Dec. 28, 1883.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



427 



being the master of one of less gentle blood and more lim- 

 ited education. 



But 1 do like a nice gun — one of neatness of finish, per- 

 fect in itB-pro|iOrtioi • and mecli aism, nnd capa- 

 ble, If ham lied right, of killing game at a reasonable dis- 

 tance. I do no( waul oui» which it ia laborious to entry, but 

 a light one of from lfl to 18 bore, which I can bear along 

 without feeling tin; weight of llie bni'den. To me, at least, 

 one which will jut. turn the scale at seven pounds, and 

 which v. ill admit of a Charge Of three drains of gunpsrWdcjr 

 and one ounce of shot, is flic beau ideal of a fowling piece. 

 With such a gun 1 caj kill all the kinds of game whicli I 

 chouse to hunt, but not at. those apoobrypha'l distances of 

 which men sometimes speak whose imaginations run riot 

 with the fuels. A well mule Hi-bore guYi weighing seven 

 potjndb, property loaded, will kill an "antlered monarch" at 

 for y yards, ami beyond that few of larger size ami greater 

 hi be relied upon to hit tho mark. I have occasion- 

 ally killed at much greater range, but such shots are ahuor- 

 null. 



I recollect, having heard 9 gentleman boasting of the 

 power of a Purjey gun of his, which cost him a ven large 



sum of money, to kill quail and 

 sixty yard , with absolute certainty, 



■ ed that he could not hit 

 ■ ■ ■ in time in can. And so the 

 fho six limes without, touching the 

 p.r.ul a want of precision iu the v/u\ 

 held, foi the ball-was placed on thi 

 in the ground. From this and man; 

 a similar character. I am always in 

 a tale of unusual magnitude. 



ipe at the distance of 

 if held on the name. 

 . glass bull at that dis- 

 rial was made, and he 

 target. He could noi 

 in which the gun was 

 end of a rod fastened 

 • other observations of 

 credulous when I hear 



WILD RICE IN THE ADIRONDACKS. 



TMIE following article was published elsewhere this win- 

 JL ter, and by, request of the writer. Gen. R. C. Sherman, 

 of the New York F.sh Commission, we republish it. It 

 contains some points Qn which discussion is invited; 

 E-iihr For, si itnd Stream: 



Having heard and read a great deal of the wild rice fields 

 of the Northwest, I was tempted in the fall of 1881 to try 

 whether this plant could be successfully introduced in the 

 Waters i the northern New York wilderness. On the 

 lakes and stream- of thai region a lew ducks breed every 

 season, but the number is QOt sufficient to make duck shoot- 

 ing worthy of the sportsman's particular attention. I thought 

 if wild rice could be found to grow here as it does in the 

 Northwest, we might have the same abundance of wild 

 waterfowl in the feeding season as is found in the bays, 

 streams and lakes of Ohio. Michigan, Wisconsin and Min- 

 nesota, I procured in October of the year stated, ten bush- 

 els of seed from Mr. Gilchrist, of Port Hope, Ontario, 

 y reason, from its appearance and the 

 itleman from whom it was procured, to 

 I sowed it in a range of waters known as 

 tributary to the gmal Black River, which 

 aiio near the outlet of that lake iu the 

 :ted the smaller of the lakes, 

 st and there was most alluvial 

 1 sow d in the month named. 

 lis, in water two to eiglvtfeet 

 1 would di 



OUR CHICAGO LETTER. 



[From a regular Chicago Correspondent.] 



THE most noteworthy sporting event of this section last 

 week was the return, Saturday, of the party of deer 



hunters mentioned in last week's letter from their trip to 

 No que-bay Lake, Wis. They got back all safe and sound. 

 and brought Willi them twelve deer as the result, iu part, of 

 the hunt. Thev left hare two weeks ago last Sunday night, 

 and arrived at. Peshtigo on Tuesday morning. There, they 

 found out that Hank Groves and Leu Monger hud gone 

 from the lake, where their camp was, to Green Bay to stay 

 all winter. A despatch was at one:. 1 sent, to the latter place 

 and the boys came promptly, arriving at the lake "Wednes- 

 day. The' hunters had to 'camp out at the lake aft© sled- 

 ding it, across the country from Peshtigo The got along all 

 right, only being a little rattled at first by the cold. The 

 outfit of these lads were given in last week's Forest \nl> 

 SfcBBAM, The first day, or Wednesday, they killed three 

 deer, one a handsome buck; Thursday killed live deer; Fri 

 day one, and Saturday they killed three more. Bill Has- 

 kell laid low the haughty pride of four huge fellows in one 

 day and hung them up. 'He got away with six in all. They 

 also slaughtered two porcupines, one wolverine, and a lot. of 

 partridge. Thev fished through holes in the ice and kept 

 the larder well supplied with braiu food this way. The 

 bovs did not get a chance to do any hunting with the dogs, 

 and only had still-hunting. The best joke w as told on Fred 

 Taylor. He was out on the lake on the ice and got lost. 

 He' went around in a cirele for three hours. He was well 

 "tuckered" out when the twinkling lights of the catfip 

 showed up, Near where this party was camped was a 

 party of four from Kentucky. They were having royal 

 spor'l also. It. was about 22 deg. below zero most of the I i me, 

 As Gaimnan savs, "In spite of this you could go out ami 

 pick beautiful red roses— off each other's noses." The party 

 had the twelve deer carted down to Loveday's and photo- 

 graphed with the hunters in a group. £71 COStlWe. The party 

 consisted of Perry Taylor. Charles Gammon, Fred Taylor, 

 W. Nye and Win'. Gammon. 



Of the rest of the Chicago sportsmen, Charley Right- 

 mever and Fred. Peiper left Wednesday for the Upper 



Peninsula. Michigan, to tryaud"bag"a few deer. They 



go well fitted out, and expect to he absent about LWi ■ 

 It is doubtful if the weather is very favorable there Lor deer 

 hunting now. George D. Lewis returned home last week 

 from Lake St. Clair Flats, and reports some good fall hunt- 



The annual meet ing of the Mak-Saw-Ba Skoeeee ■ ; 



il-ld 



which I ha 

 character of the gi 

 believe w.as good" 



the "Betsy Lakes. 

 •flows into Lake O 

 St. Lawrence River. I 

 where the water was sha 



|l thi torn, for the pk 



strictly according to directions 

 deep, scattering the seed much 

 The time of sowing was at hnvest, \ 

 a certainty that nsue of I 

 land. Toe depth oi: the watcrwher 

 in the follon iug spring from one to 

 when the seed was dfopped. Win 

 Water lilies, Ihe smaller arrow hea 



grasses grew in 

 bushels was equal iu 

 in breadth. 



I examined carefi 

 August. 1882, to see 

 found a spear auyv 

 conclusion that the 

 sary to itseiowth, ai 

 of our northern wildi 

 need clay or limestone 





spa 



> m sowing oais. 



that there was 



;r be left on dry 



i let 



rl.h by a rod 



illy, at various times from May f 

 f the seed had germinated, but I neve 

 rhere, and 1 am forced thereby to th 

 conditions, probably chemical, neces 

 e wholly lacking in the soil and water 

 .•mess. 'My theory is that the plants 

 1 I hut as these elements are wholly 

 lacking in this region the wild rice can never succeed here'. 

 If any reader of the FouEsr and Stuf.am lias given the sub- 

 ject a sufficient examination to enable him to offer any other 

 theory, 1 should be glad to have him give it. 



There' is. strictly speaking, no soil in the wilderness of 

 Northern New York. The whole region is underlaid with 

 rock, largely primit.ve, what crops out at the surface is 

 generally gneiss, granite and quartz. The bottom of the 



EUv 



Wfttti] 



disintegrated q 

 Paries of Moos 



saud possesses not i 

 grows out. of it under 

 which, when it is in 

 'leer for food. Whei 

 product of vegetable 

 Ibis the larger watei 

 rushes, and coarse w 

 placet i- these that I 

 I have not been nit 

 have understood that 

 derlaid with claj oi 

 lime and potash, th 

 prairie fires, largely I 

 their ' ' 



k, coarse iravel or saud, mainly of the 



Only iu one spot (one of the tiibu- 



r) have I known limestone. This 



-ingle fertilizing quality. Nothing 



but a sort, of short g 



ch. 



ncht !'o 

 is still. 



ick 



found. It 



by the 

 or ooze, the 

 ed. and in 

 lilies, bul- 

 ras in such 



a all the 



pro 



States, but I 

 of that region is na- 

 il that Ihe elements of 

 Hie! of centuries of 

 n-face soil, and that. 

 1 under water as on the 

 IB so. it affords to me the most 

 vild rice, which like all plants 

 US stalk needs the nutriment of lime. 

 Northwest, and does not thrive iu the 

 Northern New York wilderness; R. TJ. 8. 



New Hartford, New York. 



■ed last Tuesday night at the clnh 

 man House. Regular routine business w 

 has been the object of all these meetir 

 game law, but they absolutely refuse to d 

 results attained thereby. The regular a 

 officers of the club I'm" 13-S3 occurred ;c 

 and the following will serve: Presidcn 

 berry; Vice-President, Charles V 

 Chamberlin; Secret; 

 mitt.ee. Joseph A. K 

 A distressing act! 

 kee, and caused regt 

 fort 



; till Seer- 



Seorge G. New- 



'reasurer, AT. E. 



C. D. Newberry; Executive Cotn- 



cny, T. T. Cooper "and 0, C. Lamas. 



lent occurred last week at the Eaukn- 



!t in all hunting circles. II was the 



f Berry Holmes, one of our best young 



ell versed in woodcraft. He was out 



pt.ed to push a dugout through the 



• was too 



in the Delaware it, would not be advisable to sail a cabin 

 yacht down. This is one of the reasons why the snow 

 geese below Bombay nook have been so little"sought this 

 year. 



During the pasl autumn the meadows about Philadel- 

 phia were visited by a larger flight of snipe than for many 

 years. Iu October many birds were lulled by the Sehrieber 

 i . animal photographers, who have "a farm on the 

 nee a few miles below the city. Like the wood- 

 •ock this year, these snipe came all at once and afforded 

 tine sport to those who lived near the grounds and knew of 

 their coining. The departure of the birds v,a. as sudden 

 and simultaneous as their arrival. Here is another illustra- 

 tion of the similarity in the movements of all species of mi- 

 gratory birds before winter sets in. HOMO. 



Philadelphia, Dee. 24. 



probabl 

 which r 

 tliiiv 



If 



-the 



ell 



: I 



' i 



Qdinoy. 111., Dec. 17. — The shootiag has not been 

 ;-, usual here. About all we have to hunt is duck; 



' couple of hunters made a trip fifty miles below 

 lo a place called Eagle island, and were gone four days 

 kill al eight : and four dozen ducks, which is about the 



best I have known ot anyone doing this season. There are 

 e : number of wild turkeys iu the bottoms of this old 

 river and its numerous islands, ami they fly from one side to 

 the other. They are. difficult to capture, only one being 

 killed as far as I know, quail are very scarce,'— 0. D. C. 



PROTECTION 



NOT long ago I saw in your 

 a plan for the protec 



FOR QUAIL. 



valuabl 



paper for Nov. 30. 



Hon Ot quail. I hope many of 



ded may be made. The Bobbin's 



ixteen sheds made and placed around 



it.ural cover; and they area complete 



birds finding them and feeding under 



n feet long and eight feet wide, 



one 



id 



the shelters thi 

 Island Club have had 

 I lie island near good 



them. The sheds arc 



with a division board across the middle. The back 

 foot high, front two feet high, roof lapped one inch, 



ngs at each end made of brush actingas a. 

 c the birds found the wheat screenings 

 H ii,- and fed regularly under them, brush 

 e front so thickly that a hawk cannot fly 

 lid be compelled to walk in the same as a. 

 LBg the quail ample time to escape into 

 us each shed. A hawk must, pounce or 

 hey arc very careful where they go, 

 not think they will trouble Ihe sheds 

 all face the south, and after a snow 

 hoveled away from the front of the 

 n alight among the brush in front. 



with brush; also v 

 snow fence. After thi 

 I'l-^^'niate.MlH.she.l, 



OOVer, whk-h'acljoius e; 

 dart on to his game. ' 

 feat ing a Irap; and I d< 

 in the least. The shed, 

 storm the snow will be 

 sheds. The birds can t 



taking but one flight oyer lhe"suow, roost under sheds 

 lly back to their cover. I should like to hear from some of 

 your readers if black snakes will destroy young quail or eat 

 their eggs. [They do.— Ed.] B. B. H. 



KoBnrs's Island, Pec. IS, 1882. 



Jiots and a !l 

 after game, a — 



floating ice of the river ucar Morris. The cuneu 

 swift, and poor Berrv went under with an upturned be 

 He waa overweighted by game bag, shot, etc., and sa 

 at once. His holy was not recovered for several days, and 

 was then found about three miles below the point whore 

 the aeeideut occurred. 

 Chicaco. Deo. 18. 



Dec. 24. —During the past, two weeks the weather has en- 

 couraged the east, and west bound mail trains to cut up 

 divera antics, such as being delayed beyond all reasonable 

 time, and mails have accumulated here until every oue lias 

 been disgusted. This accounts for late arrival of correspond- 

 ence there, and of Forf.st and Stream here, Spoiling 

 matters were dull the past week, as the boy an- ajl 

 flaying low" for a thance at the turkeys, pigeons" and balls 

 Monday. There are many matches and club shoots ar- 

 ranged for that date. 



A good many of our boys are interested in reports now 

 being received of line shooting in Tennessee, and last Wed- 

 nesday a party, consisting of .Tames Murphy, Ted Hollo- 

 way, 0. E. Gilford, Clarence Tljursdan and J, K. Meyers, 

 left for New-hall, Tenn., on a long duck, wild geesaand brant. 

 hunting trip. Of course any other game that comes con- 

 veniently up in front of their shotgun muzzles would prove 

 acceptable— provided they hit it. Lyons, Eimball, Stsck, 

 Stice and other noted Illinois shots have been at Wyoming, 

 111., holding ti grand pigeon tournament. Some of 'the Chi- 

 cago boys went down, and Jerry Hamlin has just, got back 

 from the Indian Territory, where be had a, splendid lime 

 shooting « ikl turkeys and such like game. It was reported 

 here late Friday that there was renewed trouble at, the Tol- 

 leston Gun Club house, TolLston, Ind., but the matter 

 could not be investigated in time for this week's Fokest 

 and Stream, 



PHILADELPHIA NOTES. 



THEBE has been considerable running ice. in the Dela- 

 ware River during the present week, and duck shoot- 

 ing from skiffs, painted white and made lo ropreE ll drift 

 ing ice, has been indulged in by the few here thai are fond 



and Marcus Hook, mostly on the New V ' ' i ,'■'", 



tmbers thai 



hat below Sit 



■j ha* 



pa 



Lord's, at Port. Pe 



, fowl 



Iowa.— Anita, Dee. 1-1, 1883^— Quail and rabbU shooting 

 the best we have had for yenrs. Pinnated grouse plenty but 

 time up. Dec, 1.— ( : B 



of all sorts are numerous. Our ice paddlcr. _. 

 when the wind is easterly on account of the ron ;hn 

 the water, and the packing of the drift on the J 

 the best feeding grounds are located, 

 of any kind opens the floating ice. and c 

 . through which a skiff can be paddled upon 

 hich seek the open places as soon as the drift is 

 ' parated. 



itill below Bombay Hook. Ni 



easterly w 

 leads to f 

 the ducks 

 so distributed and 



The snow 

 have been killed. There is great trouble, I 

 by one of our river men, in getting quarters at night in that 

 neighborhood, and as our cluck shooters who ae- i . .- , . 1 , 

 "ice shooting" go fiom Philadelphia down the river in fcheir 

 small skiffs, it, is a matter of Importance to them that they 

 should have, good comfortable housing at night after an 

 exposing day's work. At a season when ice. is drifting 



UP IN THE ROCKIES. 



ON the fifth of September we returned to the deserted 

 camp via Wagonwheel Gap. Having made camp, we 

 all started out in different directions for an evening huut, 

 returning at dusk with no game. The next morning, before 

 the sun was up, all went out again for an early morning 

 hunt, returning at ten o'clock and reporting little game seen. 



After breakfast it was determined to move camp to the 

 Cochatope Range, a distance of about ten miles northeast. 

 After packing the five little faithful burros with tent, blan- 

 kets, provisions, camp kettles, etc.. and tying to our saddles 

 such articles as could be so carried, we set out through a. 

 trackless wilderness at 12 M. The top of Cochetoie loomed 

 tip in plain view from the deserted camp, and looked to be 

 not more than two and a half to three miles distant, but in 

 these high altitudes all experienced persons are aware how 

 deceptive the distances are. 



We made our tedious way through wide parks densely 



ivcrcd with chapparal, alternating with spruce timber, up 

 steep mountains, down through deep, sharp gorges almost 

 canons in places. At the bottom of many of these small 

 streams of water ran through a serpentine ditch, which 

 could bnly be crossed (as it became necessary to do every 

 hundred yards) by jumping them, in very many places 

 they were' from three to four feet deep and as many feet 

 ed their banks were completely covered with" high 

 grass and short brush, rendering it both difficult and dan- 

 gerous to stock and men. But up or down such gorges it 

 was necessary to travel most of the distance, as the moun- 

 tain on each side was so precipitous that it was simply 

 impossible to ride or lead up or down; and when, finally, 

 we found a gap out of one gorge, it soon led ub into a simi- 

 lar one. So we went on for miles, these terrible barriers 

 confronting us on all sides and in front. At length we ar- 

 rived at our destination, all safe and sound, camping on 

 the edge of an open park, which was some miles iu length, 

 e:\tending along the fool of the great mountain to the 

 north of our camp. On the trip hither we bad seen numer- 

 ous game, deer and mountain grouse, but had no time to 

 pursue it, kiljing only one deer, which, jumping up in front 

 of Mc-nonald. who was always ahead, and who, tjiiiel.lv 

 bringiug bis rifle to bear, fired, killing a very fine doe, 

 which he somehow managed to tic to his saddle' and carry 

 I o camp. 



Our camp being struck and the stock turned upon the 

 park to graze, we retired for the night to dream of the pros- 

 pects of the morrow. 



The morning came, bright, clear and a keen while frost, 

 which was bracing to the nerves and most favorable to our 

 prospects of success. Cochetope's broad, naked l)row, 

 toweling 2.000 feet above timber line, fronted us to the 

 north, and Bellows Mountain, like a great, turreted monitor, 

 stretching out for miles behind us with its round dome at 

 the center, formed a, wild and romantic panorama. All 

 bauds, of course, were soon scattered in different directions 

 in pursuit of the black-tail deer, whose tracks were as thick 

 as sheep tracks in a pasture. I took a straight course up Ihe 

 side of the immense sloping mountain, saw plenty of deer, 

 but loo far away to kill. 



While musing I heard the report of a rifle, and directly 

 another, and soon away iu another direction another, un- 

 1 il I had counted seven shots. So, after floundering around 

 among the rocks and fallen t'un her, for there had been a storm 

 seemingly of years past which had swept, the mountain side 

 of oue -half its tall spruce and laid it. across and piled in a 

 manner rendering it almost impassable, I returned to camp. 

 Soon the hunters ail returned, reporting the killing of two 

 deer. 



The next morning, Sept. 8, opened clear and frosty, 

 weather line and prospects Battering, so all hands were 

 soon on (lie tramp. The sun had scarcely risen before the 

 keen, clear, ringing sound of a rifle told that an antlcred 

 monarch had fallen a victim to its deadly aim, for it had 

 ii ii resolved that morning to shoot no does. Very soon 

 was heard the ecack of another rifle, and then another, all 

 of which had been deadly, and three monster bucks had 

 I fallen, each of the Steels and McDonald having killed his 

 ". lole I tailed to find anything but does. The balance 



