 

 he could never hope for one before; while, under proper 

 protection, many species might be induced to remain and 

 rear their young. New York seedsmen say they never heard 

 of any seed being sold in New York, but we have a letter 

 from D. T. Curtis & Co., seedsmen at Boston, saying that 

 they have a call for it, and if possible, propose to keep a 

 supply. The seed, we know, can be obtained from Richard 

 Valentine, of Janesville, Wis., T. P. Cantwell, of Brainerd, 

 Minnesota, and of Henry Merriam, Harwood P. O., Rice 

 Lake, Peterborough, Canada, and we hope the venture of 

 our Boston friends will meet wi,th success. The expense 

 would be small for any farmer to try it on his waste 

 swamp land, and in a few years it might result in the pos- 

 session of a duck-shooting preserve, the sale of priveleges 

 for which would yield a handsome income. An excellent 

 way to plant it would be to roll up the seed in little balls 

 of clay and drop the balls in the water in the fall, to ger- 

 minate the next spring. The proper way, however, when 

 the condition of the water renders it practicable, is to 

 chop with a hoe a strip of earth ten feet wide along the 

 margin where there are wet flats, and then sow broadcast. 

 Raise the water so as to cover the seed to the depth of half 

 an inch, and draw off when the seeds have sprouted. 

 When the blades have grown three or four iuches, flood 

 again. When it is well rooted it will grow well in deep 

 water. A bushel of seed to an acre is sufficient. It will 

 not spread to the upland. Wild rice sows itself and grows 

 rapidly whenever established. It ripens in September. 

 Seed should be sown in the spring. To ensure, it would be 

 well to sow both in spring and fall. Rice readily adapts 

 itself, in time, to great changes of soil and temperature. 



We eai nestly beg all sporting: clubs to take up this matter. 

 Let the food be distributed all over the country, so that our 

 birds may not only tarry here and there and everywhere, 

 on their migrations, but having partaken of the succulent 

 food, wax fat and delicious to the taste. When ducks cannot 

 get vegetable food, they will eat fish, and fish flavor distroys 

 them for the table. We will render all the assistance we 

 can to promote the work we have assigned to our friends. 



THE INTERNATIONAL REGATTAS. 



SO far as the amateur contests go the International Re- 

 gatta at Philadelphia was finished on Friday after- 

 noon last. Throughout little fault has been or can be 

 found with the management. The great number of en- 

 tries made it a difficult matter to handle. At this time we 

 can of course see mistakes that could not have been easily 

 foreseen. The Committee held off fixing a programme in 

 hopes that the heats for scullers, single and double, might 

 be real races, and that by withdrawals they would not have 

 been walks-over. Herein a great mistake was made. No 

 new sculler has come to the front; Riley was not qualified, 

 and the field left to Courtney. Between him and the rest 

 of the field was Yates, enough better than the field to take 

 take the prize had his big friend been away. The rest were 

 frightened off. 



The intense interest in the fours on Monday, Tuesday 

 and Wednesday threw a damper on the minor races, and 

 the only exciting feature of the last days was the Inter- 

 collegiate race on Friday. From beginning to end no ob- 

 struction to the course occurred. With two very minor 

 exceptions all the many races were started with the punc- 

 tuality of a railroad train. The races were singularly free 

 from fouls- or even claims of fouls. Some heart-burning 

 and hot language grew out of the London- Yale race, and 

 the final heat of fours, but both these races had better be 

 discussed when the excitement of the moment has passed 

 and a cooler judgment arrived at. On Monday the pro- 

 fessional races began with the trial heats for fours, the 

 whale boat races, and the trials for singles, of which, there 

 are fifteen. Reports will be found in our Boating column. 



Credit. — Our Natural History Editor was highly com- 

 plimented by Prof. Ed. S. Morse in his recent address 

 before the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, on the discoveries which he made in the Rocky 

 Mountains, two years ago, and which contributed not a 

 few facts of importance to science, pointing toward an 

 unsuspected survival of past forms among the lower ani- 

 mals existing at present, through the superior facility they 

 possessed of adapting themselves to changed surroundings. 

 One example of this is the case of the Irving salt-water 

 crabs which he found to inhabit a pent up lake on the 

 northern end of the Arizona deserts, where, no doubt, 

 had once been a salt-water pool left by the retreating 

 waters of the ocean, which, as is well known, once cov- 

 ered that whole region. Prof. Morse was reviewing the 

 work done by American students toward the building up 

 of the doctrines of evolution, especially by natural selec. 

 tion. 



Fred Beverly at the Hunter's Camp. — Any person 

 who has curiosity to see "Fred Beverly," the hero of Okee- 

 chobee, can see him now in full bloom at the Hunter's 

 Camp, Centennial Grounds, Philadelphia, where he will 

 remain in charge until the close of the Exhibition. He 

 can easily be recognized by his buckskin suit and "pal- 

 meeter" hat. 



—The. attention of our readers is called to Dudley & Co.'s 

 advertisement in another column . Their Recapper is cheap, 

 light and strong, adapted to paper of metallic shells, and 



NATIONAL SPORTSMEN'S CONVENTION 



TO say that the meeting of the National Sportsmen's 

 Association, which was held in Chicago on Aug. 

 29th was an enthusiastic or successful one would be to say 

 what was not true. With the exception of the able and 

 interesting address of the President, Hon. John V. Le 

 Moyne, of Chicago, which we printed last week, and some 

 few unimportant alterations in the by-laws, there was posi- 

 tively nothing done beyond electing officers for the ensu- 

 ing year and naming the place at which the next Conven- 

 tion shall be held. The attendance was smaller than at any 

 previous Convention, the Committee on Nomenclature was 

 not prepared with any report, and had it not been for the 

 wisdom displayed in selecting Syracuse in this State as the 

 location of the next Convention, we candidly believe that 

 within two or three years the National j Association would 

 either have ceased to exist, or have been reduced to the 

 mere skeleton of an organization without vigor or useful- 

 ness. 



The apathy of those most interested in this Association 

 is extraordinary, and it is a fact worthy of comment that in 

 this Convention, held in a western city, the East was re- 

 presented by a larger number of delegates than the West. 

 Those who have the game of the country now on their 

 lands, are apparently the least interested in preserving or 

 increasing it. 



Much of this indifference doubtless arises from the dif- 

 ficulty under which the various State associations labor in 

 endeavoring to convince their Legislatures of the import- 

 ance of the subject. President Le Moyne, in his address, 

 very pertinently figures up the value of the game to the 

 farmer individually as well as the State at large, but the 

 granger is unable to see anything in the possession of a few 

 birds, beyond trampled corn or broken fences; and while 

 willing to make the most stringent trespass laws, he is un- 

 willing to do anything towards his own game interests or 

 those of the sportsman. But this is a cause in which indif. 

 ference must not be permitted to exist. Constant washing 

 will wear away a stone, and so will persistent and continued 

 effort finally accomplish the end sought. 



We deem the selection of Syracuse as the place of hold- 

 ing the next meeting a wise one, inasmuch as it will be 

 possible to procure a larger attendance than at any previ- 

 ous convention. The Eastern and Middle States, at least 

 such of them as belong to the National Association, and 

 those which do not, (New Jersey for instance) may in the 

 meantime be induced to unite. If they will send full dele- 

 gations, the West will do likewise. The date fixed, 

 the first Tuesday in June, is much more auspicious than 

 the present. Sportsman will not then be scattered to their 

 various shooting grounds but the traveling season will juf't 

 have opened. The meeting of the New York State Asso- 

 ciation will be held at about the same time and if the 

 pigeon shooting can only be kept distinct from the more 

 important matters, the National Association will be infused 

 with new life and perhaps enter upon that career of useful- 

 ness, promised, but long delayed. 



THE PROCEEDINGS' 



The spacious ''ladies ordinary" of the Grand Pacific 

 Hotel was kindly given by the proprietors for the uses of 

 the Convention, and at 3 o'clock when President Le Moyne 

 took the chair and called the Convention to order there 

 were found to be delegates from nine States present, as 

 follows: — 



New York — J. J. Flanagan, Utica; John A. Nichols, 

 Syracuse; W. M. Tileston, Long Island; T. C. Banks, 

 New York; Greene Smith, Peterboro. 



Massachusetts— Luther Adams, Boston; A. F. Copeland, 

 Boston; E. H. Lathrop; S. T. Hammond, Springfield; 

 Jerome Marble, Worcester, 



Ohio— H. A. Harvey, Cleveland. 



Indiana— A. B. Wade. 



Illinois— C. E. Felton, Chicago; J. L. Pratt, and John 

 Syne, Sycamore; E. C. Waller, Chicago; W. B. Hauworth. 



Pennsylvania — Charles C. Cadman. 



Missouri— E. C. Sterling, and C. H. Turner, St. Louis. 



Michigan — Bon. Robert. Tomes, J. E. Long, and A. 

 J. Kellogg, Detroit; Dr. E. S. Holmes, Grand Rapids; E. 

 C. Nichols. 



Tennessee— P. H. Bryson, Memphis. 



Honorary Members — Judge J. B. Caton, Illinois, and 

 Hon. A. T. Brinsmade, of Ohio. 



The Secretary of the Association being absent, Hon. E. 

 H. Lathrop, of Springfie'd, Mass., was selected to fill the 

 position. The President of the Association, Hon. John V. 

 Le Moyne, then read his annual address. [See Forest and 

 Stream of last week]. 



The Treasurer's report showed a balance of funds belong- 

 ing to the Association of $J23.50. A communication from 

 Mr. Fred Pond, of Montello, Wis., was read. Alter a little 

 unimportant routine business the Convention adjourned to 

 meet at the rooms of the Audubon Club in the evening, 

 at the appointed time. The Secretary's report of the last 

 convention was then read. 



The committee on by laws reported an order of busi- 

 ness, which will be used in the conventions uf the Associa- 

 tion hereafter. It was adopted. 



A resolution declaring the Hon. J. V. Le Moyne to be an 

 honoraiy member of the Association was then adopted. 



The committee appointed to name the place and time of 

 the next meeting reported two places from which to choose, 

 viz: Detroit, Mich., and Syracuse, N. Y., and recommend- 

 the first Tuesday in June as the time. The question of 

 place was decided by ballot, Syracuse being selected by a 

 vote of 11 to 8. The date recommended by the committee 

 was concurred in. 



The election of officers was next proceeded with. It re- 

 sulted as follows: President, Greene Smith, Portsmouth, 

 N. Y. ; first Vice President, Dr. Rowe, Chicago; second 

 Vice President, Dr. E. S. Holmes, Grand Rapids, Mich. ; 

 Recording Secretary, John A. Nichols, Syracuse; Cor- 

 responding Secretary, T. C. Banks, of New Yorfc; 

 -Treas!ir§r E Jerome $JMj$% Wovcmm, Mp& 



The President announced that the Audubon Club had 

 tendered the Association an invitation to meet with its 

 members at the Grand Pacific Hotel that evening for a sea- 

 son of sociability around a banquet table. Votes of thanks 

 were passed to the proprietors of the Grand Pacific Hotel, 

 the Audubon Club, and the retiring presiding officer. 



The newly-elected President, upon taking the chair, an- 

 nounced the following standing committees: — 



Finance— C. C. Cadman, Chicago; P. H. Bryson, Mem- 

 phis; M. M. Clay, Buffalo; E. H. Lathrop, Springfield, 

 Mass. ; R. R. Clark, Chicago. 



By-laws— J. J. Flanigan, Utica, N. Y. ; Luther Adams, 

 Boston; A. J. Kellogg, Detroit. 



Law — A. T. Brinsmade, Cleveland; J. V. Le Moyne, 

 Chicago; H. Barclay, Monroeville, N. Y. ; E. C. Sterling, 

 St. Louis; E. C. Nichols, Battle Creek, Mich. 



The Convention then adjourned. 



At half past 8 o'clock the delegates to the Convention as- 

 sembled at the Grand Pacific Hotel to partake of the hos- 

 pitality extended to them by the members of the Audubon 

 Club. The Hon. J. V. Le Moyne presided. After partak- 

 ing of a bounteous repast, speeches were made by the fol- 

 lowing gentlemen: — Messrs. Greene Smith, Ed- Gilman, J. 

 J. Flanagan, the Hon. A. T. Brinsmade, the Hon. J. V. Le 

 Moyne, the Hon. J. L. Pratt, the Hon. E. H. Lathrop, Dr. 

 E. S. Holmes, E. C. Sterling, John Syne, Chas. E. Felton, 

 Arnold Burges, W. M. Tileston, T. C. Banks, Col Noyes; 

 after which the guests were entertained with songs by Mes- 

 srs. Gilman, Paine, and John Syne. 



♦*♦■ 



AMERICAN FORESTRY. 



THE NATIONAL FOREST CONVENTION— PRESERVATION AND 

 CULTIVATION OF AMEIUCAN WOODS. 



THE importance of the subject of arboriculture is 

 sufficiently shown by the fact of the above conven- 

 tion being about to assemble at Sea Grove, Cape May Point, 

 .New Jersey, on September 7th and 8th, under the auspices 

 of the American Forest Council. The necessity of inves- 

 tigating the subject of the denudation of the forest lands 

 of America is conceded on all hands. Calculations 

 have already been made and published of the num- 

 ber of years yet to elapse before the pine forests of 

 Maine, Michigan and the West are exhausted. Forests 

 have been regarded as growing for the sole purpose of 

 being cut down. The whole question nas assumed the 

 form of a calculation of the annual lumber supply. W e 

 have already discovered, and the truth should be gen- 

 erally known, that forests represent more than lumber. 

 They directly influence the climate and water supply. It 

 was no mere poetical fancy which led Bryant to put into 

 the mouth of the Indian at the burying place of his fathers 

 the following words: — 



"Before these fields were shorn and tiU'd 



Full to the brim our rivers flowed; 

 The melody of waters rilled 

 The fresh and boundless wood, 



And torrents dashed and rivulets played, 

 And fountains spouted in the shade. 



•'Those grateful sounds are heard no more, 



The springs are srlent in the >-un, 

 The rivers by the blackened shore 

 With lessening current run, * 



• The realm our tribes are crushed to get 

 May be a barren desert yet. 1 ' 



Let us look at the vatt expanse of treeless country to be 

 seen in almost any direction, let us then think of the long 

 parching droughts from which the country suffers and we 

 will find that the poetical and the practical have, for once, 

 been united. The British Government has discovered the 

 utility of this view in reference to its gigantic dominions 

 in the East. A knowledge of forestry is one of the prime 

 qualifications of candidates for that branch of its service. 

 They are sent to Scotland or the Continent of Europe to 

 study the science under conditions and instructions of the 

 most practical kind. If such knowledge were more gen- 

 erally diffused here, the results we have deprecated might 

 have been avoided, and their further extension be stopped. 



The meeting of the National Forest Convention cannot 

 be productive of anything but benefit. It will draw the 

 public attention to an important subject, and few when the 

 necessary information is laid before them, will differ from 

 the expressed opinion of the gentlemen calling the conven- 

 tion that, "as concerning climatic influences for the btnefit 

 of the life and health of the people forests are of such im- 

 portance that, irrespective of the vast material and more 

 tangible interests involved, that we cannot afford longer 

 to delay thorough, general and systematic investigation 

 of the subject." 



The question may be looked at from three points of 

 view, climate, beauty and supply. In regard to the first 

 we are confronted by a problem involving not merely the 

 moderately healthy habitation of large districts of the 

 country, but their occupation under any circumstances 

 whatever. Trees attract and diffuse moisture; they equal- 

 ize the rainfall and the temperature. Remove them and 

 not only does the atmosphere become parched, but the 

 ground becomes barren, and vegetation dies out for want 

 of water. Of the springs nothing is left but a dry basin, 

 of the streams nothing but a rocky bed. America has re- 

 ceived many warnings of this kind from other countries. 

 Many districts around the Mediterranean, and once parts 

 of the Boman Empire, present now an aspect totally differ- 

 ent from that they wore when the power of Rome was at 

 its height. Provinces most celebrated for beauty and pro- 

 fusion are either deserted or repulsive, and desolation has 

 taken the place of fertility. The trees which crowned the 

 ridges and hills were felled without prudence or regard to 

 results, and chiefly through that agency the country was 

 converted into a barren desert. Many portions of Italy 

 and Asia Minor exemplify what has been said. The q - 

 "y arises.; If suck raggits Iw® mm$i 



