FOREST AND STREAM 
937 
Owing to our batting being sadly weak, wo woro beaten 
by 60 runs. Our fielding, with tlie exception of one or 
two errors, was perfect. Rylott, the professional who 
accompanied the Irish Gentlemen, and who is engaged at 
Lord's Ground, stating that for five years be had never 
witnessed better fielding. The Hamilton bowling was 
also good, Gillespie particularly distinguishing himself. 
During the season two Junior matches were played, 
one on the 21st of June against the W, C. College, which 
was won by Hamilton by one innings and 24 runs ; and 
one played on the 7th of Oct. against the Ancaster Club, 
when the Juniors were defeated by 10 wickets. 
On the 18th, 19th and 20th of September a match was 
played on the Hamilton Ground between Daft's profes¬ 
sional team and seventeen Canadians, when the latter 
were defeated by one innings and 103 runs. 
In the batting averages for the season, Simonds heads 
the list, with the very good average of 27.36. His aver¬ 
age is over twice that of any other member of the team, 
and is about five runs over the average obtained by the 
gentlemen players in England during the past year, In 
the bowling Ferric comes first, with an average of 4.07 
runs per wicket, which is an exceedingly good average, 
and very creditable. Gillespie and Kennedy have also 
very good average. 
On the whole we’ve had a most successful season, We 
have boon well captained, and have pulled well together ; 
can show a record such as no other Canadian club could 
ever put forward. We have unquestionably earned, as 
the New York papers stated, the Club championship of 
America for the season of 1879. The following are the 
averages, both batting and bowling, for the season :— 
HATTING AVERAGES. 
it 
IT. 0. Simomls. 11 301 OS* 
A. n. Hope.-.11 lot 33 
8. Itav . 7 17 39 
J. H.'Parlr. 9 01 20 
R. 1C. Hope. U B8 31* 
C.S. Hyman. 7 37 20 
A. Gillespie. ... 9 t! 11 
U. Kennedy. 7 34 fl 
B. W. Waud. 7 30 11 
A. Harvey, jr. .13 30 S 
G.P. Simpson.3 7 4 
11. H. Ferric.11 13 ft 
BOWWKQ AVERAGES. 
I I 
Nitimei !- I | 
H. O. Simomls.. 
M. B. Feme. 
A. Gillespie_ 
R. Kennedy. 
7.03 
7 35 
0.2S 
4. KB 
•1 Bo 
4.28’ 
3.00 
3.60 
1.71 
~> 
II 
Si 
3.43 
4.01 
4.78 
8.03 
ARCHERY. 
ARCHERY SCORING. 
Editor 'Forest and Stream :— 
For myself and many fellow-nrchers of this region I 
desire to say a few words concerning Mr, A, S. Brownell’s 
theory that"the archer’s target would be more equitably 
valued if the consecutive rings counted from 1 to 5 for 
the gold, instead of from 1 to 9 as it is. 
As I understand it, the “mark” is the spot or line at 
which we aim. Tlie “gold” is the mark in .ar¬ 
chery. We all aim at it. We must not even 
think of any red or blue or black if we would 
hit the gold. If we set up a “clout” of 9.0 inches 
diameter, the best man makes the most hits on an 
average. Our English ancestors in the days of the Field 
of the Cloth of Gold, shot at small white discs or at 
pooled willow wands; for excellence was so universal that 
no archer would invite the reputation of inferiority by 
asking that any shot four inches from the center be made 
note of. Archers then scored on hits only. 
But we modern worshippers and practicers of this 
royal sport require some recognition of approximate ex¬ 
cellence ; and so we suivound our mark by a broad circu¬ 
lar margin whereon to measure the distance by which our 
less skilful shots miss the mark ; and this margin is, for 
convenience, divided into rings of rapidly decreasing 
value, for it is not the mark or a part of the mark, and 
its value is justly small and Tapidly lessens as we ap¬ 
proach the edge. If a gold be fastened to a large upright 
surface, say a clay bank, where the brick-makers have 
left it smooth and "perpendicular, and concentric rings of 
a regulation target be scratched in faint lines about the 
gold, it is as good a target as any of straw and gaily- 
painted canvas ; for the mark is there, and misses can be 
given their comparative values as certainly as upon a 
$4.50 target. 
As I view it, this circular margin, with its rings of 
diminishing value, is in effect a concession by first-class 
archers to archers of lower grades of skill; and we should 
accept it as Buch, magnifying the gold by giving it a 
far superior value, Let us by no means subtract from 
the enthusiastic veneration in which all true archers 
hold the gold by lowering it nearly to the level of a no 
hit. 
As for the two or three instances mentioned by Mr. 
Brownell, I answer that the question must be argued on 
averages and not upon an occasional wild round, or un¬ 
usual score where the hits are low in proportion to points 
made. Let us suppose a case parallel with the one men¬ 
tioned by Mr. Brownell as occurring at Beacon Park last 
September. One archer has during a month's practice 
scored a few points more at each round than a rival, but 
his rival has also at each round scored more hits. I claim 
the first is a better archer than the second, and should 
outrank him, for he has demonstrated his greater power 
of concentration by averaging his arrows nearer the 
mark, though his fewer hits may show the power is not 
continuously with him. On the other hand, if his rival 
had equal power of concentration, his nerves were not so 
steady or his muscles so strong and obedient as those of 
the firet, as Iub greater varying from the mark proves. So 
he detected by their odor, whioli [somewhat resembles 
I say the first is the better man, both in Mr. Brownell’s 
case and in my hypothetical case; for isn’t archery, as 
taught by our honored father, Maurice Thompson, and 
exemplified by him, and that perfect archer, his brother, 
a test of manhood? 
So I say, let the scoringTremain as our English cousins 
have arranged it. Let us keep the gold far above the 
circles of mediocrity, and rob it of none of its fascination 
by bringing it nearer to them. Perfection is our aim ; so 
let us keep a premium on perfection by retaining the 
superior values. Massasoit Bowman. 
Springfield, Mass., Deo. If th. 
AMERICAN BOWS ONCE MORE. 
New York, Dec., 1879, 
Editor Forest and Stream :— 
In your issue of November 13th is a letter from Mr. 
Thomas Aldred, of London, Eng., in which he complains 
of an “attack unwarrantably made upon me by two of 
your correspondents, ‘ Archer,’ and Mr. John W. Sutton.” 
Now, for my part, I had no idea of making an “attack” 
upon Mr. Aldred, but I was criticising “ Toxopholite’s ” 
statements from my standpoint, and Mr. Aldred's bows 
was the subject of “Toxopholite’s” letter’s in praise, and 
American bows in the opposite, and there was, from 
my standpoint, a lot of nonsense in Baid letters, such as, 
“ You can talk of your American bows, but it is prepos¬ 
terous to put them against such a maker as Thomas 
Aldred, who has been making archery since the year 
1813—“and I say there is no maker in this country that 
is prepared to-day with stock ahead to make bows that 
will answer the requirements.” Mr. Aldred says, about 
that comical five years’ seasoning statement, “ The wood 
must be gradually and naturally seasoned by a current of 
air constantly passing through the drying or seasoning 
rooms, and the bows advanced by sundry stages year by 
year ”—(the italics are mine). Now, in the name of com¬ 
mon sense, is seasoning timber anything but drying; and 
can it possibly take years to dry a piece of timber of any 
kind of the size of a bow, say, one inch by one and a 
quarter inches? This is a matter that it does not take a 
bow-maker to decide ; anybody that will give it a mo¬ 
ment’s thought, will see that this talk of “years” is 
“bosh,” and nothing else. A piece of wood of that size, 
left in the air (covered from the wet), in the summer will 
be thoroughly dry in a few months in this country. It 
may take a little longer in the damp climate of England, 
but not years. Apiece of timber is thoroughly seasoned 
whenever the water in it is exactly the same as is in 
the same bulk of the surrounding air, and, as there is no 
chemical change going on in the wood, the day that the 
wood is in that condition, it will make as good a bow as 
if it was kept years ; and if no decay occurs in the wood, 
it will he no better, no worse. Seasoning timber is no 
novelty ; and is as well understood in thi s country as in 
any other, and that bow that takes ‘ 1 sundry stages year 
by year ” is no better than if it had been made up the 
week the wood was dry. Mr. Aldred says: “And so 
limited are the good bow-makers, that I can count them 
on my fingers.” As Mr. Aldred has only ten fingers, and 
has been in the business since 1813, he no doubt knows 
them all. I wonder what will the other English bow- 
makers say to that, as there are nearly that number that 
are in the trade. Are their workmen all second, or third, 
or fourth, or some other rate, or is Mr. Aldred mistaken? 
My idea is, that almost any good mechanic can make a 
good bow ; and I get this idea from seeing any quantity of 
good bows made by their owners, many of them not 
mechanics, but amateurs, that not only shoot well, but 
have stood usage that the imported bows break under 
every day. There is hardly a village of 4,000 inhabitants 
in this country where such a bow cannot be found in use. 
I happen to know one here, a snakewood, that the owner 
made over twenty years ago, tliat has been in constant 
use ever since it was made, and it holds its own against 
all comers. This must show to every one, not badly 
prejudiced, that bow-making is not one of the fine arts, 
nor does it require any more skill than thousands of other 
things that are made every day without any glory. 
About copying one of Mr. Aldred’s yew bows: Of two 
sticks of wood exactly alike in every way, one was made 
into a bow by Aldred, and Brother Jonathan takes the 
other stick, and by careful measurement makes it exactly 
like the first one ; will there be any difference in the bows, 
and will that “ archer ” be able to tell which is which? 
if so, how will he do it; can it be explained in simple 
English ? There is no magic in bow making—it is a very 
simple affair, and it is only a trick of the trade to claim 
anything else, and the thousands of amateur made hows 
prove this. 
No doubt the reason the English bows fail in this 
country is the difference in the temperature and humidity 
of the two countries. A bow seasoned in the air in En¬ 
gland for years will be no drier than the surrounding air, 
and when brought here must dry out a portion of the 
-water to be the same as our very much warmer and 
dryer atmosphere. English seasoning is not American 
seasoning—even years of it. Yew bows are said to be the 
best bows in the world. They certainly should be, or 
there is a lot of money wasted ; but how much better? 
Will a yew bow shoot five or ten or twenty per cent, 
farther than a lance wood or some other cheaper bow? 
Who knows ? Are they stronger, and if so, what per 
cent, stronger ? Can any body answer in understandable 
language? If a bow costing, say, $10, and a yew $50 
or $75 or $100, how much farther will th© yew cast an 
anew, or how much lower will the tragectorv be in feet 
and inches ? This^is a question of considerable impor¬ 
tance, and I suppose every archer in this country would 
like an answer that was not guess work or boasting. 
There is finish ana all that, that counts, hut bows are 
for use, and if a $10 bow will throw an arrow within 
five per cent of tragectory of a $50 or $75 yew, is the 
percentage \y 05 fch that much more money, especially as 
the evidence is very Btrong that one is as liable to break 
as the other? Now, is not that “break” question of 
more consequence than the five per cent., or some other 
per cent., unless quite large. A broken $75 bow is no 
better than a broken 75 cent one, and the loss is very 
much more. 
Aldred denies that he refused to string his very costly 
how without pay, &c. Well, I think a gentlemen 
of this city can toll another story. As a bow- 
maker let me ask 1 Why should not wo warrant our 
goods as well as any other manufacturers ? Every¬ 
body else does; gun-makers, carriage-makers, and I 
do not know any one that does not. If I make a 
bow I know whether it is of good tough wood, 
if it bends true and all about it. Now, why should 
my customer be forced to take that how and pay for it, 
and take all the risk ? Are bows anything but springs, 
and does not every spring-maker warrant ills work ? I 
propose to warrant my make of bows against any reason¬ 
able usage, and do not fear to let any archer have a bow 
with that condition. With this business idea, when I 
heard that fine bows could not be strung without the 
customer taking the risk, I felt thankful that I could 
make an unbreakable bow that I think is second to none 
in its shooting powers, and at a price that would not 
require the buyer to own much New York Central stock 
to purchase. 
The close of my letter sticks in Mr. Aldred’s crop :— 
“ American mechanics are superior to any others in the 
world, and having begun the making of bows and ar¬ 
rows, will not stop until they supply the world with a 
better article for a less price, not excepting Mr. Aldred,” 
Let’s see if I cannot make that good. I am making 
rawhide-backed bows, and I sell them for $10, and war¬ 
rant them unbreakable, and am willing to have them 
strung and used by anybody anywhere, and so firm in 
1 the faith ami that they are “ superior” to any bow made 
by Mr. Aldred at the same price, that, if he wishes, we 
will each of us put one hundred dollars iu the hands of 
the editor of Forest and Stream to purchase a cup to be 
given the winners of two out of three trials with our 
bows. Each of us to bring a six-foot 451b. bow—that is, 
a bow that, when the string is twenty-six inches from 
the inside of the bow, shall pull 451bs.; the bows both to 
be of the kind and class sold in this city by myself and 
Mr. Aldred’s agents for $10. The trials to be : — 
First —To pull the longest arrow thirty times, the last 
time the arrow to be held in place one minute. 
Second —Three arrows at 100 yards for the lowest tra¬ 
jectory, the height to be measured 00 or 70 yards from 
the shooter’s stand. 
Third —Three arrows at flight shooting. Each to use 
in the two last trials any length or weight of arrows they 
may choose. The winners to take both bows, as well as 
the’cup. 
As I do not make a bow of over $15, and Mr. Aldred 
makes some very high priced ones, if he will give me say 
five per cent, discount on every time his price exceeds 
mine—that is, a $20 bow will give me five per cent., a 
$30 bow ten per cent., and so on—I will be willing ho 
should use any how he may choose. If I use a $15 bow, 
then the percentage to be the same on that price. Cer¬ 
tainly, if double price is only five per cent, better, one 
might question where the money was well spent. As our 
winter is at hand, the match to come off as soon as the 
weather will permit in the spring. But I am not par¬ 
ticular as to that. Mr. Aldred may set the time. 
95 Liberty street . John W, Sutton. 
New York Archery Club—T he New York Archery 
Club has secured quarters for its winter practice at Ex¬ 
celsior Hall, corner of Twenty-seventh street and Ninth 
avenue. Last Saturday the members shot for the club 
colors. Targets were arranged at the west end of tho 
hall, which was banked with butts made of burlaps and 
filled with excelsior. The ladies shot at the first target 
and the gentlemen at the second, Between the two par¬ 
ties great rivalry existed, as well as between the indi¬ 
vidual members. Ninety arrows were fired at a distance 
of thirty yards. The ladies’ badge was won by Mrs. Dr, 
De Luna, with a score of 252, while the gentlemen’s was 
won by Mr. Breeze, with 49G to his credit. 
Manhattan Archers.—A t a special business meeting 
of the Manhattan Archers the following regular board of 
officers was elected to take the place of the temporary 
hoard which was elected on Oct. 11th, 1879, to hold until 
a permanent board be elected : President, W. C. Beecher, 
237 Broadway ; Vice-President, Dr. M. McLean, 304 East 
One Hundred and Twentieth street; Secretary, Robert 
Lawrence, 37 Pine street; Treasurer, S. E. French, Metro¬ 
politan Hotel. Executive Committee, J. O. Davidson, 
Fordbam; Geo. W. Folsom, 46 West Thirty-seventh 
street; Dr. M. McLean, 304, East One Hundred and 
Twentieth street; S. E. French, Metropolitan Hotel. 
Robt, Lawrence, Sec. 
Kansas Archery.— Lawrence, Kan., Dec. 15th.— Be¬ 
low I give the highest score I have made at the American 
Round since the Cliicago meeting :— 
40 Yards. 60 Fords. ao Fords. mts.^Putnts’. 
30-200 27-100 30-118 86 418 
Mr. Chester, of the “ Commodus Archers,” has fitted 
up an indoor range for winter practice, and I give you 
the highest score made by three archers at the indoor 
range. Distance, 35i yards :— 
_ Points, 
E. P. Chester.... ]82 
F. O. Marvin. Rio 
J. D. Patterson.. 305 
Mr. Marvin commenced shooting in September of the 
present year. J, D. Patterson. 
Oritani Archers.—V eto York, Dec. 15th. —The Oritani 
Archers have sent a challenge to each of the following 
clubs, viz.: Brooklyn Archery Club, Robin Hood Ar¬ 
chers, Manhattan Archers and New York Archery Club. 
They wish to shoot the American Round with a team ol’ 
six. It is to be hoped that a friendly match can be ar¬ 
ranged before the weather gets too cold. Mount Morris 
Park would be a first-rate place for such a match. 
Archer. 
Cortland Archery Club.—T he Cortland (N. Y.) Ar¬ 
chery Club has been organized with the following officers : 
A. Malian, President: Dr. F. O. Hyatt, Vice-President; 
C. F. Stvaat, Secretary; Mrs. G. H, Arnold, Treasurer, 
A hall will he secured for winter practice. 
Steel Bows.—O ur mechanics have not yet made for 
ns a good and, at the same time low-priced bow. The 
good bows are too expensive, and the low-priced 
bows, considering their quality, are also too expensive. 
All are fragile and easily broken. Why does not some 
enterprising manufacturer experiment with steel? It 
seems as though, with steel, a how could bo made that 
would possess all the qualities of a perfect yew bow, and 
yet not cost more than a tenth as much. The bow 
