92 
FOREST AND STREAM 
price of these brought them ready sale. The chief pur¬ 
chasers of these delicacies are such leading hotels as the 
Gilsey, New York, Fifth Avenue, and Metropolitan, and 
restaurants like Cable’s, Sutherland’s, and Delmonico’s. 
For the next thirty days the demand will be sharp in the 
daily proportion of one hundred pounds of fresh trout to 
three hundred pounds of frozen trout. The Long Island 
fish average about half a pound apiece, the heaviest turn¬ 
ing th.e scales at a pound. The finest looking ones came 
from the ponds near Babylon. They are rather lighter or 
more silvery in color. 
As the season advances, and the snow water passes out of 
the streams, we shall furnish our readers with weekly in¬ 
formation of practical value as respects trout and trout 
fishing. 
—Just at this season conger eels are being caught by our 
fishermen off the coast, and are brought in rather as curio¬ 
sities than for use, as no one will eat them. We inherit in 
some way the same prejudices as do the English, and con¬ 
sider conger eels as worthless for food. Of late years, how¬ 
ever, conger eels have come into more favor in Great 
Britain, and it is said that though too soft a fish to boil, 
when made into soup they form delectable food. 
Will somebody please try a conger eel chowder and 
let us hear about it? When caught with hook and line, it 
is about the most difficult creature to get rid of imaginable; 
the limberness and slipperiness of the common fresh water 
eel is nothing to it. 
—There is a bill before the New York Legislature to 
prohibit fishing in Queechy Lake, in Canaan, Columbia 
County, for three years. 
—The Forester Club of Penn Yan offer a reward of fifty 
dollars for the conviction of any person using nets of any 
kind in the waters of Oneida' and Onondaga Lakes, or 
Keuka, commonly called Crooked Lake, for a period of ten 
years. 
—A letter from Mill Village, on the Port Medway Biver, 
Nova Scotia, states that salmon began running up the 
river on the 25th day of January. “Saul,” the Indian, 
(mentioned in ITallock’s Fishing Tourist,”) had taken 
several with fly. Selling price fifty cents per pound. This 
is undoubtedly the earliest fly-fishing of the season, and 
much earlier than is usual in the locality named, February 
being the customary month. 
_A correspondent in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, writes to 
say that in his opinion “Yarmouth County affords almost 
as good trout fishing as any other county in Nova Scotia. 
About six miles from the town we have the salmon river, 
which has a good many trout, although they are small. 
But four miles beyond that is the Tusket River, which is 
upwards of one hundred miles long. Two men from Boston 
Custom House were here last summer and carried home a 
bushel of trout as part of the result of their work. Two 
persons have caught five hundred trout in a day in the 
river. One hundred fish is not an uncommon catch for one 
man.” K. 
_H. H. M., of Baltimore, writing of the voracity of the 
trout, says:— 
‘ £ I was fishing in Baltimore County and caught a brook 
trout, from whose mouth protruded the tail of a stone- 
head nearly five inches long; the head was partly digested. 
I did not weigh the trout but it measured just twelve 
inches. It had but one eye. 
“In the same season I caught a brook trout, from whose 
mouth depended a cat-gut snood thirteen inches long; on 
dissecting him I found the hook firmly fastened in his 
stomach, yet he rose and struck with all the fire possible to 
a cold water drinker.” 
_Our Washington correspondent sent us the following 
notes one day late for last issue: 
Shad are being taken in small numbers as yet at Deep 
Hole and in the market contrast well with the flabby 
Carolina shad, which have been on some time. 
A few small cargoes of herring have been received at 
Alexandria. The systematic spring fishing has not yet be¬ 
gun, and the present cold snap will delay it. 
At Harper’s Ferry it is reported that black bass, salmon 
and trout are being taken. As these fish are the result of 
stocking the river, it seems as if some method should be 
pursued to prevent their unseasonable capture. 
A large brook trout, the first caught since they were 
nut in the river, was taken last week. 
Young shad and herrings are beginning (they began a 
month ago) to make their appearance in the traps to the 
water mains. 
On the 6 th instant, thirty-five miles below Washington, 
seines were being hauled for rock fish with unusually good 
results. About eight or ten hundred bunches to a haul, 
averaging, say \\ lbs. to a fish, six or eight fish in a bunch. 
Only three shad were taken and a few young sturgeon. 
_A. correspondent sends us the following notes from 
East Florida, March 5th, 1874:— 
At Loud’s Hotel, New Smyrna, are Messrs. Benson, of 
Brooklyn; Bruce, Lawrence, Hasbrook and family, and 
Captain Anderson and family, of New York; Messrs. Frost 
& Mann, of Boston; and Clarke, of Chicago; Mr. Cum¬ 
mings, of the New York Sun, with his wife, and Mr. 
Nevins, of New York, Rave gone south to Lake Worth. 
“Fred Beverly,” of the Forest and Stream, is at Fort 
Pierce on Indian River. Most of these in pursuit of fish, 
fowl and happiness. 
The fishing at New Smyrna has been fair. Sheepshead 
have been the main reliance, but are now getting to be 
heavy with spawn. The redfish or channel bass are begin¬ 
ning to run, also salt water trout. Kingfish very plenty 
this°season. Snappers and groupers are appearing, and the 
hooks and lines suffer in consequence. 
March 1, five anglers out, result, 18 redfish, 10 groupers 
and snappers, 25 sheepshead, 38 kingfish, 20 pigfish and 
grunts, two or three sharks, also two deer killed by driving 
with hounds; turkies scarce, here this winter, also ducks. 
• a n n 
—The Provincetown correspondent of the Boston Journal , 
March 5th, says:— 
“The winter hes been very mild and the fleet have been 
very successful. The quantity purchased and forwarded 
by the Old Colony Railroad and steamer during December, 
January and February was 4173 bokes of 425 pounds— 
1,773,525 pounds, an excess over last year of 1791 boxes, or 
761,175 pounds. 
The greatest drawback to the shipment of fish to New 
York results from the enormous commissions charged by 
dealers in that city, the business being controlled by a few. 
Freight to Boston, $1 14 per box; to New York from $2 to 
$2 50. Commission in Boston 5 per cent., in New York 12 
per cent. As the weather, so the price obtained in market 
for fish. In time it will be proven that the weather reports 
will aid the dealers in fresh fish quite as much as any class 
in this country. 
Congress should establish a station at Highland Light. 
From no point on the coast would reports be more valu¬ 
able.” 
All communications from Secretaries and friends should be mailed not 
later than Monday in each week. 
HIGH WATER, EOR THE WEEK. 
HATE. 
BOSTON. 
NEW YORK. ] 
i 
CHARL’ST’N 
h. 
m. 
h. 
m. 
h. 
m. 
March 19...1 
0 
1 
9 
42 | 
8 
56 
March 20. 1 
0 
56 
10 
25 
9 
41 
March 21. | 
1 
41 
11 
13 ! 
10 
32 
March 22. j 
2 
32 
morn. 
11 
23 
March 28. I 
3 
23 
0 
8 1 
morn. 
March 24. 
4 
22 
1 
9 I 
o 
22 
March 25.....1 
5 
28 
2 
14 1 
[ 1 
•28 
CANOEING. 
NUMBER TWO. 
A DMITTING the canoe we advocate to be purely a 
traveling boat, we come to the consideration of her 
various requisites in model,material, build,internal arrange¬ 
ments, and rig. It is perfectly plain to us what we want as 
the result of our meditation and outlay in money—first, we 
want speed, both under sail and paddle; secondly, strength 
to stand the many knocks and thumps which are unavoid¬ 
able in a long journey, and the strength of build and tim¬ 
bers which will keep the canoe perfectly tight, although 
subjected to the strain of sleeping in her; thirdly, we must 
have her just as light as is consistent with strength, and 
last, possibly least, but by no means an unimportant consid¬ 
eration, she must be handsome. 
Experience is always a safe guide, and the number of 
canoes now in existence, constructed to meet various ends 
together with the record of their performances, makes it 
easy, for us to give such dimensions as we think will iusure 
speed and comfort. For a man weighing two hundred 
pounds or under, and not over six feet in height, we should 
advise a canoe fourteen feet in length, twenty-eight inches 
beam at the bottom of the top strake and one foot deep, 
exclusive of the camber of the deck. Her water lines 
should be easy with little or no hollow. She should have 
a long floor and very little dead-rise. A keel of two inches 
or two inches and a half will be found sufficient, for with 
the weight of the canoeist and his stores she will go down 
to six or eight inches draft, and he will find that with the 
addition of the keel the canoe will have sufficient lateral 
resistance to do very creditably on the wind. There has 
been much ingenuity expended in endeavoring to invent 
some kind of center-board or lee-board, but with regard to 
the first, the center-board well is an insuperable objection, 
and we will venture to prophecy that the lee-board will be 
converted into kindling wood at the first camp by any 
canoeist who has indulged himself in the pleasure of shift¬ 
ing it over every time he tacked ship. Moreover, there is 
no necessity for either, and the canoeist soon condemns 
everything which is not absolutely an essential. 
We specified the greatest beam of this canoe at twenty- 
eight inches at the bottom of the top strake; on deck it 
should be only twenty-seven, which gives a little of what is 
called “tumble home,” which improves the appearance of 
the canoe and facilitates paddling, enabling the canoeist to 
bring his paddle closer to the side of his boat. In this con¬ 
nection it may be well to state that it is undesirable to in¬ 
crease the beam of the canoe unless absolutely necessary; 
to admit shoulders of vast dimensions to the privileges of 
the cabin it would have to be done of course; but when the 
canoeist is heavier than the limit we mentioned, 200 lbs., 
and is not all beam, it would be wiser to increase the length 
of the canoe to obtain the requisite floatation. A sheer of 
about seven inches forward and about four aft will add very 
much to the appearance and capabilies of the canoe. There 
should also be a camber or “crown” to the deck, which in 
the waist of the boat should measure at least three and a 
half inches. The arrangement of the well, hatches and 
sliding bulk heads, we hope to be able to show by the help 
of scaleclrawings, (which we are preparing,) very much more 
accurately than by any written description, and we now 
come to the method of build and materials to be used. 
Weight is of course an important consideration in making 
portages, handling or moving the boat on shore, and of 
course the aim of every canoeist will be to have his vessel 
just as light as is consistent with strength. A canoe of the 
dimensions advised may be built with an oak keel, spruce 
stem and stern posts, planked with white cedar 3-16th of an 
inch thick, decked with Spanish cedar and having frames 
of oak, which will not weigh over fifty pounds, including 
the flooring boards, sliding bulk head tubes for masts 
hatches, and rudder. 
We would advise however an additional weight of about 
twenty pounds by having the garboard strakes of oak, the 
stem and stern posts of Hacknatack, the top strake of 
Spanish cedar, all the planking \ instead of 3-16tli of an 
inch and the deck of double thickness abreast the well 
The timbers should not be more than five inches apart in 
the waist of the boat where the canoeist sits, and need not 
be nearer than one foot, as the ends of the boat are neared 
Of course our craft should be copper-fastened throughout 
Reference has been made to mast tubes; these can be made 
of brass piping If inches in diameter for the main mast 
and If for the dandy mast; they should be firmly stepped 
in the keelson and cut off flush with the top of the deck- 
their object is to prevent the masts being converted into 
crow bars by the action of the water in event of a capsize 
and the light Spanish cedar decks being ripped into count¬ 
less atoms should the masts become unstepped. 
In finishing the hull sand paper and emery paper should 
be used without stint, and three coats of the best English 
copel varnish inside and out will give a very handsome and 
durable surface. 
A NOVEL CHALLENGE. 
W E have a challenge from an English officer stationed 
at Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a sort of scratch canoe 
race, extended to any member of the New York Canoe 
Club, the terms of which are stated incidentally in the fol¬ 
lowing note. Should this tender meet with any indication 
of acceptance, we will publish at once a formal challenge 
fromAhe author and give his name and credentials. It 
should be remarked here that he is the writer of the article 
which is concluded in our journal this week, entitled, The 
Log of the Minnie.” We hope our canoeists will consider 
this offer carefully, for whether beaten or not, they can 
learn much that will be to their advantage by making the 
acquaintance of the gentleman in question. Next week 
we shall print an introductory article from his pen, to be 
follow ed by other practical essays on canoe construction 
and navigation, with sketches of prominent canoeists. We 
herewith append the informal challenge:— 
Halifax, Nova Scotia, ) 
March 11th, 1874. f 
Mr. FIallock, Dear Sir :— If any member of the “New 
York Canoe Club” would like to make a match fora “cruis¬ 
ing race,” I should be happy to have one next summer over 
an eight or ten mile course, with two or three portages, sail 
or paddle, or both, to be used at the discretion of the com¬ 
petitors. A good course could be laid down here, as there 
are lakes within a short distance of the harbor, on to which 
the portages could be made, and I would do my best to 
make his stay in Halifax pleasant. 
Very truly yours, C. U, D. 
—The Baltimore Canoe Club, the second organization of 
the kind in the United States, have just met together and 
formed themselves into an association for the purpose of 
promoting aquatic sports. R. Stewart Latrobe was elected 
commodore. 
—The Bayonne and Pavonia Yacht Clubs have consoli¬ 
dated and adopted the charter of the former club. The 
name of the new organization will be the Union Yacht 
Club of New Jersey; they start under very favorable 
auspices, and many of the yachts have already shown good 
form. The record of the Meta, for 1873, was brilliant, and 
her owner, Commander Boling, is determined that the pre¬ 
sent season shall add to her fame. The names of the 
yachts belonging to the new organization are as follows: 
Addie, Addie Taylor, Annie Mac, Commodore, Eclipse, 
Elize, Emma Hilton, Frou Frou, Idle Hour, Irene, Jeanette, 
Meta, Minnie, Nellie D., Plover, and Qui Vive. Two new 
vessels are now building for the club. 
—Mr. W. T. Sears, of the firm of Cummings & Sears, 
architects of Boston, gratuitously furnished the piano which 
has been accepted by the Yale Navy for their new boat 
house. _ 
Washington, March 9,1874. 
The Analostan Boat Club, which is the oldest boating 
organization in the district, held its usual annual meeting 
last week, at which the election for officers took place, and 
the following gentlemen were elected for the ensuing 
year :— 
President, Major M. Bailey; Vice-President^ William N. 
Roach; Corresponding Secretary, J. H. Goodrich; Record¬ 
ing Secretary, A. B. Coyle; Treasurer, TarbleDyer; Capt., 
O. L. Prescott; 1st Lieutenant. J. L. Robertson; 2d Lieu¬ 
tenant, Henry H. Dodge. 
The report of Treasurer being favorable, the meeting was 
a happy one. 
This Club is composed of a body of young men, repre¬ 
sentatives not only of the elite of Washington but of other 
States gathered here in the Government employ, among 
them are those who have served well in the war. 
^The boating season will be inaugurated about the 1st of 
April by a grand regatta, which is looked forward to with 
'“great expectations.” Among the fairest of the hundreds 
of belles who have agitated the pens of society reporters 
this winter, numbers are honorary members of this popular 
Club, as by a late election, is your correspondent. 
Piseco. 
—The Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race takes 
place on the Thames, London, on March 28th. The rail 
Mall Gazette in speaking of the crews says “Cambridge s 
time of oars is not yet perfect; but though that is most val¬ 
uable when it comes to racing, we think little of flaws in 
this respect a month before the race. There is a fair eaten 
of the water, well laid hold of by the.bodies before the 
slide commences. The sliding is good, if anything it run 
a trifle into the 'opposite extreme to that wincn 
has murdered Oxford sliding, i. e ., instead of co * 
mg too soon, it begins, if anything, a trifle too late, 
