LETTERS FROM OUR READERS 



227 



can not be positive. Other persons who 

 should know, say the birds were not band- 

 tails. I am positive that the tails of the 

 pigeons I saw were particularly and noticea- 

 bly long. I am trying to get further evi- 

 dence, and will write you later. 



E. E. Law. 



NOT SO FAST. 



I have become entangled in an argument 

 concerning the velocity of a charge of shot 

 put from a heavily loaded shell. Can you 

 help me any in the matter? Would 4 miles 

 a second for the first 40 yards be too great? 

 If not, my theory of holding dead on flying 

 game is correct; if too great, I shall have 

 to succumb to the "3 feet ahead" theory. 



Ashley D. Conger, Niagara Falls, N. Y. 



ANSWER. 



No practicable load would develop over 

 900 to 950 feet a second of velocity. I am 

 not aware of any ballistic velocity, even in 

 highest power modern naval rifles to ex- 

 ceed 3,500 feet a second. In general, when 

 shooting with a shot gun at flying game, 

 except incomers or outgoers, a considerable 

 lead will have to be employed. This will 

 vary with velocity of load, distance of bird 

 from gun and speed of the bird's flight. 

 Practice at inanimate targets will give much 

 valuable experience along this line. — Editor. 



POWDER AND BALL PISTOL. 



I suggest to M. R. Williams that he buy 

 an old fashioned Colt bullet mould to make 

 bullets for his Colt 44 caliber powder and 

 ball revolver. He can get one from J. H. 

 Johnston, of Pittsburg, Pa. 



Those moulds cast properly sized bullets 

 for the old style army revolvers. They 

 are double, each casting one round and one 

 conical bullet; the former running about 

 50 to the pound; the latter about 32. The 

 conical bullet is cast with one canelure, 

 which will carry sufficient tallow for lubri- 

 cation. The ball weighs 219 grains and, 

 with 18 or 20 grains of black powder be- 

 hind it, I can vouch for its accuracy at 

 ranges of 20 to 25 yards. The round bul- 

 lets are equally true at the target, but less 

 powder should be used to avoid stripping. 

 They are more difficult to lubricate to pre- 

 vent leading, but if the user will, with a 

 pocketknife, press a little tallow in over 

 each bullet in the cylinder, he will find no 

 trouble in cleaning the pistol. 



I have experimented considerably with 

 Colt's powder and ball revolvers and have 

 found them accurate and reliable. I be- 

 lieve the old Colt Navy of 36 caliber, with 

 octagon barrel, can be relied on to make 

 targets equal to those made with any cart- 



ridge revolver. I have done excellent 

 shooting with one and have seen others do 

 quite as good if not better work. This is 

 not intended to in any way reflect on the 44 

 caliber. I have one of the latter which is 

 also exceedingly accurate and I believe it 

 is capable of just as good work as the 36. 

 Should any of your readers wish further 

 information about my experience with 

 those old style weapons I will be glad to 

 answer their inquiries to the best of my 

 ability. 



S. G. W., Baltimore, Md. 



FORESTRY IN MASSACHUSETTS. 



The State forester of Massachusetts has 

 issued a circular entitled "Practical Assist- 

 ance to Owners of Woodlots. Including 

 Prospective Plantations." This is accom- 

 panied by a blank contract similar in plan to 

 that issued last year by the Massachusetts 

 Forestry Association, but differing slightly 

 in details. The circular reads as follows : 



"It is the desire of the State forester to 

 make the work of his office of as much 

 practical value as possible to the owners of 

 woodlands within the commonwealth. To 

 this end as much of his time as other duties 

 will permit is reserved for the owners of 

 woodlands. 



"Application for practical assistance 

 should be accompanied by a short descrip- 

 tion of the tract, stating its size, kind of 

 growth, and the distance from city, town or 

 village. Such applications are grouped ac- 

 cording to the parts of the Commonwealth 

 from which they come. In this way several 

 woodlots may be examined on the same trip 

 and the traveling and subsistence expenses 

 of the forester pro-rated among the 

 ive in woodland areas, but residential sec- 

 tions can be very generally cleaned in this 

 way. 



"The newly formed Massachusetts Asso- 

 ciation for the Suppression of the Gypsy 

 and Brown Tail Moths provides in its by- 

 laws for affiliating with all such local so- 

 cieties. In short, the whole trend of the 

 movement, local and general, is toward 

 federated effort. With city and town gov- 

 ernments spending relatively large sums to 

 suppress the moths on public property, and 

 the citizens making house to house can- 

 vasses to secure the co-operation of whole 

 neighborhoods in cleaning private lands at 

 private cost, the -Legislature will be given 

 to understand that the people are trying to 

 help themselves and are deserving of State 

 assistance in their fight. 



"It is hoped that every resident and prop- 

 erty owner in the infested region will join 

 the Massachusetts Association for Suppres- 

 sing the Gypsy and Brown Tail Moths. 

 Membership is open to all residents of the 



