102 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept, '7, 1882. 



ADIRONDACK SURVEY WOTMS. 



VTTT. — A STATU PAKK — RANDOM SHOTS. 



I" 7 NLEStf Something is done liy the Slate of New- York to 

 ^ preserve the grand old woods as a public park, its glory 



will depart within the next ten years, and it will become 

 worthless for purposes of recreation or as a means ot ^apply- 

 ing water to our rivers and canals. 'I'lie lumbermen and 

 bark peelers are last destroying its value for these purpo 

 and the grand system of mountains, whose heavily wooded 

 sides prevent the sun from evaporating the rainfall, will be- 

 come bleak and barren roek. All along the Hudson this is 

 the ease already, and no new growth takes the place of the 

 Old forest whenever ithas been enlb'ely removed, the ground 

 being too (by to favor its growth, and the unsightly stumps 

 remain only to mark what was onee good timber-growing 

 land. The seienee of forestry, so well understood and prac- 

 ticed in some parts of Europe, seems to have been entirely 

 neglected here, and men cut and slash liy wholesale, leaving 

 the future to take care of itself, so Unit they reap one harvest? 



Thirty years ago there was plenty of water in the Hudson 

 below Troy at all seasons, and sail vessels could tack at will 

 in most places above the oily of Hudson. Now a steamboat 

 channel is all that remains in midsummer, and this is so 

 soant that the river is lined with stone dykes to keep the 

 watet in the channel. Pew are so ignorant to-day as not to 

 know that the clearing off of timber tends to dry up the 

 springs which flourished on the shaded, mossy sides of hills 

 where rain and snow-fall was protected from the sun. hence 

 it needs no elaborate argument to show that this region, 

 which is the source of the Hudson and its main branch, the 

 Mohawk, as well as of streams flowing info Lake Champlain 

 and the St. Lawrence, and which is of no value whatever as 

 an agricultural district, should be preserved as a publicpurk. 

 The practice of selling land to lumbermen, who make a first 

 payment and then skin off the timbcraud decline to pay taxes 

 on it, thereby allowing it to revert to the State, should be 

 slopped at once, unless our legislators are walling to see lie' 

 water highways closed. The State does not know, and can- 

 not learn until the survey is completed, how much land it 

 owns here, or where it is located, and unscrupulous men take 

 advantage of the fact to cut timber on lands not their own. 

 In no Other country would this be tolerated for a moment. 



Tiie preservation of these torcsls is not alone a question 

 concerning the sportsmen and others seeking recreation, it is 

 oue which affects the commerce, as well as the health of the 

 Whole people of the State. 



There are still planes enough in the Adirondaeks where 

 one can go aud not find cockney hotels and people whom it 

 fs desswhle to avoid, if lie will leave the beaten track, places 

 where he will find good woodland fare and hospitality, 

 where no telegraph brings news of hourly stock quotations 

 on Wall street, or where he will be oppressed with Saratoga 

 style. Why those who desire these things come info the 



v. Is. which should be sacred to sileuce and blue flannel, is 



a wonder; they certainly are not in sympathy with the spirit 

 of the Wilderness, and seem as much out of place as our old 

 friend "Eeatherstockiiig" would lie in a drawing room.. Old 

 Natty would lie astonished at them, and like me would 

 suggest that their "gifts were not for the woods." But they 

 don't respect the honest old mau, and it is a question if 

 many of them know who be was. One man talks of laying 

 out a race course in the woods. O, Ichabod, Ichabod! 



It was an evil day when the level of some of the lakes was 

 raised for the ostensible purpose of affording more Water for 

 the canals, but partly to facilitate the driving of logs down 

 the streams, and a line of dead timber disfigures many as 

 beautiful sheets of water as are to found on this planet, and 

 which it will rake a century- to restore to their former come- 

 liness. The raising of the water lias injuriously affected 

 the fishing by destroying breeding grounds which are not to 

 be found along 1be new shores with their decaying vegeta- 

 tion and mold-covered bottoms. 



To a man who loves the woods ami nature in her wildest 

 forms, who loves to look upon a landscape and imagine that 

 no human eye has seen it before, or at least not an eye be- 

 longing to a white man, these things are all a profanation of 

 the temple. The Btearaboats which go puffing up and down 

 the lakes from Blue Mountain to Kaquctte are bad enough, 

 but the slashing of timber and the damming of the lakes is 

 worse. A lover of the w oods goes there to escape civiliza- 

 tion with its railroads, telegraphs aud its money-making 

 ways, and when he gels a glimpse of any of Ibe birds or 

 beasts which are ranging in his sight without being aware of 

 his presence, he loves to note their movements and habits. 

 If gives him a feeling of satisfaction which the gilded youth 

 who needs the constant support of all the appliances of 

 civilization, including hourly reports of the. stock market, 

 has not the faintest conception of. Ireadjly fall info Sympathy 

 with the men who have visited Hie woods I'or Hie past thirty 

 or forty years, and who have come from a love of the vast 

 solitudes which railroads and good wagon roads are now 

 rendering too easy of access to the ordinary tourist, and who 

 are finding that the charms of their old haunts, their woods 

 iiie gone. To them 1 will whisper that there are still places 

 where they can leave the vanities of the world behind them; 

 where the gilded youth dare not yet venture, andwTiieh even 

 the old guides do not know. This may seem to be a strange 

 statement, but this very year Mr. Oolvin has found ponds 

 which his oldest, and keenest woodsmen, who hunt and trap 

 in that district all winter aud guide in summer, have been 

 compelled to admit were "new water." This will all be 



announced in due time and in the regular manner, but leav- 

 ing them out for the present, there are other places where 

 the tourist does not go. 



The guides take sight -seers by the main water courses, 

 which are the easiest to travel, and these are so distributed 

 as to make aquatic highways in several directions almost 

 across the woods. Between these will be found compara- 

 tively unfrequented tracts containing small lakes, which the 

 guides know and few beside themselves visit. Here one can 

 camp without fear of interruption, and will see none except 

 it lie some one having his own tastes and habits, who will 

 bid him "good day," and perhaps accept an invitation to 

 halt, eat a trout or a venison steak, smoke a pipe and then 

 pass on. Such chance meetings often ripen into future ac- 

 quaintance in the case of two persons for whom the woods 

 were made, and neither feels that the other is intruding, 

 which all lovers of the woods feel in the ease of an invasion 

 of tourists who merely "do" the woods because it is the 

 fashion. 



1 have spoken of the desirability of getting beyond all 

 reach of civilization and its messengers, the mail and the 

 telegraph, and to .some this may seem carrying it farther 

 than they would wish to go. 1 can best explain my desires 

 on this point by quoting another. I once went into the 

 woods with a gentleman having large commercial relations 

 and great interests at stake. W'e were to lie gone some 

 time, and a man in his employ was to bring in some provi- 

 sions at the end of the first week. The instructions to the 

 latter were; -'When you come in don't bring either news- 

 papers, letters or messages, except on family matters. 1 am 

 on a vacation of four weeks, and 1 don't propose to be dis 

 turbed by business. Even if banks fail and 1 am financially 

 ruined 1 don't want to know it, and 1 have no wish to be 

 bothered with it. When 1 come out I will resume business." 

 He had the correct view of a vacation in the woods, and 

 cast, off his business for the time and enjoyed himself as he 

 could not have done had be allowed bis worldly cares to an- 

 noy him. lie was a man who could endure his own society 

 and did not need to carry his commercial relations with him. 

 How few can do this! And how few have enough in them 

 to interest themselves. Byron's lines on solitude are so to 

 the point that 1 must quote: 



To sil ..a rocks, to muse o'er flood and fell, 



Toslod ly trace Hie forest's shady scene, 



Where things that own not man's dominion dwell, 



And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been ; 



To climb the trackless mountain all unseen, 



With Hie wild tloclc that never needs a. fold;. 



Atone o'er steeps aud foaming falls to lean, 



This is not solitude; 'tis hutto hold 



Converse with nature's charms, and view tier stores unrolled. 



But midst the crowd, the. hum, the shook of men, 



To hear, to see, to feel and to possess, 



And roam along, the world's tired denizen, 



Willi none who hless us, none whom we can bless; 



Jiiilions of splendor shrinking from distress, 



Hone that, with kindred consciousness endued, 



If u 



ncli 



ied; 



The few who feel thus will not suffer from lack of the su- 

 perfluities of civilization and will find more companionship 

 in the hills thau in Wall street. E. M. 



Editor Fun 



stemd Stream.; 



to your, ins 



ue of the 34th inst., "F. It." in his sixth article of Hie 



"Adirondael 



Survey Notes" strikes the key note to the protection 



of game. 





The r. -mm 



ks of the different guides, as given by him. on this ques- 



Hon, are pal 



icolarly striking and truthful, and show plainly how the 



matter is pr< 



sented to them, and what vile means are resorted to by 



men who eta 



im lo be honorable and law-abiding citizens, outside of 



the game la 



vs. tint the day is near at hand that will brand Hie 



"venison Hi 



ef" Uis the Koiu.st ani. Stkka.m styles 1dm) with the 



Thisputth 



g men upon Heir honor is the true principle, and the 



man who hr 



lies, pr threatens guides, into "crooked" work, not only 



I ... .' M.i,.-. men who wait for the open season. And my experience 

 llSE I ■ " sit the ''higher toned" the violator, and Hie greater claim 

 lie made bo honor and integrity when at homo, the. quieter he wants 

 it. kept, and the smallest hole is large enough for him to crawl 

 through when he is caught. 

 The Adirondack survey party of which "F. M." was a member, seta 



them in a practical manner, ay well as by good fair argument, ^ has 

 put new life into them on this question, ami the last time I was on 

 the Fulton Chain, they were pretty well prepared to meet those who 

 had a disposition to violate the law. in a, manner that if there was 

 any honor in them, would bring it out. I hope every fair-minded 

 spoilsman witt read lii'. Mather's article mentioned above, and if he 

 has ever been a violator of the game laws, let him sine himself 

 up, and meditate upon Hie honor he has gained or lost in the opera- 



Your valuable paper ha; taken good ground on this Question, and 

 its influence is being felt. Already we find many men who in years 

 gone by slayed and killed at all seasons, who now hold up both 

 bauds to have the. law enforced, aud regret, what they did in the 

 past; and with help in. various directions, we begin to see a decided 

 increase in the deer in Hie Adirondaeks. i hope that when 

 tempted to shoot game, out of season, every .sportsman will counsel 

 bis honor before pulling the trigger. Wst. 1\ Dodok. 



Prospect, N. V., Aug. 29, 



Qi.un, Shooting. — From all that we can leant the coming 

 season will be a very fair quail year. Reports of an abund- 

 ant supply of birds come to us from many quarters, and 

 shooters arc generally anticipating- gobd sport. 



§he gparhnfun §ouri$L 



"P1SECO" ON LAKE COMO. 



nOMiitiito i/f.s Bains, Prussia, Aug. 14. 

 Dim i- Forest aiulSWeim; 



When I bade you good-bye last November, and you bade 

 me "bon voyage," 1 had not an idea that the promise I 

 then made would remain so long Unfulfilled; I'or my previous 

 experience of European life having been confined to the sea- 

 ports alone, I had but little doubt but that I should be able 

 to contribute considerable lo your fish department at the 

 least, and my plans not being definitely made, embraced 

 a little out-door work in the 8wiss Mountains, the German 

 Black Forest and the Lochs of Scotland. 



Cut. like many well-laid plans, mine ganged aglee. and a 

 bit of Roman fever in the family last winter assumed Hie 

 upper hand, and lias shaped n.v subsequent proceedings, 

 until now, it having at lasi held up raining, and being cold 

 and cheerless as no previous spring and summer have ever 

 been in Europe— at least so all the landlords assure me— I 

 have settled down for rest and recuperation in this most 

 delightful retreat, where I drink the waters, bathe daily m 

 "mineral pine extract" mixture, and, I trust, am getting rid 

 of some of the effects which have followed, very naturally* 

 my many days of wading icy brooks in our home forests, 

 and campings out in Alaska mountains. 



A great preventive of loo strong prickings of conscience 

 for my broken promise is that, like flic needy knife-grinder, 

 "Lord bless you, sir, I've no story lo tell;" for however rich 

 a stock of data suitable for a journal devoted to art, as is the 

 Forks'!- a.vii Stream to nature. migW or may have been ac- 

 cumulated in my wanderings through the galleries and mu- 

 seums of Germany, Italy and Austria, 1 shrink from making 

 them public, through a'n inward consciousness that I-ladae 

 ker, Murray and Harper, with their facts and figures, and a 

 host of itinerary literary tourists, Willi their vivid flight* of 

 imagination, have already so thoroughly exhausted the 

 powers of description Ihut mine would" prove but a "twice 

 told tale," and worse, a badly told oue, for 1 fear that I am 

 not romantic. 



I brought with me, as you know, uiv fishing gear, but, 

 wisely counseled, stored it carefully away in Paris hist 

 November, and there if lias lain until this month; , U ul 1 have 

 not missed it, nor have 1 once wished that 1 had my Parka 

 along. Either or bolb would hare cost more in transprj* 

 tation than all the lisli 1 have seen caught Or game killed 

 would pay for. I have seen fishing enough on the banks Oif 

 the Seine," the Danube, the Rhine. Rhone ami Loire, and I lie 

 wharfs and quays of the Geneva Lake, besides many smaller 

 or less known waters, and as 1 should judge from personal 

 observation, constantly dotted with patient anglers, all 

 armed with long bamboo poles and wilb floats. Never have 

 J seen one of these fishermen make any movement which 

 would Indicate even a bite. 



Only once previous to my arrival here have I made any 

 attempt to fish and but once to hunt. The latter lirsi, as ft 

 is a very short story. At Heidelberg a young Englishman, 

 whose acquaintance I made at table d'hote, gave me a glow- 

 ing account Of ids sport a few days before, when iu the 

 forest near by he hud killed two deer. I thought to make 

 an effort, but found obstacles. First I must takeout fl 

 yearly license to bunt, at I believe KID marks, the privilege 

 of carrying a gun being expressly included; next to either 

 join with others or else "myself hire a sufficient number of 

 men and dogs to range through the preserve and drive deer 

 tome; then, all this being accomplished, to butcher at ten 

 yards' distance any unfortunate animal that might be scared 

 toward me. 



In further conversation with this young gentleman, who 

 was rather of the Oxford uuder-graduate, restbetie style, I 

 asked, "What dogs were used?" "Why, hunting dogs/to be 

 sine." "Ites, "but what kind?" "Oh. I don't""know what 

 you Americans call them, but we call them setters." Do 

 you blame me for more than half fancying that if thai young 

 man had brought home any venison lie had bought iff Or, 

 as we used to express it hi Silka. when a particularly good 

 result had been obtained — or claimed — by an indifferent 

 shot, "He has met an Indian." 



liy attempt at fishing proceeded to greater length. 1 

 actually went. It was at Bellaggio. on the Italian Lake 

 Como. Badaeker describes the trout in the lake as very ex- 

 cellent, and growing to a weight of live and twenty pounds 

 The head waiter assured me that some very good-sized 

 and fine-flavored trout that we had for dinner, were obtained 

 in the lake, and in the kindest manner .accepted n retainer, 

 and agreed to make all arrangements by wiiich f the next 

 day would be enabled to have a good day's fishing. These 

 were to include a siiita.de boat, bait and gear, ami expert- 



fin- day dawned showery, just right for fishing, and with 

 high anticipations and accompanied by 3 couple of young 

 friends, I was at the wharf at the appointed time. Then! 

 lay the boat, a trim little row boat, elegantly lilted up, with 

 cushions, awning, curtain, etc., and iu a little box in the 

 stern sheets a lot of little gear, just big enough to use in 

 perch or minnow fishing. 



It struck me that my friend the boatman had insured him- 

 self against fish-soiled cushions, anil us against sport. If 

 the Italian language which I made use of was not gram- 

 matical, it was vigorous, and produced, evidently, the sought 

 forimpressiou, namely, that we werenot sosullicientlv verdant 

 as to suppose for an instant that he had any intention of 

 rowing us overanyspot where there was the least chance of 

 our capturing any r fish that could by any possibility be ex- 

 pected in its dying straggles to shed a -.eel.' or drop of blood 

 upon any of his tasteful" fixtures; and thai a common regular 

 fishing boat, such as ii, e fishermen use, ami provided wffB 



suitable tackle, would be good enough lor us. Surrounding 

 boatmen, not being themselves pecuniarily interested, gave 



strong backing to my protest, and the old follow yielded 

 gracefully, and the intimation that the amount of his butnu- 

 ninnit would depend entirely upon our hick — being limited 

 to a "single t'rauc if unsuccessful, to be raised upon to ten for 

 a five-pound fish, anil twenty for a ten-pounder" — stalled 

 him in a hurry for substitutes. 



In an hour we embarked in a great comfortable boat with 

 two rowers, and sheltered by an awning on a frame resembl- 

 ing the cover of one of our western prairie schooners. Si i c> au- 

 fortable did it all look, aud the day had cleared up so 

 pleasantly that lady members of the party, having done the 

 Villa Carlotta, and admired the beautiful grounds and the. 

 statuary — which includes a magnificent frieze by Thorwuld- 

 sen. and the original "Love and Psyche," worth a fortune. 

 while their owner has to depend upon visitors' fees for an in 



