[Nov. 33, 1883. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



323 



time. "Oh! come, Jerry," said John, "do give us a song — 

 a real old war-whoop— one thai will awaken these monn 

 tain echoes; they Seldom bear so good a voice." "'Wall, 

 boys," said Jerry, "before 1 Bing you a Bong, I will have to 

 !ire off a story, and then if you want me to sing afti rwards, 

 why I'll go ahead. Yrjii see, boys, 1 w&saway up in these 

 mountains wiih a prpspectiug party 'searching' for gold. 

 1 strayed away off from Hi" fellows one day, and losing 

 the trail ami night coming on, I thought to myself the best 

 wa\ for Jerry to do, was to camp. So I sat myself I'ighl 

 down where J was, stretched mil these pins, and, wrapping 

 my blanket about me, turned iu for the night. Bu1 I 

 wa'nito sleep, at once. No, Indeed, for 90dn there came 

 such a howling and snapping of teeth about me. that my 

 hair stood on end. There, in a circle about me sat, us lively 

 a pack of wolves as you ever did bear on, and being without 

 ray gun, you'll bet, boys. I thought my time had eouie. 

 Wall, my mother had taught me, when only a sprout, many 

 a pood thing; or two. and among others J remember her 

 saying, Now, Jetty, my son. if you ever get inlo a light 

 place, just you say yer prayers and tben sing a song) and 

 all will be right.' So 1 got riirht down on toy knees, bul 

 after 1 rose up 1 saw the \a'. mill's gitting closer and closer. 

 But 1 was bound to carry out the whole programme, so 1 

 cleared my pipes and at il I went on the tune of 'Old Hun- 

 dred.' On finishing the first, line, tin- wolves commenced 

 to idnd of shake their heads, and look nl one another. At 

 the end of the second, they rose up and bawled. At the 

 end of the third, they tore around like mad, plowing the 

 ground iu all directions, while at the end of the fourth, they 

 went a flying down tbe mountain side as if Old Xi,k was 

 after them. And now, boys, if you want meter sing, jii -; 

 the word." "Nol much," said John, seizing hi.- gun, u 

 this evening." ^ I'vnoi.i-. 



%<m\e fjxg iiijd 



Opes Seasons.—/*/; tnMc of ■open *-.#.w«.v for gwiR4 &nd *it<h 

 in mve of July 20. _ 



SOWING WILD RICE. 



IN the beginning of April, 1881, weTecervefl from one of 

 the parties advertising in your paper nine bushels of wild 

 rice, which, although none of us had seen it before, looked 

 to be good seed, and let me state right here that iu relating 

 our poor success, we do nol iu the least wish to relied upon 

 the quality of the seed nor the fair dealing- of the -'Her, 

 but lay our partial failure to other causes. We soaked the 

 seed in water for two days, and two boats spent some six 

 hours each sowing it into every place in the lake which 

 from descriptions read in your journal we considered a 

 suitable spot for it. The kernels sank rapidly out of sight, 

 and many long weeks lay before us until their reappearanc*; 

 iu anticipated Waving lields of grain. The month of 

 August came, hut no waving fields of lice with il ; after 

 careful searching wc discovered here and there a solitary 

 stalk where we expected hundreds of them. These stalk's 

 lion- 1'ruil. bul having thrown into such a place perhaps a 

 peek of seed) with Such poor results, bow eoulii we cXpecl 

 thai a few stalks in liie same place would amount to any 

 thing? Well, Ibis summer came, and we were almost 

 afraid to ask each oilier about wild rice. 



One day in August" last, "while talking about clay pigeons 

 and smoke balls and shooting prospects, one of our crack 

 shots happily surprised us by the remark iliat he had lately 

 been hunting for wild rice again, and had found hundreds 

 of stalks where a year ft) there had been scarcely ten. 



Thi- was l'oo.I news indeed, and we did nol fail iu verity 

 his story by finding it just about as he had told us. Now 

 please understand that there are no waving iields of it vet. 

 The sialks are still rather far aud few between, but it is.ti 

 Settled far-l that (here grew considerable more rice ibis 

 summer (ban lasl, and our hopes may yet be realized of 

 seeing the swampy corners full of it, and Hie ducks tumb- 

 ling to the music of our bi-piped organs. 



Should anv one desire to introduce wild rice, we wish lo 

 aiivi-e him to sow it in the fall, as that is its natural Bet din" 

 time, and as the water in most any lake or liver is lower in 

 that season than in the spring, you can see Where you sow 

 it and will nol risk wasting seed in places wlilcu either 



freeze oul in'win'er, or are only covered by water in spring 

 and not all the year round. Do noL be afraid that it will 

 fall into too: deep water, we found stalks in spot- sft. deep 



in the fall, and II or 1 Oil. deep in the spring, though we 

 consider a depth of :> lo 5ft. in Hie fall best. 



0. Ql£R,B] ■■!.' .Il: 

 Wkiister. Mast., Nov. 1888. 



NORTHERN MICHIGAN. 



Many men, <>f many minds, 

 ^lany birds, of many kinds. 

 Many lishes in tlio sua, 



THE boy who straggles home tired, dirlv, and hungry, 

 after a day's li.-biug in the shallow crooked si ream run- 

 ning through ibe village, with a half dozen sunfish, a rock 

 bass, and perhaps a -mail turlle. lells of his adventure for 

 the day: what a nice string of fish he caught, and bow 

 many whopping big bites he laid, and wi;h faYe all aglow, 

 and in emphatic terms, says it was, '-'the best fishing he ever 

 saw," and exhibits his trophies, with a dolighl andsatisfoc 

 lion unequaied, Another, on* for a day's^hooling; ramble- 

 along the hank of the same stream ami brings home will, 

 the same pleasure and expressions of delight, a couple of 

 blackbirds, a chipmunk, and perhaps n iquim I. and in re- 

 lating his day's experience snma up by saying it was "the 

 best shootinsr he ever saw." In fact thisja^erifinpeisslmplj 

 a reflection, or example, of our own. For e* b and every one 

 of us know just where we can have, -'the best fishing or 

 shooting we ever saw," and with sincerity know the sport 

 we have had to be excellent and unequalled. This all comes 

 from degrees of comparison, under the personal experient e 

 of the sportsmen, and from which he alone can judge 

 although the -port be may have had is act a comparison to 

 that of the BUme character to be had at other points, stUI the 

 degree of satisfaction in the same, and the boy who bos 

 spent the day at the brook, catching sunfiah, is equal in this 



respect to the man who has taken hi- seven-;, ( 'I troui 



from the Nepigon. 



On the strength of this personal ignorance the writer has 

 for a number years made Northern Michigan the point of 

 operations for his gunning and fishing (a number of letters 



on this territory from him. have iu She lasl few years 

 appeared in the Columns of FOBBST AMI Stiikwi, i mi be 

 With oilier followers of Hie faith, feels as though the spoil- 

 ing in the wild- of I he northern portion of the lower penin- 

 sula of Michigan offer to those who delight in the recreation 

 and pleasure of fishinfi and hunting, unequalled territory 

 for such spoil. Pish of nearly till kinds are .abundant, game 

 abundant, pure air. pure water and all the essential features 

 necessary to B pleasant vacation can be found in this, to my 

 mind. Ihe sportsman's paradise, 



The v i,j|„ r „ during tjie past summer found many changes, 

 improvements for their convenience and benefit, railroads, 

 boat lines, new hotel- within easy reach of good fishing and 

 llUtttin {grounds. Many were the parties who availed them- 

 111 ir advanla.'j,-> and all w bo understood the 

 inner of enjoyment in the wild woods and on the 

 beautiful cold streams, will return again to the "best fishing 

 ami bunting ground- the;, ever saw." while their winter 

 days and evenings will often be brightened bj thoughts of 

 a lovely camping plaoe by the -ale of aswifl running cold 

 si i earn, where water could be dipped up as cold and clear as 



il COuld be taken from the water Cooler at home, and visions 

 will rise to their amnion, .'- when OUl of such -tr,.i,i they 



had r "terrible time" landing a troul ot grayling, and they 



will, a- the bright spring days appear, look up their ? mi, 



clean it, and see thai u is ready for service, and took over 

 their fishing tackle, while a streak of anticipate,', pleasure 



will run up their spinal column and eiilch the short hairs on 



i lie back of the head with asUghl tendency to raise them 



up. in answer to the wave summons, as they contemplate 

 and prepare lor a rehearsal of their last summer's experience 

 in "the best place to til, and hum they ever saw." 



Northern Michigan is now being hunted over by n, any 

 sportsmen after deer, and f regret exceedingly to hear that 

 in many instances the character of the true sportsman is 

 sacrificed to thai of a butcher, as the objective point seems 

 lo be how many deer can Ihcv kill instead of how many 

 deer should they kill, in justice to themselves and their 

 brother sportsmen, and with a prospect of a lutuie ground 

 lor recreation and amusement. The Michigan Sportsman's 

 Association deserve commendation tor their untiring efforts 

 to protect the game of the State, and although notable to 

 dictate and enforce a rule as to jnsi bow many deer a single 

 person or a party shall kill, sti'll their oversight and Iheir 

 Strict Statutes, which tbcv are endeavorimr losee fully en- 

 forced, will go a lone way to aid in protecting the game of 

 the Slate, and enables them in a ereat deer,-,, to rcnilnte the 

 slaughter, and they can only leav, to the parties who aie 

 shooting throughout Iheir territory their own sense of pro- 

 priety and decency as to the amount of game they should 

 be satisfied with; and we all who love the sport win join in 

 a request to such parties who now or may hereafter shoot 

 over the dis'riet to -pan- useless slaughter",- and not make 

 tbe special boast of their exploits and experiences the great 

 number of deer they have shot in "the best place for deer 

 they ever saw." Frank N. Retsbe. 



AMERICANS IN CANADIAN WATERS. 



FAii;r For, si and Stream: 



In the waters of the St. Lawrence, during the month of 

 October, hirsre numbers of docks are accustomed lo assemble 



on I 



t tii. 



the redheads and brondbUl? lasl month on the lower part of 

 Lake Si. Francis, not far from the line dividing Ontario 

 from Quebec. 



The president of one of our oldest and most respected 

 sbooti ,g clubs, who lives Dear the Canadian frontier, is the 

 owner of a very commodious and comfortable vacht when on 

 his many friends are used to accompany him to li-h during 

 Ihe season for black bass, and to shoot in Scplemb, r anil 

 0< tt ber. 



His generous hospitality included my uamo in the list of 

 hist month's invited guests; and with three other ardent 

 lovers of sport, we reached the Lake St. I'Ynnci- in the early 

 half of Ihe past month. 



To shoot in tbe Province of Quebec requires a license, the 

 fee for which is twenty dollars for each citizen of the 

 Uh.ted States. As respectorsdf law and order, eaeii person 

 was duly provided with the legal authorization, although 

 . early all The shooting wa- done in Ontario, where no such 

 license is required. Lndividu illy. I did not fire a gun iu the 



Knowi u: thai ill-,li-posed persons might object to our 

 carrying guns and ammunition over the line, na'yhqsl look 

 the precautiou of going to a Canadian Custom House and 

 entering nil his "munitions of war." Thus fortified, we 

 hoped for good spot! and fraternal recognition from our 

 cousins over the board r. 



A few days after comins toanehor a "kceyiud friend" sent 

 US the Montreal W'iht. 88 containing the following: 



by the politeness of the habitants, who thought us theolog- 

 ians on a tour of relaxation. They never spoke of us to our 

 attendants except as "them D— D Yankees." And yet there 

 was not a doctor of divinity among US, You know how 

 politoa Frenchman or his descendants must be, and will 

 readily understand the highlv flattcriu? estimation n, which 

 we were held. 



The concealment of our boats iu "caches far oul into the 

 lake," is something quite new to us. We hardly know what 

 the writer means. We are equally in the dark as to those 

 "seven or eight loud reports, from the steamer or the boats 

 around, every time a flock of ducks appeared. We occasion- 

 ally tried to get Cor preservation a loon with the help of a 

 W iiicbesier ride, but wedid our duck shooting in a legitimate 

 way, from the small flat bottomed boats— our only "each 

 In Iwo of these there was barely room for one man and 

 his gun. In the third, two shooters could find place. Wm re 

 the concealed boat would come in, we should like to know. 



After a week or ten days a very polite resident who holds 

 "some soil of commission in connection with game preser- 

 vation ." eatnc lo one of our party shooting fiom a siimle 

 Hal and told him he was violaline the law and must cease 

 tiring and fail back. My friend" asked what provision tff 

 the law had been violated. "Am 1 using a swivel gunV" 

 "No," said the guardian. "Have 1 a night light?" "No." 

 "1- this a sunken punt?" "No." "is this a halteryY" 

 "Well, yes, 1 will call it a battery, and you must slop 

 shooting from it." A polite attempt was made to explain 

 what the general world understood as "a battery," but il did 

 no good, nor did we cease to use our flat°, as they contra- 

 vened no law. I think the guardian objected to decoys, 

 but he withdrew objection to them after a few days. 



Some Canadian sportsmen were usiue; a sunken punt in 

 our near neighborhood, and I saw others go into a blind 

 built to hide a boat. To the latter no one could reasonably 

 take exception, Certainly we did not, nor did Ihe "game 

 constable" objeel to Iheir sunken punt. 



1 will not refer to tbe scurrilous anonymous letters writ- 

 ten to my host, inasmuch as no gentleman could have pro- 

 duced such communications. 



On one occasion a sudden spell of warm weather caused 

 some ducks to spoil. These were thrown overboard, a.td 

 were regarded as "marking our tracks with blood," and 

 showed us to be possessed of a simple love of gore. 



Knowing the very high estimation in which Canadian 

 gentlemen sportsmen hold the Forest and Stkkam, I have 

 written the foregoing that their minds might be disabused 

 of any unjust impression conveyed by the Montreal journal 

 in question. 



We violated no law, and we thought ourselves entitled to 

 decent respect and consideration, even though we belonged 

 to the big bigO.'sttwoof 'em) who live south of the Do- 

 minion. Tim Old DocToif. 

 New Youe, Nov. 18, 1882. 



FROM KALAMAZOO TO KANKAKEE. 



NOTICING, oue morning, about fifty-five mallards lying 

 by the express office, aud hearing thev were the "pro- 

 duct of a week's shooting on the Kankakee* River, Indiana. 

 by a friend, I immediately sought a companion for sport of 

 the same order. Mytiicnd R. being equally enthusiastic, 

 we Started. Arrived at "Old HooseyV bouse, and his eood 

 wife informed us that HooSey and his son were down" the 

 river interviewing the ducks. A fine string of ducks was 

 hanging on lb, side of the house, which somewhat consoled 

 us for being too late lor that evening's shooting. Soon the 

 baiking of our dogs admonished us of our host's approach, 

 and through the doorway came a conglomeration of men! 

 dogs, ducks aud guns. After a caret i, I classification the 

 remit was, five men, live guns, three dogs ami thirty-two 

 ducks— all fine, mallards. Supper over we'smoked ihe fes- 

 tive pipe and listened lo IIoosc.v expatiate on the merits of 

 bis sixieeu-bore fun, which, by the Way, brought down 

 fifteen of the thirty-two ducks, until the big feather he, I in 

 the room adjoining had Its. peculiar charms for us and we 

 ret red to its a tuple embrace. Having been admoni lied by our 

 landlord that the early morning shooting was pooi (aud itbe- 

 inga very agreeable hitofinfoima ion) we breakfast, d at seven 

 and started for a snipe ground near by. My friend had been 

 killing ducks all night, although his name 'bay was a- cinntv 

 as when we first arrived. ' J 



Reaching ihe snipe grounds, our well broken setter soou 

 found the Bnipc, and my luck gave me the first bird. AH, r 

 natingoursueccss.two hours' shootinggave us tweniy-twotinc 

 Wilson snipe. After dinner wc slai led down the river lor 

 the ducks. Arriving at. one of tin: largest of the sloiifhs, 

 we Worked our boat into the wild rice, until we could wade 

 on the uncertain bottom, and hauling our boat alo'ngi w<nt 

 about seveuty-Uve rods from the river, where we Coveaed our 

 boat and took lo the water, depending entirely on our do^s 

 to retrieve the ducks. Owing to the frequency of paities 

 losing their boats in the almost iiiaccessinle marsh, I look 

 ihe precaution to erect an oar with an empty beer bottle at- 

 tached, which afterwards proved very fortunate. The fust 

 setting sun started the ducks and soon ihe reports oi the 

 aitillery down the river announced Chat fun was ai hand. 

 A( tii si the ducks Hew ralberhigh. bul soon two tine mallaida 

 came along within range. My luck again s, i vul me and the 

 right and left ban, Is iv nii-bore Colt brought them bo,h 



lb.,,s. \ bad told Us ilia, ai about sundown we would not 



ipleot In 



ihiek ami 

 Millions, bn 

 or i hey ei 



b\ tushes, or by 

 the sides. The: 



customed to tm,l 



and 1 need not. n 



no violation of s 



The sanding o 



iches of eve 

 anchored in 

 bug theedfi 



ng le-s ihan four 

 . partly concealed 



the lake— frequently 

 • of whioh the Oana- 



For the country; the hags, however, 

 ari.son with I hose we hiid been ac- 

 fitUCH BrjuudorUi Chesapeake Ray, 

 i who have so lone known me. that 

 dike propriety was committed, 

 iing anonymous letters was offset 



Id th, 

 >;s soon made a 

 fight and lefl 

 ids of our boat, 

 i the peisuasive 

 conclusions. As 

 I a glove on inj - 



with B 

 ) we Iu 



irlandv 



left baud was very comfortable. 



Darkness soon spoiled our spc 

 tion to finding our b< 

 lards and (1 regret tc 

 food for ihe wolves, 

 around iu the mud a 

 boots looking for out 

 was not empty) soon 

 thatclassof supercag 

 found Ihe boat and pulled for the 

 duck awaiting our voracious appetites, 



Two more nights and equally good success gave us fifty- 

 nine large mallards; and strange lo say, all the' ducks killed 

 were mallards, it being loo early for ledheadsand bluebiJls. 

 On aniviug in Kalamazoo we were the "admired of all" 

 with our ducks laid out ou a dray, (to give them plentj Of 

 aii i for transportation to our homes. Geo. H. Wlnajss. 



Kalamazoo, Micb., Nov. IB. 



urued our atten- 

 tring of seventei ti line mal- 

 I I, tl nearly as many more. 

 ,li infest Hie marshes. Knocking 

 Pater nearly to the top ,,t our hip 

 pty beer bottle land the one which 

 viucedusof the elficacy of taking 

 "" beacon light. Luckily we soon 

 ove, and baked 



