306 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Novembbb 17, 1881. 



Quintal W¥ or U- 



ARE GROUSE DESTROYED BY SQUIRRELS ? 



New Russia, N. Y., Nov 3, 1831. 

 Editor Forest and Stream t 



I have noticed a number of inquiries in your paper as I o 

 ■what becomes of the ruffed grotiBe, and why they disappear 

 from certain localities that are not much hunted. Having 

 lived all my life in the edge of the Adirondack wilderness, 

 and being a lover of grouse-hunting, 1 luive studied tbo sub- 

 ject, and think I have found out what the trouble is. 



I make the assertion that the common red squirrel or 

 chickaree destroys more ruffed grouse and quail than all 

 other ciuses put together, sportsmen, cats and birds of prey 

 included. 



Somebody asks, "Why there are some years in which 

 there are fewer birds than in others r" It is true there are 

 summers that bring us but few birds, but they always follow 

 summers in wbichthe red squirrel is most abundant. That 

 impudent, omnipresent piece of mischief is omnivorous as we 

 all know, and when the birds of the forest and field are 

 hatching he goes bird-nesting. All the boys in Christendom 

 couldn't beat him at it. He is up the tree, has bitten the 

 birds through the head, and dropped them on the ground be- 

 fore you can reach him. Stones and sticks and shouts from 

 below do not disturb birn, and When, in a tearing rage, you 

 shnut for somebody to bring your shot-gun you get it just in 

 time to hear a triumphant " Chrr.rr rr-r," from a tree rods 

 away, where the rascal is gaily combing bis whiskers, which 

 he has wet in a newly-laid robin's e >g from another nest. 



If the squirrels are plentiful, precious few birds escape, for 

 they glean carefully even the shade tiees in large towns. It 

 naturally follows that in succeeding years biids are scarce, 

 and then, fortunately, squirrels begin to be scarce too. If 

 they did no', birds would come near being exterminated in 

 some regions. 



To ilniHtrate, I will state a few foots bearing upon the 

 above. Five years ago luffed grouse were very plenty in 

 this sec ion. I went out a few times; shot sixty. The 

 woods were full of them. Unfoitunately we bad two suc- 

 cessive years of beech mast, and the red squirrels increased 

 amazingly. The year following we had a plague of red squir- 

 rels. The Utile peBts were everywhere; on the ground, 

 fences and trei s. 



Under my studio windows a robin had a nest with four 

 young birds' n-arlv grown. Hearing an outcry from the old 

 birds I looked out ami saw a red squirrel in the act of killing 

 the young bird-, and throwing them fiom the nest. He 

 killed three before I could drive him away, in spite of the de- 

 termined resistance of the old birds and of two sparrows 

 ■who had nests in die same tree. I went for my guu imme- 

 diately, and while I was gone he killed the fourth. I had 

 the satisfaction of putting my foot on that squirrel, and was 

 only sorry that it was not the last red squirrel in existence. 



A short time after that my sister was sketching near a 

 small tree in which was a robin's nest. While she was there 

 a red squirrel made au attack on the nest. The old birds, 

 with the help of her dog drove him away. He made several 

 attacks during the forenoon, but was driven away by the 

 dog. When she came back from dinner she found the old 

 robin dead under the tree bitten through the head. The 

 poor thing had given up its life in defending its nest. 



At the same time there was a ph<ebo or fly catcher's nest 

 under the porch roof, and another in a shed near by, each 

 containing four eggs. Noticing something wrong with the 

 old birds" I made an examination, and found every egg in 

 each nest inanuled by squirrel's teeth. 



The above facts account for the complete destruction of 

 the ruffed grouse by the squirrel, which could and would de- 

 stroy every egg and chick. 



The next autumn's shooting verified my fears. I succeeded 

 in bagging only thirteen birds. Nine of them were old ones. 

 Great scarcity of grouse was reported all through this region. 

 They have been scarce ever since, although they are coming 

 in slowly again, thanks to the destruction of red squirrels 

 by the hard winters following the two years of mast. Wood- 

 cock were so nearly annihilated as to be out cf the question 

 in shooting. Of course woodcock and quail would suffer 

 with the ruffed grouse. ~_ ~ 



If anybody can tell me of any good which the red squirrel 

 does I shall be glad to hear of it. I would suggest that 

 sportsmen take along, when tbey go out, a few light car- 

 tridges of No. 10 for the benefit of the red squirrels they 

 meet. 



It has been suggested that ruffed grouse are sometimes 

 destroyed by being imprisoned under the snow by ice Btorms 

 forming a crust through which they caunot break. They 

 have a curious habit of diving into the soft snow, where they 

 pass the night. They dive from the air while flying. I have 

 frequently found the holes where they went in. It was very 

 amusing to stir them up and see them bteak through the 

 snow with a whirr. They strike the snow with the wings 

 closed at about an angle of thirty degrees. Their exact 

 position can be determined by a slight saucer-hke depression, 

 caused by the melting of the snow by the warmth of their 

 bodies. This place is generally from four to six feet from 

 where they went in. 1 have' tried to catch them in mv 

 hands by creeping up and making a sudden spring. I 

 never quite succeeded. Zip, they would go from under me 

 like a flash of gunpowder. When found in the snow they 

 give you a splendid rising shot. 



I do not believe that many perish by being frozen under 

 the crust, for the simple reason that the hole by which they 

 entered is always open to them, though they almost 

 always rise at some distance from the place where theyenter. 

 There is no doubt that the domestic cat does catch some 

 woodcock and ruffed grouse, but very few comparatively, 

 and they only about balance the account by killing quantities 

 of red squirrels. . 



Yes, brother sportsmen, if we could devise some means 

 to do away with red squirrels we should see a wonderful in- 

 crease in game birds. Bainbridgk Bibuop. 



[The suggestion embodied in Mr. Bishop's letter is entirely 

 new to us, but it is not on that account less interesting and 

 worthy of investigation. It is a well-known fact that the 

 red squirrel is one of the most, persistent and destructive 

 enemies against which the nesting small birds have to con- 

 tend, and the suggestion that this little wretch destroys the 

 young of grouse' is, to say the least, very plausible. We 

 should be glad to hear whether any other of our readers 

 have made any observations on this point, and especially as 

 to whether, after years when squirrels have been numerous, 

 grouse have been found to be scarce.] 



CHESTNUTS. 



BY A. W. EOBKRTB. 



THE chestnut is undoubtedly one of the most neglected 

 of all our native fruits. In Italy, Spain and France, 

 the chestnut has received great attention at the hands of 

 horticulturists, so that many valuable varieties are now un- 

 der cultivation. In Europe chestnuts are ground into flour 

 and meal, from which bread, pies, puddings and cakes are 

 made. Largo quantities are consumed when roasted, 

 parched, boiled and desiccated. They are also burned and 

 jsed as a substitute for coffee. In the fall of the year the 

 smaller varieties of domestic cattle are turned loose into the 

 forests to feed and fatten on the " mast " or nut food, which 

 consists largely of chestnuts and acorns. In Europe the 

 wood of the chestnut tree is highly valued, while in America 

 it is thought but little of. 



I am of the opinion that our Italian and French adopted 

 citizens will some day take in hand our native varieties and, 

 by careful cultivation, judicious crossing and the grafting 

 of foreign varieties on our native stock will teach our farmers 

 and rores'crs, not only the great value of the chestnut as a 

 food source, but also 10 more highly appreciate the beauty 

 of tin.' chestnut wood for all artistic and useful manufactures 

 wherein our native woods are used. 



The chestnut tree is of very sturdy and clear growth, har- 

 boring inn few parasites. In habit it is exceedingly grace- 

 ful and picturesque, and when in full b'ooui with its thou- 

 sands of drooping tessellated flowers it far exceeds in beauty 

 any other of our native forest trees. 



[fig. C.J [Flg.D.] 



Filjf. A.— Trans- Atlant.tr (Castanea mix Roman) . Fig. B.— Southern 

 Chestnut. Fig. C— Norile ru chestnut (Castaoeajvesca—Unn; Cas- 

 tania vulgark— Lamu). Fig. D.— Chinquapin (Castanea puinula). 



In this country we have three native varieties — viz, the 

 Southern, the Northern and the Chinquapin chestnuts. The 

 Southern chestnut is a large, haudsonie nut, fully one-third 

 larger than a full sized Northern nut. It is rich in flavor, 

 the" shell soon turns da'k, and the nut heats very quickly. 

 The tree of this variety is of very rapid and healthy growth, 

 and a heavy bearer. The Southern chestnut flourishes in 

 all the Stales south of the Potomac. 



This Southern nut will heat in three days if not ventilated, 

 and becomes entirely unmarketable when in close packages 

 in six days' time. 



Tie Northern chestnut flourishes in all the States north of 

 the Potomac. It is a hardy and vigorous grower, good 

 bearer and a valuable timber. In size it is but two-thirds 

 that of ihe Southern variety, and is inclined to be round in 

 shape when wili-grown. It is a bright-looking nut, com- 

 paratively free fr m worms, don't heat and is a good keeper. 



It grows true to its seed, which is not [the case always 

 with the foreign varieties. 



There is ncTdoubt but that the Southern and Northern 

 chestnuts are susceptible of very great improvement, and 

 who knows but that in future time to come, America will be 

 exporting vast quantities of Yankee chestnuts and chestnut 

 flour. The Chinquapin chestnut is found growing in Ohio to 

 Southern Pennsylvania, and attains a height of from six to 

 twenty feet. In Georgia an individual tree of this variety 

 exists, the top of which is seventy feet in diameter. 



The underside of the leaves of the Chinquapin are covered 

 with a white down, and each burr contains but a single nut, 

 which is ha'f as large us the common chestnut of the North. 

 In flavor it is veiy sweet and agreeable to eat. 



The Northern and Southern chestnuts (Castanea vesca) are 

 considered by botanists to be the same variety of chestnut, 

 differing only in growth, according to clima'e and location. 



The wholesale dealers in New York city handle from .un 

 to twelve thousand bushels of chestnuts a year, the entire 

 bulk of which pass into the hands of the small dealers who 

 retail them by the pint or quart, either roasted, boiled or 

 raw. None, so far as I can learn, are converted into flour, 

 meal or desiccated. 



The amount of Spanish, Italian and French chestnuts im- 

 ported to this country is very small, as they are not a popu- 

 lar nut with the onsutueH, from the fact that by the time 

 the nuts reach this country their shells have taken on a dark 

 color, quite the reverse of the lively rich brown color of our 

 native nuts. Again they are apt to become very wormy 

 during the voyage over, a single nut often containing as 

 many as twenty worms. 



But the greater danger to which the foreign chestnuts are 

 exposed during the passage is that of heating and the devel- 

 opment of fungus or mould. To partially overcome this 

 the French chestnuts reach here packed in barrels, which are 

 so constructed that the nuts are thoroughly ventilated during 

 the voyage. The Spanish nut is packed in hogsheads lined 

 with paper, thus cutting off all ventilation ; but to overcome 

 the heating of the nuts ihey are partially cured by some pro- 

 cess which is not known to our dealers. Even with all the 

 precautions taken by the French and Italian growers and 

 importers, the foreign nuts, though large in size, are far be- 

 hind our sweet, crisp and clear looking Yankee nut. With 

 the North American Indian the chestnut, in winter time, 

 enters largely into his daily fare. The nuts are gathered in 



the fall by the squaws and are said to be kept in perfect con- 

 dition during the winter by some system of storage or curing 

 known to them only. 



A lesson might be learned from the chipmunk squirrels, 

 who peel the chestnuts before storing them up for winter 

 use. From four to six chipmunks, constituting what might 

 be called a co-operative society, excavate a large hole or 

 chamber in which to store the nuts. This hole is large 

 enough to contain from a bushel to a bushel and a half of 

 nu's, according to the number of squirrels co-operating to- 

 gether. The excavation is not only of sufficient size to 

 contain the winter's supply of food, but also to afford suffi- 

 cient room as a sleeping apartment for the squirrels during 

 the long winter months. 



Cold storage has been used for the preservation of cheat- 

 nuts, and to overcome their heating when in bulk, with only 

 partial success. Many of the heaviest handlers of chestnuts 

 are pursuing various lineH of experiments with a view to dis- 

 cover some method to prevent the over-heating, shrinkage 

 and drying up of the cheslnut, and a'so the development of 

 worms. Whoever discovers a sure remedy against these 

 evils will undoubtedly be well rewa> ded. I have been shown 

 by a dealer chestnuts which had become heated within six 

 hours after he had received them, and which were absolutely 

 unsaleable, the Italian venders detecting them at a glance. 



I have lately seen a few chestnnts of very large size which 

 were grown by a gentleman in Pennsylvania, which, if I am not 



?reatly mistaken, are the same variety from Spanish seed which 

 made a drawing of some twenty years ago, and yet during 

 this interim of time not a single bushel of this trans-Atlantic 

 variety has been thrown on the market. 



The prices paid for native chestnuts early this season 

 ranged from eight to ten dollars per bushel, of sixty pounds, 

 the State standard. The prices being paid at the present 

 date range from five to six dollars per bushel. 



In the latter part of the last century J fferson tried to 

 establish in Virginia the best varieties of the French chest- 

 nuts, but nothing seems to have resulted from the experi- 

 ment. In Southern Europe the chestnut delights in deep 

 and warm sandy soils, and the sides of mountains, in cold 

 or swampy locations it proves a failure. 



The chestnut was introduced into the Latin countries by 

 the Romans, who found it in Castanea, a town of Thessely, 

 and who prized it as an article of diet. The French, 

 Spanish and Italian varieties have all sprung from this early 

 Roman slock. With the French the most highly prized 

 variety is the marron. 



When iu Noith Carolina I was both amused and annoyed 

 by the negro method of gathering chestnuts, which was to 

 wait till the chestnuts had fallen to the ground and had be- 

 come more or less hidden by the dead leaves, and then to 

 " bern dar libes to picky de chess nut," which accounts for 

 the scorched look that, many of the Southern chestnuts have, 

 they bringing only two dollars a bushel delivered in New 

 York city, and seventy-five cents per bushel to the negro 

 picker. 



In England the chestnut is eaten raw, roasted, stewed with 

 cream, made into soups and gravies, b ewed with salt fish or 

 used as a stuffing for fowls and fish. E/elyu speaks of the 

 chestnut as being a "masculine and lusty fcod for rustics at 

 all times, and of better nourishment for farmer.} than hale or 

 rusty bacon, yea, or beans to boot." 



In the south of France and the north of Italy chestnuts 

 serve in a great measure as a substitute for bread and pota- 

 toes. The nuts laid by for winter are those which fall off 

 the trees, while those which are beaten off the trees are sent 

 to the lane cities for immediate use. 



As a means of depriving the nuts of their burrs, they are 

 trodden under foot hymen wearingwooden shoes or "sabots." 



Chestnuts are dried in France and preserved for many 

 years. The methods of curing are by air, also sun dried, 

 kiln dried, and by partial boiling, according to the uses 

 made of them. 



The French make many dishes of them. Salette is a thick, 

 flat cake, made of chestnut meal, milks salt and butter and 

 eggs (about the same as our wheat or buckwheat cakes), 

 which is cooked on a hot stove or griddle. Palenta is a por- 

 ridge, made by boiling the chestnut-meal in water or milk till 

 it forms a thick paste not unlike oat-meal gruel. Chafmga 

 is made by boiling the nuts whole (without their husks or 

 shells) in water and a little salt, till they become Boft, after 

 which they are broken up the same as mashed potatoes. 

 Marrow-glaree is made by dipping the nuts in clarified sugar, 

 and then drying them. The nuts are also frequently cooked 

 by boiling them in water containing celery and sage. 



On both sides of the Pyrinees Mountains signs are to be 

 seen at all taverns containing the words, "Vin a marron," in 

 other words, wine and chestnuts, where for three cents you 

 can have all the chestnuts you cau eat with good wine to 

 wash them down. 



For much of the above information I am indebted to R. T. 

 Suflitt, of Washington Market. 



ELK AND THEIR HORNS. 



TnE deer-horn question has been debated a good deal, 

 and perhaps all are satisfied except the fellow who 

 thought the "spike buck" a distinct breed. The generally 

 accepted belief is that deer and elk add a point upon each 

 horn for each successive year of their age. The theory is 

 probably erroneous, the horns depending largely for their de- 

 velopment upon the condition and vigor of theaniuial and the 

 nature of his feeding ground. This note was suggested by 

 seeing a fewdays ago three tame elk with which I have been 

 somewhat familiar since they were a year old. They were 

 three years old last spring ; one is a male. The first year 

 he had short spike horns, the second year longer spikes, the 

 third year each horn had three points. These were shed 

 May 20, this year, when he was probably just about three 

 years old, possibly a month over. They have since been re- 

 placed by a magnificent pair of antlers four feet high, each 

 having seven points. He is now about three and a half years 

 old. These animals live and thrive in a pasture, where a 

 like number of cattle would long since have starved to death. 

 Last winter was exceptionally Beverein the mountains where 

 they are, and they were fed hay, requiring during the winter 

 about 1,000 pounds. The bull will now weigh 700 to 800 

 pounds, the cows about 200 pounds less. The other day 

 they escaped from the pasture and ranged about the neigh- 

 borhood until the next day, when they were driven back in 

 company with some cattle. W. N. B. 



Denver, Col., Oct. 81, 1881. 



Nkw England Bird Life.— The publishers of "New 

 England Bird Life" are Lee & Sbepard, Boston, Mass ; 

 Charles T. Dillingham, Broadway, N. Y. The price is $3.50. 



