Feb. 26, 1885.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



91 



teased about, the resultant coat will be uneven in thickness' 

 and more or less rilled with air bubbles, to the ruin 

 of the job. The varnish should be flowed, rather than 

 scrubbed on. Effort should be made to cover each given 

 part of the surface with a single sweep of th'e brush, without 

 passing over it a second time. The wood should be free 

 from oil, since then the varnish penetrates into the pores, 

 adheres much more tenaciously, and is far less likely to be- 

 come mealy or chip off. I consider the. varnish above named 

 quite good enough for any wooden red which is to receive 

 the slightest approximation to decent care. 



But the oil -varnishes, those in which linseed oil and tur- 

 pentine are the solvents, are far tougher and much more dur- 

 able than any spirit-varnish. Unlike alcohol, these fluids 

 modify the gums combined with them, greatly to the advan- 

 tage of the compound. African copal is here, as well, the 

 best obtainable gum, and is the basis of the so-called coach- 

 body varnishes if made by a respectable manufacturer. 

 Good coach-body varnish is readily to be had almost any- 

 where. Since the trouble so often experienced by amateurs 

 in its use is almost invariably due to a faulty method of 

 applying it, a few words on this subject may not be amiss. 



The surface to be coated should be free from oil for the 

 reasons before stated. The varnish should be quite warm, 

 say 90° of Fahrenheit: and the wood, brush, and room in 

 which it is to be used, should be as hot as conveniently 

 possible. This makes the varnish to flow better, and the 

 brush-marks coalesce almost immediately and disappear, 

 leaving a perfectly smooth surface so that little rubbing 

 down and fewer coats are required. Besides the warmth 

 makes the varnish much more fluid, and thus a thinner coat 

 may be given, This is one of the secrets of success — as thin 

 a coat as possible. The next, step is to coax the varnish to 

 dry. Here the wind is the potent clement. A coat of 

 varnish which will remain "tacky" for a week, if kept in a 

 close room, will be perfectly hard in twenty-four hours if ex- 

 posed to the wind. 



This is all there is to it — apply the varnish while warm, 

 in as thin a coat as possible, and expose it to the wind. In 

 a city where the atmosphere is always dust-laden, it will be 

 necessary to allow the varnish to dry indoors until the 

 sticky stage lias passed before it is exposed outside. It 

 must not be forgotten that there is a wide difference between 

 dry varnish and hard varnish ; and that every coat should 

 be perfectly hard before the next is applied. A rather stiff 

 brush should be used ; and though it is better to work rapid- 

 ly, still the care required iu laying spirit-varnish is not 

 necessary. In varnishing wrappings be sure to introduce a 

 little varnish under each ring, or water may penetrate and 

 turn the wrapping white. 



Though I use Valentine's "Quick-levelling Varnish," still 

 there are plenty of others just as good. Perhaps practically 

 the best course, all things considered, is to buy at a carriage 

 or car shop some of the varnish they use for the final coats 

 in finishing their work, and at the same time consult their 

 varnisher about its use. Anything which will stand with 

 impunity the exposure to which a car or coach is subject, 

 must answer for a fly-rod. Henry P. Wei.t.s. 



New York, Feb. 23, 1886. 



TROUT FLIES. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The subject of the nomenclature of flies is one that I am 

 glad to see has been brought up. If a genuine standard can 

 be adopted, probably the number of varieties can be reduced 

 one-half or more. There are a great many differences which 

 are so minute that they are absolute nonsense, and which 

 still have "a local habitation and a name." The remedy for 

 this lies in the hands of the National Kod and Reel Associa- 

 tion. Let them appoint a committee of experts to weigh 

 and sift, to retain and reject, and embody in their report a 

 scheme for a national standard which will be hailed with 

 gratitude and joy by dealer, maker and angler alike. The 

 readiness with which the standard reel-plate has been adopted 

 shows this. This is part of the work for which the Asso- 

 ciation was gotten up, and they should put their hands to 

 the plough. Percyval. 



BLACK BASS IN WINTER. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



1 can answer neighbor "0. D. L.," of Swedesboro, that 

 black bass are caught in winter. Dr. Henshall is mistaken in 

 his generalization from his own observations. 



About six years ago fifteen small bass were put in the 

 Tumbling Dam Pond within the city limits. Within the 

 past two years about twenty have been taken, all, with the 

 exception of one four-pound fish which I caught last sum- 

 mer with a spinner, by pickerel fishermen through the ice in 

 mid-winter. Ten were taken last week. P. S. J. C. 



Bridgbton, N. J., Feb. 14, 1885. 



THE VERMONT FISH LAWS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I notice in your last issue a letter from your Perrisburgh, 

 Vt,, correspondent, who finds fault with recent amendments 

 made to the Vermont fish laws. I have neither time nor in- 

 clination to enter into a newspaper controversy on this sub- 

 ject beyond this, that it would have been far more credit- 

 able for that class of fault-finders, as sportsmen and persons 

 interested in fish protection, if instead of standing aloof and 

 now grumbling "Why didn't you do so and so," they had 

 come forward during the last session of the Vermont Legis- 

 lature and assisted in amending those laws. Had they done 

 so the laws would undoubtedly have been made more perfect 

 than they now are. The gentlemen, however, who per- 

 formed this work claim to know something about the habits 

 of pike-perch and black bass. These gentlemen went to 

 Montpelier at their own expense, and found there among the 

 members of the Legislature a strong party who were deter- 

 mined to repeal the existing laws against net-fishing, etc., 

 but after a hard fight this effort was defeated and several im- 

 portant amendments were passed and made laws. One 

 amendment doubled the amount of appropriation granted to 

 the Fish Commissioners, another amendment makes it com- 

 pulsatory for the Selectmen in each town to appoint a fish 

 warden, another amendment enlarges the powers of the 

 wardens, etc., and as there was no law to prevent pike- 

 perch and black bass being taken with hook and line, or 

 troll at any season of the year, a law was passed making a 

 close season for these fish from Feb. 1 to June 15, which 

 dates prefect these fish during their spawning season, and 

 allows them to recuperate so as to be fit for food. As bass 

 and pike-perch are taken on the same grounds, it was 

 deemed necessary to have the close season for both these fish 

 to expire at the same date, otherwise the close season for 

 pike-perch would not have extended beyond June 1. 



Regarding the weight of a 10-inch black bass if measured 

 accurately, 8 ounces is more than the average weight of 

 that length bass. My tables say 6f ounces for a 10-inch bass. 



Regarding what a fish warden can do, I will tell your 

 Teaders what one of them, Mr. Athertou, of Waterbury, has 

 done. Last year he seized nearly thirty large traps, nets and 

 seines, and .'the State's share of the fines imposed on the 

 owners of the nets amounted to five hundred dollars or 

 thereabouts. 



In conclusion I would say that every intelligent person 

 knows that our game and fish laws must be made more and 

 more stringent each year, but in Vermont we must creep 

 before we can walk. We have done something toward im- 

 proving the laws during the past session of our Legislature, 

 and hope to do more next session. When pike-perch come 

 into the tributaries of Lake Champlain in the spring of the 

 year, they come into those streams for the purpose of spawn- 

 ing, and if not caught out or frightened out. by nets, a por- 

 tion of these fish will remain in the deep pools and in the 

 rocky rapids during the entire season. The Missisquoi River 

 is the great natural spawning grounds for these fish, and the 

 writer every season takes them with black bass out of the 

 same pools. Stanstead. 



Chatham, N. Y., Feb. 11.— At the annual meetiug of the 



Ken, during the past year won all the prizes, catching the 

 largest bass and trout. Owing to one of the by-laws of the 

 club, no member cau take more than one prize the same 

 year, therefore, T. R, and Call get two of them. Ken's 

 largest small-mouth bass weighed six pounds six ounces. 

 Call's trout turned the scales at fourteen ounces. This is a 

 good-sized trout for our streams, as there are five fishermen 

 to one fish. Ken has given up his favorite way of fishing 

 for perch, which we call "belly-fishing," he calls it "pugg- 

 ling." I think the Dominie and Call gave it this title. The 

 reason of his giving it up is because one of his pupils has 

 gone to fishiug in the same way. The style is a peculiar 

 one. They cut a hole through the ice, bait "their hook, and 

 then stretch out full length on their belly and drop the hook 

 through the hole and watch for a bite. Old Bean says that 

 is the way boys fish. I have seen Ken fish 'his way for 

 hours and catch three or four small perch. This coming 

 season we expect to have a grand good time, as part of the 

 club are going to the North Woods to spend two or three 

 weeks in hunting and fishing, and when we return you may 

 hear from us. We shall start from here and drive there 

 with teams, taking our provisions and eveiytbing we shall 

 need for our camp, making numerous stqps on the wav. — 

 C. M. H. 3 



Light on the Big Trout Question,— An angler's 

 journal is publishing a series of letters to prove that a brook 

 trout weighing twenty-four pounds was caught in Maine in 

 1849. There is nothing very remarkable about it. As a 

 trout generally increases in weight at the rate of one pound 

 an hour after being taken from the water by an angler, the 

 Maine fish of 1849 should now weigh about 800,000 pounds. 

 — Bangor {Me.) Commercial. 



The Big Pike.— North Middletown, Ky., Feb. 5,— "Will 

 Montgomery," in his article on large catfish and pike in 

 your issue of 29th ult., is in error when he states the big 

 pike I mentioned some time ago was caught by a party from 

 Pittsburgh. The pike I referred to was caught by a party 

 from Bourbon county iu Red River, Ky., and the gentlemen 

 who composed the party are living in the county now.— 

 Little Sandy. 



Black Bass Preserve. — In our advertising columns will 

 be found an announcement of a black bass preserve in Orange 

 county, N/. Y., which is for lease. The gentleman whose 

 name is appended to the card is an adept at taking bass in 

 out of the wet, and his statements are to be relied on. 



effwffcultnre. 



t 



FISHCULTURE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 



WE have the third biennial report of Mr. S. G. Worth 

 Superintendent of Fish and Fisheries of North Caro- 

 lina. Mr. Worth has for years been laboring to show the 

 people of the State how great their fishery interests are and 

 to induce them to preserve and increase them. By his energy 

 in this line he has awakened much interest in the fisheries and 

 has accomplished a great deal with the limited means at his 

 command. He says: 



"No argument could more emphatically prove the import- 

 ance of ash diet to the consumer than the statement that more 

 than 2,000 private fish ponds have been bruit in North Caro- 

 lina within five years— ponds being built in ninety-one coun- 

 ties, including not onlv the midland but also nearly every Blue 

 Ridge county." 



Referring to the splendid exhibit of North Carolina fisheries 

 at the New Orleans Exposition he calls attention to a card 

 there displayed, which shows the income of the State's fish- 

 eries at a million dollars per year. "The most important 

 species which make the great aggregate are the shad, herring 

 (or alewives), bluetish, mullets, menhaden or fatbacks, gray 

 and spotted trout [weakfish], spots and oysters. The first 

 named species above, the shad, is extremely valuable. Occur- 

 ring in January in our principal rivers, it ascends to the head- 

 waters for spawning, and while scarce iu the beginning of the 

 run, gradually becomes more abundant in February, and 

 most abundant in March and April. It is sought by all classes 

 of fishermen with seines, pound-nets, gilling and dip-nets on 

 account of its appearance, at the most favorable market sea- 

 son. Prices as high as two dollars or more each prevail at 

 first, and decline gradually to five and ten cents each about 

 the end of April, while the average price throughout the f our 

 months for the entire catch is ten cents a pound. This is a 

 high price, considering the abundant catch in Chesapeake 

 Bay, between us and the markets. Taking the census, we 

 find that no other State realizes more than eight cents a 

 pound. Although this species occurs in the tributaries of the 

 Albemarle and Pamlico Sound in company with immense 

 schools of herring, which form a large money resource, it 

 forms the important item the net profit of man}"- large herring 

 fisheries, and its ready sale to consumers in Northern cities, 

 New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, is draining 

 heavily the natural supply." 



Great difficulty has been experienced in obtaining ripe shad 

 eggs, because the bulk of the fish are captured near the 

 mouths of the rivers before they have been in fresh water long- 

 enough to ripen the ova. Beside this, the spawning shad 

 must be captured after sundown, and the owner of a large 

 fishery, where spawning fish might be obtained, forbids the 

 men employed by the State to use their gill-nets there. In 

 1883 4,427,000 shad fry were planted and 2,065,000 in 1884, 



* Of oysters we read: "Our oyster industry, which is now 

 small, has a golden opportunity of becoming great if we will 

 but seize the occasion. The annual income from this fishery 

 is now about $200,000 and can be increased to several million 

 dollars a year if wise and liberal legislation is immediately 

 secured. Eighty per cent, of the oyster trade of the United 

 States is dependent upon Chesapeake Bay. The supply there 

 is decreasing rapidly, and in a, short time that eight million dol- 

 lars' supply must come, from another source, and where must 

 it come from? Why not largely from North Carolina? So it 

 can if we will attend to the matter now, but we cannot delay. 

 Oysters are declining in all of the waters to the north of us ex- 

 cept in Rhode Island and Connecticut. In all the other States 

 the bottom is Held as common property, but in these it is owned 

 and controlled by individuals. While the oyster is deterior- 

 ating in all the other States and disappearing, it is improving 

 and increasing in those States. " 



The report concludes with valuable papers on the oyster in- 

 dustry, which were read before the Fishermen's Convention, 

 held in Raleigh, Oct. 10, by Lieut. Francis Winslow, U.S.N., 

 and Prof. W. K. Brooks, of Johns Hopkins University, Balti- 

 more. 



FISHCULTURE IN YE OLDEN TIME. 



A QUAINT old black-letter volume of which all who are 

 familiar with angling literature have heard, and of 

 which but few copies are extant in the great libraries, has 

 been reproduced by that indefatiguable delver in angling 

 lore, Mr. Thomas Satchell. It is entitled "A Booke of Fishiug 

 with Hook and Line," made by L.[eonard] M.[ascall], 1590. 



The book is full of the quaint angling conceits of its time, 

 and gives many instructions concerning the keeping of fish in 

 ponds and of gathering spawn, although there is no hint of 

 artificial fecundation. It says: 



"A chiefe way to saue spawne of fish, in. March, Aprill, and 

 May, is thus, ye shall make fagots of wheate, or rie straw, all 

 whole straw not bruised, or of reede, bind these faggots 

 together with three bondes, and* all about thereon sticke of 

 young branches of willow. Then cast them into the water 

 among the weedes, or by the bankes, and put in each faggot 

 two good long stakes, driven fast to the ground, and let your 

 faggots lie couered in the water half'e a yeard or more. So 

 the fish will come and shed their spawne thereon, and then it 

 will quicken therein, so that no other fish can come to destroy 

 or eate it, and as they waxe quicke they will come forth and 

 saue themselves. Thus much for presenting of spawne in the 

 spring and spawning time : this is a good practice to preserue 

 the spawne of all scaled fish. These faggots ye may make and 

 lay in all riners, poundes, or standing waters. Your faggots 

 had neede to be a yeard and a half e long, and bound with 

 three bandes not hard, two bandes a foot from the endes, and 

 an other band in the middest, and lay them as I have afore 

 declared. Also some do vse to hedge in corners in riners and 

 ponds with willow, and thereon fish doe cast their spawne 

 and so breedes." 



Other articles on fishculture are given, such as: "Here 

 shall follow the knowledge how to replenish your fish pondes," 

 "Of clensing your pondes from weeds, "Here shall be shewed 

 a care of lauing your pondes in sauing the water where it is 

 scant for to saue your fish alive," "There is a care alwayes to 

 maintaine your pits and stuis with fish," "How to nourish 

 your fish in pooles, mayers and standing waters," "To breeds 

 miliars — thumbs and Loches in shallow brookes or rivers," 

 with illustration, "The breeding of Creuis" (crayfish), and 

 "How to breede and increase yeeles in riuers." We have en- 

 joyed this quaint book and have been surprised, as other fish- 

 culturists will be, at how much attention was paid to culti- 

 vating fish at that time, and how much the author knew of 

 the matter nearly three centimes ago. 



THE NEW YORK OYSTER COMMISSION. 



THE report of Oyster Commissioner E. G. Blackford has 

 just been presented to the Legislature. The oyster inves- 

 tigation was authorized at the session of the Legislature last 

 winter, and has been conducted over a good portion of the 

 oyster ground of the State during the past season. The report, 

 shows that the natural oyster beds have not only decreased in 

 size, but also in productiveness in the portion of the territory 

 examined, within a few years. Various causes are assigned 

 for this, among them the dumping of garbage from the city, 

 the unscrupulous working of them by some classes of oyster- 

 men, and the natural enemies of the oyster. To counterbal- 

 ance the decrease of natural beds, there has been a decided 

 increase iu the number of beds cultivated by private parties, 

 and this has kept the supply from falling off. The Commis- 

 sioner does not think that the investigation lias been carried 

 on long enough to thoroughly decide what legislation should 

 berecommeuded, and he therefore does not attempt to cover 

 the whole ground. The recommendations which he does make 

 are for the temporary protection of the natural beds, and for 

 the continuance of the work now in progress until some final 

 judicious regulations can be formulated. 



He recommends that the work which has already been done 

 be continued and completed by visits to the remaining por- 

 tions of the oyster regions of the State. That the researches 

 into the conditions which promote the growth and affect the 

 flavor of the oyster, and as to the best methods for increasing 

 the supply, which have also been in progress during the year, 

 be continued. That a complete survey be made of ah oyster 

 lands within the limits of the State, so that there may be 

 some authentic record of the amount of our oyster territory 

 as a whole, as well as the size and character of each individual 

 plot or bed. This will also serve as a basis to work upon in 

 case the State should in future take charge of the lands, and 

 deed or lease them for planting purposes. That a codification 

 or compilation be made of all the State, county and town 

 laws regarding oyster beds or oyster cultivation, which are 

 in force within the limits of the State at the present time. 

 That a legal decision be obtained, if possible, -with especial 

 reference to the rights acquired by virtue of old patents issued 

 to individuals as representatives of various townships, to 

 lands situated under water which are in unobstructed connec- 

 tion with the high seas and open to public traffic. That a 

 series of laws be drafted for presentation at the next Legis- 

 lature which shall be as uniform in character as possible, tak- 

 ing into consideration the varying conditions of the different 

 sections of our oyster territory, and which shall be designed 

 to regulate and control the oyster industry and oyster traffic 

 of our State waters. That, during the continuance of the 

 investigation, and from the first day of February, 1885, until 

 these laws are presented to the Legislature and are acted upon 

 by it, no changes whereby the new territory shall be occupied 

 for the purpose of oyster culture, will be recognized as valid. 

 The report is not yet published, but is expected soon. There 

 will be a great demand for it in the regions where the oyster 

 grows, and many will anxiously look to see what the Commis- 

 sioner has recommended. 



THE VERMONT COMMISSION.— The biennial report of 

 the Fish Commissioners of Vermont for 1883-'84, is at hand. 

 It opens with a history of the German carp, and quotes from 

 the United States Commission as to their character and quali- 

 ties, and gives a list of persons in Vermont to whom the fish 

 have been distributed. The black bass receives attention, and 

 directions for its capture are quoted from Mr. H. F. Noiris, of 

 New Hampshire. The Commission has aroused public senti- 

 ment, and aided the protection of fish already planted, and 

 reports of fish wardens are given. In the work of F. H. Ather- 

 tou and J. L. Tuttle we find a record of the seizure of seven- 

 teen pound nets, six fykes and five seines, and tiie arrest of 

 eight men, between March 26 and July 28, 1884. An appendix 

 gives the laws for the preservation and propagation of fish, 

 game and birds. 



