FOREST - AND ■ STREAM. 



247 



pecimens of both the male and female of fhe 

 echidna Ta<>!ti/</loa,ms bruijari have been se- 

 of Northern New Guinea 1-- 

 l, r the command of M. Laglaize, a young French 

 naturalist. 



, — t#^— 



— Cinciminti is about having an aquarium, and not only 

 in, but aquaria are spoken about. The Cincinnati 

 AoOarinin Association seems to have taken the initiative, and 

 . :il the Zoological Garden people. Perhaps it would 

 for the present, to have but one aquarium in Cincin- 

 nati then a single establishment might concentrate all the 

 be a true attraction. An aquarium is something 

 not built up in a day, requiring time, experience, and no small 

 money. 



.. — • — .»»— - — -* - 



amels.— The discovery made by Mr. Prjcvalsky, 

 11,6 Russian traveler, that wild camels existed in the Lob- 

 Noor districts of Thibet, is of singular interest. Whenever 

 !,, care opportunity presents itself of comparing the original 

 i animal with such divergencies as always occur 

 unesticity, the study of such modified changes is of 

 rtance to the student of natural history. The popu- 

 lar information in regard to camels is often of the most erro- 

 neous character. The habitat of the camel is much wider 

 llian is generally supposed. In fact, the camel seems to 

 shrive not only in temperate regions, but can withstand a cold 

 climate M. Prjevalsky states " that the wild camels differ 

 but" httlc from the domestic animals," and that of the four 

 ipeciinerjs in his collection, " the difference existing by the 

 jxamination of their skulls almost alone showed where the 

 from the domesticated animals existed." It would 

 ne 'interesting if Professor Leidy or Marsh were to compare 

 ^structure of these wild camels with some of those fossi 

 forms of llamas which have been discovered in our own 

 country. ^ _ 



ARKIVAI.S AT PlIILADRI.rillA ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS FOR WEEK END- 

 isn Wedskshav, O.'i. W. 1ST7.— Three salamanders, Spelerpen UHnrata, 

 one salamander, Spelerpus niber, presented ; one piue 

 vnuleuous, j.i irc.im.-ied ; oho black suake, Boscanum 

 presented; four prong-horned an'ttsjbpes, AnHloeorpra 

 , : three Arabian sheep, presented ; one heaver, 

 [gtt&ts, bora in garden ; one banned rattlesnake; Oi-otalix 



presented; one Ca olina rail, I'orza-na 



igator, .1. miHxtn-iipjii'i-iiKix, presented; 



■« rv-iritlo, presented ; one alligator, .1 



; une .guana, 1. tubrrculata, presented ', 



tlspahtatris, presented : one ted fox, Vi> 



cue naked necked iguana, lyuaiia deliea tixsn-rmi 



sparrow, presented ; "ne zebu, Bos indicus, \ 



nake, rro r ;<i„,i<jtu* si'pnion. presented) nnehog- 



ure»euted; one opossum, THdeldpyR 



Wdeer, presented ; three Arctic foxes, V. Ut : 



natron hawk, Falco gparnerius, presented. 



Aktiiuk K, Bkown, Gen'l Sup't. 



ulina, presented ; 

 pinnated grouse, 

 fesisstppiwsis, pr«J 

 ; short-eared owl, 

 fiilrun, presented; 

 asented ; one Java 

 inled; one water 

 d suake, Hetcrqdon 

 ini&na, presented ; 

 s, purchased ; one 



HOW FAST DO TROUT GROW? 



'"THIS question has engaged attention of late in these and 

 1 other columns. There seems to be a difference of opinion, 

 hosed upon observations made from different standpoints. 

 There are various breeds of trout, as there are of cats and 

 cows, and the localities which wild trout inhabit, as well as 

 the methods of raising domesticated trout, have much to do 

 with the rapidity of their growth. Fish culturists separate 

 their trout according to their ages and stages of growth, and 

 , refore able to tell pretty accurately what weight a fish 

 ated age will attain in a given time. Yet, as we have 



iked, domesticated trout, in some localities, gain weight 

 faster, than in others, so that the evidence of a man's own eyes 

 is not always sufficient testimony to establish a criterion. For 

 Hance.the well-informed Dr. Garlick,of Ohio, expressed his 

 doubts in the last issue of Forest and Stream of Dr. Has- 

 "brouek'3 seven-inch, two-year-olds, and gave his reasons there- 

 »for. If we can determine that some domesticated trout grow 

 Hpipidly under certain conditions as some wild trout do un- 

 der similar favorable conditions, then the two doctors may at 

 once a-oeo to disagree ; for we have here before us the best of 

 evidence, obtained from careful tests, that some brook trout 

 Will gain nearly a pound per weight per annum. The evidence 

 adduced has already been published in substance ; we copy it 

 88 printed : 



Iu reolv to queries as to the probable age of the mammoth 

 trout found in the Kangeley Lakes, Prof. Agassi/, emphatically 

 declared that "no man living knew whether these six and 

 eight pounders were ten or two hundred years old." 'lo get 

 -hi upon this question, Skepard Page, Esq., President 

 1 ,. Oauoston Club rt Pang-k'v , c^ce-.-d an ingL-mcus dz- 



Which he at once proceeded to put in execution. Platinum 

 ivin- was obtained, cut into one and a half inch Lengths, flat- 

 tened n't one end, and various numbers were stamped on the 

 surface from i to 4, also the numbers 70, 71, 78, to denote 

 the veir As" trout were captured they were weighed, one of 

 »W i- r S w-;s piss.;! througl: the skit just under ik. auipoSL 

 an and securely twisted, and then the fish was liberated. In 

 the course of two or three years named, a. large number of 

 these trout were thus labeled. Of course the chances that any 

 of them would be caught seemed innnitesimally small, yet in 

 1S73 hug of them reported. In June of that year, Mr. Thomas 

 Moran the artist, captured a fine, vigorous trout weighing 3+ 

 lbs Upon taking him from the landing-net the platinum tag 



, in the sunlight. Upon examination the mark '^—71 " 

 un discovered, thus establishing the curious lact that this 

 particular fish had gained 1 4 ' lbs. in two years. 



course all fish pultariats know that trout under two 

 rw slowly, and after that more rapidly, as is the 



with Uie true salmon, and Mr. Page's half-pounder may 



been over two years old when labeled; but this is not proba- 



ble. We see no reason to dispute that a Kangeley trout may 

 not be seven inches in length at that age, while the wild trout 

 of our small mountain streams may live to be a hundred years 

 old, and then fall short of these dimensions. Each fish cultur- 

 ist must determine the question of growth from his observa- 

 tions on his own preserves. They may not tally with those 

 of other breeders. 



About Gjuss for Fish Ponds.— A pisciculturist, asks us 

 ■ "what kind of grass or weed would be best adapted to a pond 

 with a gravelly bottom, situated in Vermont?" Such growth 

 of weeds in fish ponds becomes often a necessity in piscicul- 

 ture. This vegetable growth affords not only a snug nursery 

 for the young fish, but sweetens the pond, besides attracting 

 the flies, on which fish feed. Will some of our readers kindly 

 give us some information on this subject, of making grass or 

 weeds grow in the water? In carp culture vegetable growth 

 is a sine qua -non. 



Salmon Trout on the Pacific Coast,— On the Pacific 

 coast salmon trout attain a weight of some 18 pounds. They 

 make their appearance about November, and, after spawning, 

 leave in March or April. As to comparisons of length as to 

 weight, an 8-pound fish will measure about 34 inches long, a 

 6-pound fish some 32 inches. They never ascend very far up 

 into the smaller creeks or rivers, and are rarely, found more 

 than 18 to 20 miles from the sea. Before their final departure 

 for the ocean they seem to dally for quite a while in the brack- 

 ish water, sometimes for a month or so. As a fish requiring 

 skill in capturing, having no end of pluck and game in him, 

 the California salmon trout is the sportsman's delight. 



More About MoLeod Riveb Trout. — In our last issue 

 we called attention to the McLeod River trout. A California 

 friend gives us the following information in regard to these 

 fine fish. They spawn m January, and the eggs are quite as 

 large as those of the Salmo quinnat. After hatching, and 

 before the egg sac is absorbed, they are fully H inches long, 

 quite the size of a salmon of the same age. The flesh of the 

 McLeod trout is not as intensely pink and ruddy as that of the 

 ordinary trout, rather of a pale cream color. As a game fish, 

 California anglers say it has no equal. 



V* — 



Fish Culture in Illinois.— Two hundred thousand 



California salmon eggs arrived at Geneva Lake, Wis., on the 

 16th instant, and were placed in the fish-house of W. K. 

 Fairbank. They will be hatched during the winter, and turned , 

 loose in the lake early in the spring. These eggs wee re- 

 ceived direct from McLeod Lake, California, packed in two 

 large crates, with ice and moss. They were taken under the 

 direction of Professor Baird, United States Fish Commissioner 

 at Washington. Mr. Fairbank deserves great praise for his 

 public spirit, as shown in his efforts to stock these waters 

 with food fishes for the past four years. He has made liberal 

 expenditure of time and money in furtherance of his plans, 

 and maintained a batching house at considerable expense. In 

 1875 he placed in Geneva Lake 17,000 Oswego bass; in 1876 

 the following fish were raised in his hatching-house and turned 

 into the lake: 250,000 salmon trout, 112,000 white fish, 50,- 

 000 brook trout, 1,500,000 wall-eyed pike, and 20,000 Cali- 

 fornia salmon. In the year 1877 he added a still larger num- 

 ber of various kinds of fish. A grand total of 8,657,000 fish 

 have been succeessfully hatched and placed in the waters 

 of the lake. In a few years Geneva Lake will afford the finest 

 fishing in the world. • Rover. 



SPLIT BAMBOO RODS. 



To our customers and the public :— In reply to the damag- 

 ing reports which have been circulated respecting the quality 

 of our split bamboo rods, by ' 'dealers" who are unable to com- 

 pete with us at our reduced prices, we have issued a circular 

 which we shall be pleased to mail to any address, proving the 

 falsity of their assertions. 



CONROT, BlSSETT & MALLESON, 



Manufacturers, 65 Fulton Street N. Y. 



§jfaadlmtd, $mn md %nnkn. 



THIS DEPARTMENT IS EDITED BY W. J. DAVIDSON, SKlJ. N. Y. 

 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Then came October, full of merry glee ; 



Kor yet nis noule was tottj^wlth the must, 



Which lie was treading in" the wine-fats Bee, 



A nd of the iouyous oyle, whose gentle guat 



Made him so frolioK and so full of lust: 



Upon a dreadful Scorpion he did ride, 



The same which by Bianaes doom uniust 



Hlewgreat Orion ; and eke by his side 



He had Ins ploughing-share and coulter ready tyde. 



8PENCHR. 

 . <».^> 



MUSHROOMS. 



Influence of Wine Bottles on Wine. — It has recently 

 been discovered in France that wine may be injured through 

 the glass of the bottles in which it is contained being to alka- 

 line. According to analyses given by the llevue Industvielle, glass 

 for wine bottles should yield per 100 parts : silex, 58.4; potash 

 orsoda, 11.7; lime, 18.6; clayand oxide of iron, 11; other ingre- 

 dients, 3. Glass in bad bottles has been found to contain : silex , 

 52.4 ; potash orsoda, 4.4; lime, 32.2; clay and iron, 11.1. The 

 wine suffers principally from excess of lime- Thus, in glass 

 composed of silex, 45 • soda, 15 ; lime, 30 ; and clay; 15, for 

 example, the wine became thick, and lost its aroma. The. best 

 bottle glass contains from 18 to 20 parts lime, and 59 to 60 si- 

 lex ; the worst, 50 to 52 silex, and 25 to 30 lime. 



We take this from an English paper. Evidently Haneho 

 I'a.nza's uncles (who were famous wine tasters) must have 

 been around lately. 



. .». 



Shooting-Box foe Sale. — We would call attention to an 

 advertisement, which seems to offer singular inducements to 

 any one desirous of acquiring a snug shooting-box in the 

 State, where not only all kinds of game may be found, but 

 where excellent arrangements have been made for the com- 

 forts of the sportsman. In the necessary outfit, besides horse 

 and cow, good dogs and cocker-spaniels are offered. As we 

 have a personal acquaintance with the gentleman who is'de- 

 sirous of disposing of this property, we have ev6ry reason to 

 believe that any purchaser would be fully satisfied with the 

 acquisition of this shooting-box. 



MANY are deterred from attempting to grow mushrooms 

 by the idea that it is a very difficult matter, and that 

 there is some secret about it. They have been so plentiful and 

 cheap this fall (owing to the continued mild weather) that 

 numbers have had an opportunity to taste the real article, 

 with its true flavor— perhaps for Ihe first time. The canned 

 muslu-oom is all very good when nothing better is to be had, 

 but the amateur who has a proper place to make a mushroom 

 bed looses many a pleasant meal if he neglects their culture. 

 Any spare shed or cellar can be used for the purpose, and per- 

 haps the latter is most suitable, as in severe weather it can be 

 kept at a more equable temperature— a shed in connection 

 with a greenhouse, especially if a hot water pipe can be led 

 round it, is better yet. The one thing necessary, however, 

 being a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees. Let him reject all 

 the fanciful methods of growing them as unworthy of notice, 

 and make up a bed about four feet in width, one foot in depth, 

 and not less than ten feet in length. This ought to be supple- 

 mented by just such another, say every three or four weeks, 

 to give a constant succession right through the winter. Mush- 

 room beds may be made up with all horse droppings, or what 

 is better, part horse droppings, litter and any good soil or leaves. 

 Indeed it does not matter much what material they are made 

 of so long as It will heat of itself when made up, which it 

 ought to do in about a week. When at a nice degree of 

 warmth, it can be spawned, but if it is hot the spawning must 

 be deferred until the heat begins to decline. It will be perfect- 

 ly safe to do so when the heat of the bed is about 75 degrees, 

 provided it is not increasing. The spawn, which can be had at 

 any seed store, should be broken up into pieces about the size 

 of a butternut, and dibbled into the bed about six inches apart 

 and three inches deep. If the temperature of the bed be at 70 

 degrees it may be covered with an inch or so of soil at once ; 

 if 75 degrees it had better be deferred for a week. The bed 

 must be maintained at a nice degree of moisture, but under no 

 consideration must it be allowed to become too much so. 

 "When the materials are dry the spawn will not run, and no 

 mushrooms will be produced ; on the other hand, if kept too 

 wet it will perish altogether. As a rule, very little moisture 

 will be required, but when applied it should be warmer than 

 the temperature of the house so as not to cool down the 

 bed. After the beds have been in bearing some time, they 

 may be watered with clear tepid manure water, made or formed 

 only from sheep or cow manure, no soot or lime being used. 

 It is astonishing how long a bed will keep in bearing with this 

 treatment. When growing in clusters, as they frequently do, 

 they must be cut off as low down as possible, the necessary 

 care being taken to avoid injuring those remaining.- The tem- 

 perature of the shed or cellar should be maintained if- possible 

 between 45 and 50 degrees, and the doors and windows kept 



closed. 



_ — •♦*— . 



Horticultural-Notes.— Cut asparagus down to the surface 

 of the ground, clean the beds well and cover with a good coat- 

 ing of rotted manure. A slight sprinkling of salt will be grate- 

 ful, but the spade must not be used on the beds. 



—Deciduous trees may now be planted at discretion. Fruit 

 trees, roses, forest trees and ornamental shrubs may be planted 

 at once, for the ground is still warm, and will become cooler 

 every day. The longer therefore planting is delayed, the 

 longer will the trees require to make the new roots, on which 

 their vigor next season will depend. Never plant while the 

 soil is saturated, but wait for a dry spell and then go ahead. 

 Water plentifully to settle the soil round the roots. 



— Chrysanthemums are now T at their best. This has been a 

 wonderfully fine season for them. Our fall ' season seems to 

 be lengthening, so we advise all our friends Lo plant them, 

 and only the best pompous varieties at that. 



The Farm.— The following beautiful picture is the conclud- 

 ing passige of the address delivered by Hon. Edward Everett, 

 before the State Agricultural Society, in Boston, in 1857 : 



"As a work of art I know few things more pleasing to the 

 eye, or more capable of affording scope and gratification to a 

 taste for the beautiful, than a well situated, well cultivated 

 farm. The man of refinement will hang with never wearied 

 gaze on a landscape by Claude or Salvator ; the, price of a sec- 

 tion of the most fertile land in the West would not purchase 

 a few square feet of the canvas on which these great artists 

 have depicted a rural scene. But nature has forms and pro- 

 pi at ions beyond the painter's skill ; her divine pencil touches 

 the landscape with living lights and shadows, never mingled 

 on his pallet, What is there on earth which can more en- 

 tirely charm the eye or gratify the taste, than a noble farm ? 

 It stands upon a southern slope, gradually rising with varie- 

 gated ascent from the plain, sheltered from the north-western 

 winds by woody heights, broken here and there wdth moss- 

 covered boulders, which impart variety and strength to the 

 outline. The native forests have been cleared from a greater 

 part of the farm, but a suitable portion, carefully tended, re 



