272 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 30. 1885- 



Connecticut Lake.— Colebrook, N. H., April 24.— In 

 your issue of the 16th the printer made an addition of one to 

 tbe miles to Connecticut Lake from this village. As the 

 drive is a very fine one, and interesting to the tourist, I think 

 it best to cut it off; twenty-five miles will do. The weather 

 is the warmest ever known in this month in this valley. 

 Soow has gone, and the season for fishing will be earlier than 

 usual. — Ned Norton. 



Philadelphia Notes. — April 25.— Our trout streams are 

 now approaching to a good condition for fly-fishing, and be- 

 fore the next issue of Forest and Stream many of our 

 anglers will have started on their first trip. The snow is fast 

 melting on the hills, and as soon as the waters subside some- 

 what we shall have good reports from the interior of the 

 State. — Homo. 



Fishing in Georgia. — Mr. Charles H. Andariese, of New 

 York, has just returned from fishing at Cumberland Island, 

 opposite Fernandina, Ga. He reports most excellent fishing 

 there, and took great numbers of sheepshead, channel bass, 

 sea trout (weakfish) and drum. Some of the latter weighed 

 sixty pounds. 



Arkansas. — Owing to the late spring, the high water and 

 the heavy rains, there has been little fishing as yet. — J. M. 

 B. (Little Rock, Ark., April 20). 



tffiglfmltnre. 



PHILADELPHIA FISH NOTES. 



AT a meeting of the Fish Commission of Pennsylvania, 

 held at Harrisburg, April 21, it was agreed to make 

 appointments of fish wardens in the State and to instruct them 

 to enforce the laws, provided there is an appropriation made 

 sufficient to carry out the project. The U. S. Fish Commission 

 will be requested to permit a large supply of shad fry for 

 planting in the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers. The re- 

 port of the Pennsylvania Fish Commission will discuss the 

 subject of fish ways, stocking of streams, etc. The Commis- 

 sion is now engaged in sending fish all over our State, and the 

 brook trout fry furnished is the finest that has ever been dis- 

 tributed from the Pennsylvania hatcheries. About 300,000 

 have been sent out. On Thursday next over 2,000 carp will 

 be distributed. Next month 200,000 California trout will be 

 given out. Already there are 200 applications for them. 



Commissioner Porter, of Erie, Pa., at this meeting showed 

 two fine California trout, eight inches long, which he pro- 

 cured from a boy at Corry, Pa. These trout were planted in 

 the Erie county streams eighteen months ago, when they were 

 only one inch in length. 



Senator Nichols, of Cumberland county, N. J., and Pro- 

 secutor Stape, of Salem, had an interview with Gov. Abbett, 

 of New Jersey, a few days since, in relation to the fishery 

 trouble. They informed the Governor that the Jersey fisher- 

 men were afraid to begin sturgeon and shad fishing on account 

 of threats of arrest by the Delawarians. Gov. Abbett pro- 

 vided each of his callers with a copy of the TJ. S. Court's 

 injunction, and advised that all fishermen should begin opera- 

 tions at once, and gave assurances that the whole power of 

 the State should be used to protect the Jerseymen in the right 

 given by this injunction to fish in any part of the river and 

 bay, even up to the Delaware shore. Any interference of the 

 rights granted by this injunction will be considered as con- 

 tempt of the United States Court. Home. 



LOBSTERS ABUNDANT. 



THE receipts of lobsters at this port for the past few days 

 have been remarkably large. During the past two weeks 

 not less than 250,000 have come to hand. Ten or twelve lob- 

 ster smacks have arrived with from 8,000 to 10,000 lobsters 

 each. They came from the eastern Maine, New Brunswick 

 and Nova Scotia shores. Besides these smacks, the Nova 

 Scotia steamers on three or four of their last trips have had 

 500 or 600 cases, each with 140 pounds or say 70 lobsters to the 

 case. The trade say that the reason for the unusual receipts 

 is that the lobsters were so very scarce and high-priced before 

 the catch begun, rather more than a week ago. "Everybody 

 is lobster fishing." But the price has broken seriously. Three 

 or f our weeks ago five lobsters were worth ten or twelve cents 

 per pound : yesterday they were offered from the Nova Scotia 

 steamer as low as $3.50 per case of 140 pounds. 



These lobsters are all presumed to be alive, and they are 

 kept in cages by the dealers sunk in the dock, till wanted for 

 boiling. They are fished out of the big cages with nets and 

 put into smaller cages, their bright eyes glistening, and grap- 

 pling each other with their claws. The smaller cage is set 

 into a tight wooden vat, a few pounds of salt is sprinkled over 

 the doomed lobsters, the cover of the vat is fastened down, 

 and a jet of scalding steam is turned into the vat. In a few 

 minute* the vat is opened, and there is a beautiful cage full of 

 boiled lobsters, which have turned from a dark olive green to 

 a bright red color. They are then ready for the market, and 

 when cool, are packed in ice and shipped as far west as 

 Chicago, and even to Omaha. 



But a great many of the steamer lobsters are dead when 

 they arrive, being too long out of water. More than two tons 



fo to "the dump" to-day. It is whispered that some of the 

 ealers have a way of boiling these dead lobsters as soon as 

 possible and selling them. The remedy for the consumer is: 

 Buy of dealers who would not be guilty of such a trick as of 

 breaking the ten-inch law; and there are such. Special, 

 Boston, April 28. 



FROG CULTURE. 



ABOUT once a year an item goes the rounds of the press 

 setting forth that some person is about to engage in the 

 culture of frogs for market, and giving a glowing account of 

 his facilities for the enterprise and his prospective profits. Any 

 person who knows the habits of frogs knows that they are 

 carnivorous, and that a big bullfrog will devour one of half 

 its size in preference to almost any other food. Also that the 

 tadpoles and young frogs are eaten by birds of all sizes, from 

 the crow-blackbird to the blue heron, and that it is impossible 

 to feed frogs in great numbers. Such an item recently ap- 

 peared in the daily papers concerning a proposed frog farm 

 somewhere in the center of Long Island, and a reporter sal- 

 lied forth to interview those who might know something of 

 the business. Here is what he wrote about it: 



"What do I think of the establishment of frog farms in the 

 United States to supply the demand in Europe? It is a fine 

 idea in theory," remarked a State Fish Commissioner to a 

 representative of the New York Mail and Express. 



"Why do you say in theory only?" 



"Because it has already been tried. Experiment in frog 

 farming have proved futile and the man who attempts it gets 

 some experience and no recompense for his trouble. Several 

 frog farms have been started, always with the same result. 

 The reason they do not succeed is simply this: It is very diffi- 

 cult to provide proper and sufficient food for them -during 

 their infantile period. The birds eat the tadpoles and the 

 aault frogs live upon iusects, leaving their watery, swampy 

 habitation and skirmishing around on the land for them. In 

 a 'farm' they cannot well forage for insects, there are so 

 many confined to a limited area. It is utterly impossible to 



catch enough insects to satisfy and gourmandize the farm. 

 They prey upon each other. The baby frog is greedily de- 

 voured by the large bullfrog, who floats along in a stagnant 

 pool with his mouth open, snapping them up with avidity. It 

 is a survival of the fittest. The fittest in this case are rot 

 enough to pay for those that perished. The embryo jelly that 

 floats along covered over with green ooze from weeds, from 

 whose pores a million frogs may germinate, in the war of the 

 hungry and strong over the weak does not escape. A farm 

 started several seasons ago near Caledonia, in Livingston 

 county, this State, proved an egregious failure and dead ex- 

 pense for the reason I have mentioned. If it could be done 

 successfully there would be millions in it. It is a Utopian 

 dream, the fulfillment of which, I think, will be many years 

 from the present." 

 "Are many frogs consumed daily in New York?" 

 "Yes. During the summer months from one to two thous- 

 and pounds are eaten daily. They are shipped fresh to this 

 market from Canada principally, in large half barrels. The 

 love for frog meat is on the increase. Epicures and men of 

 extreme wealth give exorbitant prices for them. The large 

 green bullfrog is the chief kind sold in market. In Chicago 

 they are called water chickens, because their flesh is as white 

 as that of a chicken when dressed properly."' 



The import and export partner of a large wholesale grocery 

 establishment said that no canned frogs were exported to 

 Europe. _ ' 'The fact is, there are no canned f rogs for sale worth 

 mentioning. In the eastern part of the British provinces and 

 Canada a few were put up in cans. It did not pay, and they 

 stopped. Then a little while ago the industrv was started on 

 Prince Edward's Island, but the facility for shipninglive frogs 

 killed it, and to-day canned frogs are a rarity. Thousands 

 upon thousands of frogs are shipped to Europe' each summer 

 and fall alive. They are placed in large baskets between 

 layers of damp moss and leaves. When they arrive at their 

 destination they are sound and free from fever. The stock of 

 frogs in Europe is limited. I lived in Prance twenty-seven 

 years and never tasted one during that period. Although the 

 French are called a nation of frog eaters, yet they do not con- 

 sume one-tenth as many as the people of the United States. 

 The frogs there are few and of a very inferior size, the largest 

 not being two and a half inches long, They are stunted in 

 growth and do not seem to multiply as fast as here. It has 

 long been the dream of certain French caterers of renown to 

 introduce the American green bullfrog into France for the 

 purpose of propagation. The old stock of dwarfs, he argues, 

 would soon fall victims to the vigorous American breed and 

 disappear. They have no frog farms in France, even of these 

 dwarfed specimens. I do not suppose to-day, if an offer of 

 $100 was made in Paris for a can of frogs, that one could be 

 found there. About fifty cans of snails are imported to 

 America yearly from France. Terrapin, too, is rarely ever 

 canned. "If frog farms can be established and furnish enough 

 to do a large canned business, my impression is it would 

 spread and in the course of ten years from now frog farms 

 would be quite numerous. There are men who will try the 

 experiment next summpr and raise frogs for the educated 

 palates of Parisians and New Yorkers. If they succeed they 

 will even grow immensely wealthy." 



Imml 



FIXTURES. 



BENCH SHOWS. 



April 28, 29, 30 and May 1.— Ninth Annual Dog Show of the West- 

 minster Kennel Olub at Madison Square G irden. Entries close April 

 14. James Mortimer. Superintendent, 48 Broad street, New York. 



May 5, (3. 7 and 8. 1885.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Cincin- 

 nati Sportsman's Cluo. Cincinnati, O. W. A. Coster. Superintendent. 



May 13, 14 and 15.— Third Annual Dog Show of the Toronto Dog 

 Show Association. W. S. Jackson, Secretary, Toronto, Ont. 



May 19, 20, HI and 22.— Show of the Philadelphia Kennel Club. F. A. 

 Diftenderfer, Superintendent, Philadelphia, Pa. 



June 2, 3, 4 and 5.— First Annual Dos Show or. the Illinois Kennel 

 Club. John H. Baylor, Secretary, 3.182 Archer avenue, Chicago, 111. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Nov. 16, 1885.— Seventh Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, High Point, N. C. Entries for Derby close May 1. w. 

 A. Coster, Secretary, Flatbush, L. I. 



Dec. 7.— Seventh Annual Field Trials of the National Field Trials 

 Club, Grand Junction. Tenn. Entries for Derby close April 1. B, M. 

 Stephenson, La Grange, Term., Secretary. 



A. K. R-SPECIAL NOTICE. 



THE AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration of 

 pedigrees, etc. (with prize lists of all shows and trials), is pub- 

 lished every month. Entries close on the 1st. Should be in early. 

 Entry blanks sent on receipt of stamped and addressed envelope. 

 Registration fee (50 cents) must accompany each entry. No entries 

 inserted unless paid in advance. Yearly subscription $1.50. Address 

 "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 2832, New York. Number 

 of entries already printed S3 12. 



A BLACK AND TAN SETTER CLUB. 



THERE will be a meeting of gentlemen interested in the 

 black and tan setter at Madison Square Garden on Thurs- 

 day evening, April 30, at 8 o clock, for the purpose of forming 

 a club for the improvement of the breed. 



A MASTIFF CLUB. 



THE following call has been published: Camden, N. J., 

 April 25, 1885. We, the undersigned, breeders of the 

 mastiff, do herebv invite you, or any of 3'our friends, to 

 meet us at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York, on Thursday, 

 April 30, at 2 P. M., to consider the advisability of forming a 

 mastiff club.— W. P. Stevenson, Chas. E. Shaw, Herbert 

 Mead. J. Frank Perry, W. Wade, Edward Dudley. 



THE NATIONAL DERBY. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Since vour issue of April 2 the following have been added 

 to the list of entries to the Derby of the National Field Trials 

 Club: 



Meteor's Maid (E. F. Stoddard)— White and liver pointer 

 bitch, April 1 (Meteor— Trinket). 



Trinket II. (E. F. Stoddard)— White and liver pointer bitch, 

 April 1 (Meteor — Trinket). 



Cleo (H. D. Nicholl)— Black, white and tan English setter 

 bitch, April 26 (Gladstone— Lavalette). 



Gate's Hope (R. M. Dudley)— Lemon and white English 

 setter dog, May 23 (Gath— Gem). 



Flirt (J. H. B. House)— Black, white and tan English setter 

 bitch, July 24 (American Dan— Countess House). 



Trez H. (Z. T, Hogan)— Black, white and tan English setter 

 bitch, July 24 (American Dan— Countess House). 



Alamo II. (T. W. House)— Black, white and tan English set- 

 ter dog, July 24 (American Dan— Countess House). 



Count Solo (T. S. Landrane)— Blue belton English setter 

 dog, March (Count Noble— Countess Mollie). 



Daisy (G. R. Stevens)— Black, white and tan English setter 

 bitch, May 23 (Gath— Gem). 



Noble C. (W. J. Cannon)— Black, white and tan English 

 setter dog, April 22 (Count Rapier— Belle of Hatchie). 



Maud D. (V. D. Davis)— White and black English setter 

 bitch, Jan. 1 (Lightning— Dora Royal). 



Cyclone (J. W. Renfroe)— Blue belton English setter dog, 

 Jan. 1 (Lightning— Dora Royal). 



Renfroe (Paul Jones)— White, black and tan English setter 

 dog, August 21 (Gladstone's Boy— Dora Royal). 



Bendemir (E. A. Wood)— Black and white English setter 

 dog, August (Count Noble— Lassie). 



Sachem (S. S. Brown)— Black and white English setter dog, 

 August (Count Noble— Lassie). 



Grouse III. (W. T. Mitchels)— Red dog, Feb, 27 (Grouse II. 

 — Colleen Rhue). 



Pendennis (Charles Heath) -Black and white English set- 

 ter dog, Jan. 1 (Blue Drake— Diana II.). 



Diana HI. (Charles Heath)— Black and white English setter 

 bitch, Jan. 1 (Blue Drake— Diana II.). 



Bob Gates (B. M. Stephenson)— White, black and tan Eng- 

 lish setter dog, April 22 (.Count Rapier— Belle of Hatchie). 



In the first list of entries, the dog entered by S. S. McCuen 

 as Lemon Gladstone (Gladstone ex Lavalette) should have 

 been Sam Sterrett. The mistake was of the handler, who sent 

 me the wrong name. Please make the correction.— B. M. 

 Stephenson. 



MODERN JOURNALISM. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Nothing has done more to degrade dog shows than untrust- 

 worthy reports. The beginner is misled by them, and when he 

 learns the truth his vanity is pricked and his feelings wounded. 

 Reports originated with shows and were supposed to be writ- 

 ten for the edification of the public and the guidance of ex- 

 hibitors. A man was not supposed to be eligible for the posi- 

 tion of reporter unless he was a good "all-round 1 ' judge, and 

 what was of even more importance than knowledge' of the 

 dogs was a good character. A man whose opinions could be 

 influenced by pecuniary gain, or one who would take advan- 

 tage of his position to write dogs down which were owned by 

 his enemies, and laud to the skies those owned by his friends, 

 was never fitted for such a post and never could retain it 

 long. The employers of such obstacles to progress have always 

 been taught that the public will rot tolerate that which tends 

 to degrade it in tbe eyes of its neighbors, and there is no per- 

 ceptible reason why the rule should be violated now. There 

 are times when exhibitors, breeders and owners of dogs feel 

 disposed to be lenient, and at such times they are willing to 

 overlook much that is distasteful to them. But silence is one 

 thing, approval is another. Without wishing to hurt the feel- 

 ings of any one, I would suggest that where a paper is labor- 

 ing under pecu — liar difficulties a prize list be printed without 

 comment. A prize list is far more instructive and much less 

 misleading than an ignorant report, pregnant with falsehood 

 and petty malice. Why then should the latter accompany 

 the former? Right before me lies a letter from a very promi- 

 nent American sportsman and breeder of dogs. He informs 

 me that a certain reporter never misses the opportunity to 

 i take advantage of his position to attack men he hates. In 

 ( my reply I asked him if he thought that a paper of character 

 ' would allow its columns to be prostituted to so vile a pur- 

 pose, and he replied that the editor of the paper believed the 

 reporter to be the deity and nothing short of it. 



After what has transpired during the last few years I am 

 prompted to ask what is a sportsman's journal? Is it a weekly 

 sheet devoted to a settlement of the editor's personal affairs? 

 or is it utilized for that purpose one week and handed over 

 to the office boy for a similar purpose next, week? I have 

 always been given to understand that editors of decent papers 

 are gentlemen, independent sort of fellows of broad and gen- 

 erous views. Men who would empty an office of all that is cal- 

 culated to lower and degrade sportsmanship. Men who would 

 sooner think of committing suicide than of taking cowardly 

 advantage of the editorial chair. Such at least has been my 

 idea of the editor of a sportsman's journal. But alas, "whither 

 are we drifting?" Only the other day a gentleman told me he 

 had received a letter from the editor of a would-be sports- 

 man's paper, who implored him to tell something about certain 

 gentlemen in order that the editor might "open on them" in 

 his editorial columns. We all have seen how dogs owned by 

 those who refused to advertise in a certain paper are written 

 down, aad how persons who are willing to encourage feuah 

 business are supplied every week with an amount of "taffy" 

 of which there is always a superabundance on hand. We have 

 seen gentlemen charged with unsportsmanlike conduct, and 

 even accused of trying to influence judges' decisions, and when 

 the charges have been shown to be false we have watched the 

 editor saddle the responsibility on his office boy, and sneak 

 behind the statement that he will investigate the matter when 

 the office boy comes home, which, of course, he never does. 

 In such a case actiou for libel is out of the question. Mush- 

 rooms may grow on a dung heap, but gold is not to be found 

 there. 



Dog show reports are my text, and so I find myself com- 

 pelled to hark back to Chicago from whence all funny things 

 do spring. The Aaron business was a mere nothing, but 

 in trying to "creep out" the reporter seems likely to leave 

 some of his skin in the trap. He now says that Erin II. Avas a 

 good puppy, but "she has not fulfilled her early promise." 

 This is making bad worse. In the first place, the reporter 

 admits that it has taken him nearly three years to find out 

 that Erin II. is a bitch, and in the second, proves by his own 

 evidence that he cannot judge of the merits of an Irish terrier 

 until it in almost three years old. Erin II. was? first exhibited 

 at the little show given by Messrs. Lincoln, Olcott and the 

 Chicago w.seacre, and in its report of the show the indepen 

 dent (?) journal said (June 23, 1883), "He (Erin) is a splendid 

 puppy." Ever since that time "he" has been a very good 

 specimen, but now it dawns on the great "authority" that 

 "ne" is a "she," and accordingly "she" is described as follows: 

 ' 'One long-legged, weak Irish terrier, Aaron, was shown and 

 received first prize." The fact is, that the Western reporter in 

 attempting to "kill Mason" was in too great a hurry, and was 

 so blinded by prejudice that he could not tell dogs- from bitches, 

 or vice versa. Neither could he distinguish between the old 

 champion and the supposed Aaron. Ignorance or prejudice it 

 must have been, and the "young man from Chicago" may 

 perch on either horn of the dilemma he likes best. 



A few more words about that New Haven report. When 

 Mr. Porter told the "petty canine czar" to go to the deuce he 

 incurred his majesty's displeasure, but the old warrior is like 

 a dog without teeth, the bark is worse than the bile, and as 

 usual he came out second best. Turn to the sportsman's inde- 

 pendent journal of March 28, and you will find the following 

 in the report on the New Haven show: "There wore less than 

 six really first-class setters shown." Plantaganet was first in 

 the champion class. In the open class it was Rockingham, 

 Foreman and Mack B. In the bitch class. Princess Phoebus, 

 Forest Dora, Lady May. Now turn to the Boston report in 

 the same paper (April 18) and you can read: "The English 

 setter classes were very good." Plantaganet won in the 

 champion class. In the open class it was Rockingham, Fore- 

 man and Mack B. In the bitch class Forest Dora was first ; 

 Phoebus not entered. The quality was not so good as at New 

 Haven. The reports were written by the same person, and I 

 ask is that honest journalism? Is it the sort of business that 

 dog owners intend to tolerate? 



Read the following in the New Haven report: "The crack 

 St Bernards ofMr.Hearn's kennel and a number of mastiffs 

 and other St. Bernards which might be [but were not] named, 

 are alone worth all the dogs that were on exhibition." The 

 winders in the mastiff classes were Hero II., Lorna Doone, 

 Di ord Cromwell, Homer, Rosalind, Prussian Princess and Hilda 

 V. Turn to the Boston report and you find "A better show of 

 mastiffs was probably never seen. The classes were well filled 

 and some fine specimens were shown. The remarkable im- 

 provement in this breed was freely commented on." The win- 



