THE REFERENDUM 



283 



able, the hornbeam is sought for diligently by 

 the woodsman and by the Indian. 



ROCK MAPLE. 



No praise is too high for this excellent 

 tree. As fuel, the rock maple is the best 

 wood available in large quantities at the pres- 

 ent moment in the Northeastern states. From 

 this tree is derived the sap which when boiled 

 becomes syrup or maple sugar. The tree may 

 be tapped for many consecutive years with- 

 out injury, and a good maple sugar grove is 

 by no means the least valuable asset of a 

 farmer. The sap only flows in early spring 

 when warm days and frosty nights are the 

 rule, and the first sap is much richer in sugar 

 than the last. The Indian always makes his 

 paddle of rock maple when he can get it. for 

 no wood equals it for that purpose. Axe- 

 handles of rock maple are preferred by the 

 lumberman for heavy chopping to those of 

 ash, though they are not superior to hickory, 

 when the latter can be obtained. 



WHITE MAPLE. . 



Although closely related to rock maple, this 

 is a much inferior wood. The sap is not so 

 sweet as that of the rock maple, the wood is 

 softer and the tree smaller. It may be used 

 as a fire-wood with fairly satisfactory results. 



RED MAPLE. 



Practically similar to the white maple, and 

 the description of the former will apply to it. 



FIR. 



The fir or balsam is of little use as a wood, 

 though its boughs make the best bed a tired 

 backwoodsman can find. For this purpose 

 the feathery foliage is plucked from the 

 bough and placed in layers with the concave 

 side downward and the buts toward the sleep- 

 er's feet. The wood is weak and treacherous, 

 breaking suddenly without warning, and the 

 fir makes a poor fire even when dried. 



WILLOW. 



In the more southern regions of the North 

 the willow is not thought much of, but in 

 Alaska and in the country of the "little 

 sticks," that is to say, where the forest begins 

 to thin out on account of the severity of the 

 climate of the extreme North, the willow is an 

 extremely valuable wood. It makes a fierce 

 fire, burning with a clear bright flame, but 

 owing to the small size of the sticks, the fire 

 needs feeding continuously. In the North- 

 west the Indians make their snowshoe frames 

 of willow when they can get nothing better, 

 leaving the wood in its natural round state. 



catches, etc., etc. Now, Mr. Beard, if you 

 will go to Illinois, you will see crows by 

 countless thousands everywhere. Farmers' 

 crops are often ruined, and as for game birds, 

 there are none. Perhaps you wonder why. 

 I wonder if any of your readers do. Come to 

 the eastern part of the Sunflower State and 

 I will show you the same conditions ; in other 

 words, hundreds of crows to one game bird. 



They are working westward, and the game 

 is going — where? I could tell you of more 

 than one instance of broods of young quail, 

 prairie chickens, etc., being destroyed by 

 crows, — dozens of instances that have come 

 under my own observation, but this would be 

 unnecessary. Some Wichita (Kansas) sports- 

 men bought a lot of ring-neck pheasants and 

 turned them loose on the Van Arnsdale hunt- 

 ing preserve at that place, but none could be 

 raised on account of the crows, who ate all 

 the eggs and young. 



Of late the crows are invading Sumner 

 County, and our game birds will soon go the 

 same road. There is a creek that can be 

 reached in half an hour's walk from my 

 home that five years ago teemed with rabbit 

 and quail. I never have seen anything to 

 equal it anywhere. To-day you can hunt that 

 creek for miles and if you secure a dozen 

 quail and rabbit you will do well. Then a 

 crow was rarely seen ; now they are about all 

 you do see. What we need is a bounty on the 

 crow's scalp, — say ten cents. For this sports- 

 men would hunt him and his ranks would be 

 thinned. He could not be exterminated, Ah 

 no ; he is much too wary for that. Now, don't 

 think we haven't any game in Kansas, for 

 such is a mistake. Away from the creeks and 

 rivers, where there are no crows, as fine hunt- 

 ing can be enjoyed as anywhere. 



Another enemy of game is the pigeon hawk, 

 — that denizen of the shady branch and hedge 

 rows. I have seen them catch quail, wild duck, 

 etc., by the dozen, so quick and deadly do they 

 dart. If sportsmen everywhere would hold a 

 hunt once a year for the above birds, and not 

 go to butchering game birds on these hunts, 

 such birds as quail, chicken, grouse, etc., 

 would not be so scarce. 



D. R. Brengle, Perth, Kans. 



Pigeon hawks eat few mice and many 

 birds. Duck hawks are not known to eat 

 mice at all, but are very fond of game and 

 poultry. But the red-tailed hawk and the 

 red-shouldered hawk are friends of the agri- 

 culturalist and hunter. — Editor. 



KILL THE CROWS. 



Editor Recreation: 



While looking through your excellent pub- 

 lication I noticed your comments on the crow 

 and hawk hunt of the sportsmen of Kane 

 county, Illinois. You dwell on the usefulness 

 of the crow, how many small rodents he 



A BLACK PIRATE. 



Editor Recreation : 



In the July number of Recreation there is 

 an editorial in regard to crows, in which the 

 side hunt to exterminate crows is called dis- 

 graceful slaughter, I am rather in favor of 



