848 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LNov. 26, 1886. 



BETHABARA, ALIAS GREENHEART. 



Editor Forest and Stremn: 



In your issue of Sept. 34, pa^e 169. "M." says under the 

 caption, "Snake and Btitbabara Woods": 



"Greenheart is a variety of the genus Laitrus, found in the 

 West Indies and South America. That in Jamaica and 

 Guiana is the Nectandra rodwi, called also "coajwood" in 

 the former and ''sipieri" in the latter locality. Lancewood 

 is a tree found also in the West Indies, called in botany 

 Quattima virgata, and is par excellene-e the best wood for fish- 

 mg rods. It will be difficult to find bethabara wood in the 

 botanical list, it is only found in the catalogues of some fish- 

 ing rod makers who have enshrouded it in mystery, otlier- 

 wise it is nothing but a fancy name for greenheart." 



It seems sti-ange that some one who believes in the super- 

 iority of bethabara (or wasahba) and labors under the idea 

 that it has nn individuality of its own, does not raise an issue 

 with this last statement of "M.'s " How would it do to 

 quote Henry P. Wells oa bethabara or wasahba. He says 

 on page 130, of "Fly Rods and Fly Tackle": 



"Some think it a variety of greenheart, but he who has 

 worked the two woods will hesitate to accept this opinion. 

 It resembles greenheart iu color, but still with a difference 

 easily seen on close inspection, though difflcult to describe. 

 It is denser in grain, more bony in"^'testure, and requires a 

 sharper tool lo work it. It has the peculiarity of depositing 

 a gummy subdlance on theedgcof the plane blade, producing 

 the effect of dullness, which must at short intervals be 

 removed on the oilstone before the plane will resume its cut. 

 When under the plane a yellow powder, closely resemblina: 

 pulverized gamboge in appearance, is profusely deposited on 

 the bench and tools, as well as on the hands and person of 

 the worker. This instantly turns to a strong- s-ilmon color in 

 contact with soaj) and water, due doubtkss to the action of 

 the alkali in the former. Its shavings have nothing of the 

 crumbling character of those of greenheart, from which aU 

 tJte forcgoiiui marked peculiar Hies distingimh it, 



The italics do not appear in the original text. It might 

 be added that Mr. Wells believes bethabara lo be inferior for 

 rod-making purposes to greenheart. an opinion with which 

 some of us who have been using bethabara rods for four or 

 five years cannot agree. Jay Bebe. 



Toledo, O.. Nov. 18. 



^ Labge Lake Trodt.— While taking trout for the pur- 

 pose of getting spawn, Mr. F. A. Walters, Superintendent 

 of the Adirondack hatchery at Little Clear Pond, took a 

 trout measuring 36^ inches in length and weighing ^3 

 pounds, which was dead when found. He reports tak- 

 ing "two larger ones which were alive and all right." 

 This shows that this fish grows to a much larger size than is 

 usually CHught iu those waters, although we have recorded 

 instances of individuals taken at rare inteivals there which 

 were larger. 



Bk Kikd toYoub Boatman.— First Scotch boatman; 

 "Weel, Geordie, hoo got ye on the day?' Second ditto 

 (Droulhy;he had been out with a Free Kii-k minister— a 

 strict abstainer): "Nae, ava; the auld carl had nae whuskey, 

 sac I took him whaur there was nae fush!" — Punch. 



The Whitney Bass Fi;Y.— Our correspondent "Cyr- 

 tonyx" informs "Percy val' that the Whitney black bass fly 

 is made thus: Body green, with silver tinsel," tail and hackle 

 green, wings yellow with lead-colored shoulders. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ing Co. 



MAINE LAND-LOCKED SALMON. 



n[">HERE have been some bus.y daj-s for those interested iu 

 I the salmon weii s in Bridg-fcon aud Harrison, Maine, of 

 which the Fobest and Stream has had previous accounts. 

 Ten of the fii'st ones — twelve iu number — taken at Rodger's 

 Bi'ooli two weeks ago, escaped through a break in the weir, 

 caused by a sudden ri>e of water. But the break has been 

 promptly repau'cd with a second weir put in a few rods below 

 and a thiid one a short distance above. A:! fast as the fish 

 come iuto the lower weir they ai e dipped out and put into the 

 middle one. The upper weii- is intended as a stop lor the 

 leaves and autumn rubbish. 



On Monday there were seventeen salmon in the weii-, and 

 everything was looking favorable, but it began to rain, a,nd 

 Rodger's Broo/i became a torrent. The water was full of 

 leaves, stones, roots and all manner of waste, swept along by 

 the force ot the cm-rent. It stopped against the weir and 

 made a clam. The water was fast rising to the top of the 

 stakes, while the watchman and one or two assistants wei-e 

 doing their best to clear the opposing refuse away. The 

 harder they worked the hardei- it rained, and the more loose 

 material was washed against the frad palings. More help 

 game, and for hours, in the pelting rain, sometimes to their 

 waists iu cold water, six men were working as for life to keep 

 the weirs and salmon from iieing swept down stream. As it 

 was all efforts would have been useless, had not some one hit 

 upon the plan of felling a tree across the stream a short dis- 

 tance above, and building a dam to tiu-n the current into 

 another channel. This proved successful, and by midnight 

 the ti'oubled waters were vmder control. The weir at Bear 

 Brook had not had as hard a time; ^tl11 the water cut a 

 ctiannel mider the bank, by which some of the fish escaped up 

 the stream. But they can easily be dipped up and put bacij 

 into the weir when wanted, 



Yestsrday there were twenty-eight salmon in the weir at 

 Rodger's brooli and twenty more in and above the weir at 

 Bear Brook. This is as many as the most sanguine expected 

 to take in the whole season, and yet, if this year is to be 

 judged by others, the season has hardiy begun. The largest 

 ti-iii now OQ hand is fully thirty inches long and eight inches 

 deep, and must weigh fifteen or eighteen pounds, There are 

 Others about as large. The largest of all— ./umbo— was one of 

 the two of the fii'St twelve that did not escape. The watch- 

 men say that the fish ruu up the stream entirely in the night. 

 In the daytime they are quiet, and a jjei son not accustomed 

 to looking for thern might be very near one and not notice 

 them. In the weirs all is quiet enough iu the daytune, but at 

 dark the fun begins. The water seerus to be fairly alive and 

 foams and splasUes iu a way that would hardly seem possible. 

 Tlie fish fight fiercely at times. Especially does each new- 

 comer have to be ciioroughly shaken up. If a fish of any 

 other species gets into the weii- it has no rest until it is either 

 driven out or liilied. The fish work large beds of stones and 

 gravel together, iu wh'ch to deposit then- eggs, and as fast as 

 the e,.,g8 are laid they are covered. The work of making the 

 beds aud covering the egsrs seems to be done mostly by the 

 males, and they sliow a gre itdeal of perseverance and skill m 

 moving some of the quite large stones that they have to 

 handle. 



Mr. Wilbur, the watchman at Bear Brook, says he noticed 

 that a large male fish \vas beginniug to form a bed in a part 

 of the stream where an alder bush, uMmt} an inch aud a half 



m the t^ckest part of the stem, was bent down into the 

 water. The fish seemed to want that particular place, and the 

 aider was m its way. At first he swam under it and tried to 

 lift and push it one side. As this did not succeed, he swam 

 up the stream six or eight feet, and turning around, came 

 back full chisel" against the alder stem, which was bent and 

 lifted out of the water by the force of the 15-pound fish. Of 

 course the alder at once sprang back into its place, at which 

 the fish seemed to be very angry and snapped at it with its 

 teetn, until nndmg that he had met with more than his match, 

 he left that locality in apparent disgust. 



The salmon seem to recognize their natural enemies very 

 quickly. They soon become accustomed to the watchman, 

 and allow themselves to be approached readily. A dog they 

 wdl hardly notice, but when a mink came along the bank by 

 the weu- the other day, the whole scene was changed. The 

 great salmon seemed frightened badly, and rushed like flashes 

 thi-ough the water in every direction. The mmk was shot, 

 but the watchman says that the fisli were very uneasy, and 

 were sharply on the lookout for hours after. 



There are a great mauy visitors, especially at the Rodger's 

 Brook weir, aud it is indeed a sight to make a sportsman's 

 nerves tingle to see thirty such noble specimens lying almost 

 within reach of his hand, and, what is better, sate from harm. 

 It is reasonably sure that the fish are being well protected in 

 these two streams at least. At Bear Brook no attempt has 

 been made at stealing them, but Thursday night there were 

 persons sneaking around the Rodger's Bi ook weir. They left 



Eromptly, however, when Mr. Rich came out of his camp 

 reechloader in hand. A man a few days ago tried a new 

 dodge. While standing with Mr. Rich, the gentleman iu 

 charge, looking at the salmon, he turned and asked in a con- 

 fidential tone if S5 would not be an object for him to leave 

 the weir alone for a few minutes. The would-be poacher— he 

 is a Maine woollen manufactm-er— found in short order that 

 he had waked up the wrong man. 



It is now known, though it was not intended in the outset, 

 that with the weii-s in the two best breeding brooks a strong 

 militai-y move has been made against those who have been in 

 the habit of dipping out bushels of these noble salmon in 

 spawming time. Not a salmon can go above the first weu-; 

 hence Mr. Poacher wdl find no fish in the miles of stream he 

 has been in the habit of robbing. The Commissioners say that 

 in the protection of these small streams at breeding time lies 

 the whole secret of the future success or ruin ot the salmon 

 fishmg in the Sebago lakes, covering an extent of nearly 

 twenty miles in length. "Take all the fish out of these streams 

 when they come up to breed in the fall," says Commissioner 

 StilweU, "and your salmon are gone from the lakes! Protect 

 them and they will multiply, and soon give such sport as only 

 salmon can give I" 



Many who have an appetite for salmon are much disgusted 

 to fiud their accustomed poaching gi'ound fenced olf, by a weir 

 below, and w^ell under the eye of the law. That crowd that 

 came fifteen mdes the other night and hauled a boat only to 

 find themselves left, went home sadder and wiser, as weU as 

 badly out of pocket. Woodsum Brook, at the head of Anony- 

 mous Pond, stdl gleams with the torch of the fish sneak on 

 dark nights, and Mutiny Brook, at the head of Bear Pond, is 

 scoured almost every night. But the worst work is without 

 doubt at Crooked River and Songo. A man from the foi-mer 

 place reports that salmon are being taken by the wagon load, 

 and at the latter locaUty there are parties who own a seine 

 and work it whenever they can. There are men on the watch 

 for them, but a large extent of territory, with so many hiding 

 places, is hard to jirotect. 



But after all, the work of breeding the noble land-locked 

 here is not likely to meat with the success this fall that expe- 

 rience would have brought. The Commissioners being at a 

 distance, and no one present having suflBicient experience to 

 successftdly strip the females, a number of them were found 

 to have cast their spawn before stripping was successfuUy 

 attempted the other daj^. Some six to ten thousand eggs have 

 been secm-ed. and the season is not yet over. Still a large 

 number of the females have been released, having cast their 

 spawn. The stones and sand on the bottom in the vicinity of 

 the Rodger's Brook weirs are mixed with salmon spawn, 

 which wDl probably hatch naturaliy. Not knowing how to 

 manage, the males and females were not separated in season, 

 and the spawning was much earlier in consequence. An 

 attempt was made to dip out the large males and put them ia 

 the upper weir, which resulted in plenty^ of excitement, and 

 making kindling wood of every landing net that could be 

 procured. Indeed, considerable fun has grown out of this 

 salmon breeding by novices Oh, to see one of our respectable 

 townsmen, new at the business, attempt to take the eggs from 

 a 15-pound salmon, alive, slipper\', strong; the sight wa« 

 comical in the extreme. It would make one laugh tdl the 

 tears come. But we learn by experience. Bbidoton. 



THE ADIRONDACK HATCHERY.— Through the vigorous 

 enterprise of Fish Commissioner R. U. Sherman the hatchery 

 aud dwelhug for the supRrintendent are complete and oper- 

 ations have begim. Although the season was well advanced and 

 the surroundings were new to those engaged, they have now in 

 the troughs 11.5,000 eggs of brook trout, 5,O0U lake trout, aud 

 9,000,000 "frost fish," a small species of Coregonus. In addition 

 to this number Mr. Ed. Boehm, of the Caledonia hatchery 

 recently took there 87.5,000 eggs of lake trout, most of which 

 were from the Great Lakes and a few fi'om Caledonia. This 

 makes a very fair beginning for the young hatchery. The 

 bmldings are situated on the road from Upper Saranac Lake 

 to Bloomingdale on the outlet of Little Clear and about a 

 thousand feet from the pond. The hatchery is fifty-two by 

 twentjr-eight feet and is two stone high. It contains thirty 

 hatching troughs, each fifteeu feet long, which will easily 

 hatch 40,000 trout each, making the capacity about 3,000,000. 

 Besides this an indelinite number of frost fish may be hatched 

 in jars, and more troughs can be put up, if necessary. The 

 water is brought in a six-inch wrought-ii on pipe from a dam 

 in the outlet above the house, which gives six feet of fall when 

 full. The hatchery will be a point of interest for tom-ists in 

 that region and will ha time benedt the fishing of the whole 

 Adirondack region. 



BROWN TROUT.— These excellent fish which were first 

 sent to this countxy by Mr. von Behr, President of the German 

 Fishery Association as a present to Mr. Fred Mather, in the 

 shape of eggs, 'and by him presented to several Hshculturists, 

 have spawned at two-and-a-nalf yeai's old. Mr. Frank Clark, 

 of the U. S. Fish Commission at Northville Mich., getting 

 about 4,000 eggs f rom thi-ee fish. Mr. James Annin, of Cale- 

 donia, N. Y., reports them about to spawn. Some eggs have 

 been taken at the State hatchery at Caledonia, N, Y, and 

 others at Cold Spring Harbor. At the latter place there is 

 one male fish wliich will weigh two pounds and the others 

 Trill average half that weight. This is remarkable growth 

 and the number of eggs in such young fish is surprisieg to 

 those who have only handled our native brook trout. The 

 fish appear to be thoroughly acclunatized and at home. They 

 will prove of great value to our streams and when better 

 known to om* anglers wdl become great favorites. 



CARP FOR THE SOUj'H.— The United States Fish Com- 

 mission car No. 3 left W ashington Mondav night with carp 

 for the supply of apphcants in South Carolina, Georgia, Ala- 

 bama aud Florida. The distribution to South Carolina wdl 

 be made from Columbia by express; for Georgia from Atlanta; 

 for Alabama from Birmingham and Montgomery; for Florida 

 from Jacksonville. Car No. i leftTuesday afteraoon with carp 

 for the supply of applicants in West Tennessee, Arkansas, 

 Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. The distribution to West 

 Tennessee and Arkansas will be made from Memphis; to Miss- 

 issippi from Jackson ; to Louisiana from New Orleans aijd 

 Sbreveport: to Texas fiorq Dallas and Austin. I 



Address aU communications to the Forest and Stream Publish- 

 ^ng Co. 



FIXTURES. 



BF.NCH SHOWS. 

 Dec. 15 16, 17 and 18 -First Annual Dog Show of the Western Con- 

 necticut Poultry. Pigeon and Pet Stock Association. Frank D Hal- 

 lett, Superintendent, Winsted. Conn. Entries close Dec h 



iviarch 16^ 17, 18 and 19, 1886.-Western Pennsylvania Poultry Soci- 

 ety's Dog Show, at Pittsburgh. Pa. 0. B. Elben, Secretary ' 



April 6, 7, 8 and 9, 1886,— Second Annual Dog Show of the New Eng- 

 land Kennel Club, Jean Grosvenor, Secretary, Boston, Mass. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



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, Tenn., Secretary. 



A. K. R. -SPECIAL NOTICE. 



npHE AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration of 

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

 ished 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 

 insei-ted unless paid in advance. Year) v subscription 81 .50. Address 

 "Ametican Kennel Register," P. O. Bo. 38a3, New York. Number 

 of entries already printed 2908. 



PHILADELPHIA CLUB TRIALS. 



[From a Special Correspondent.] 



THE second aimual field trials of the Philadelphia Kennel 

 Club began at Rio Grande, N. J., Nov. 17, Mr. C. S West- 

 cott judge. Rio Grande had been selected owing to the number 

 of birds liberated in that section, but it was learned that poach- 

 ing had been allowed on the 3,000 acres said to be preserved 

 and that much shooting had been done before aud since the 

 season opened. The AU-Aged Stakes, therefore, after several 

 heats had been run and the Puppy Stakes had been first de- 

 cided, were declared off by the judge, as it would have been 

 impossible at the rate birds were being found to finish the 

 contest in the allotted three days as first laid down. The fol- 

 lowing is a summary of the heats as run: 



THE DERBY. 



FAIRY GLEN AND BTTCKINUHAM 



were put down at 7:45 over in a sorgum stubble back of the 

 club house where a covey of quad were known to feed, but it 

 was drawn blank, as were also several likely fields to the 

 south as we moved on. Fairy Glen is a good-sized bitch, re- 

 sembling her su-e, Glen RocK, but fhd not show the speed of her 

 rival Buckingham , an eleven-month old puppy of great promise, 

 who made a show of poor handling by his breaker, Hoffman. 

 Coming to a thicket on the edge of a "stubble field Fairy Glen 

 pointed and was well backed by Buckingham. Shorebrook, 

 Fairy's handler^ being orded to put up the bird and kill, no 

 quail were found and Fairy was scored a false point. After 

 the dogs were down t wo hours without finding game they were 

 ordered up. 



VICTORIA AND LEIGH DOANE IL 



were put down in a large grass field interspersed with cedars, 

 a veiy likely looking place for a covey. Victoria is a dark 

 red bitch with a white blaze on her face and two white feet, 

 and is speedy in gait, but appeared to lack nose. Leigh Doane 

 II. is one of the most level-headed Irish settere the writer ever 

 saw, and showed fine nose and tractability and free range. 

 Predmore, her handler, worked her to good advantage and 

 she showed fine training. Several fields and thickets were 

 drawn blank after being carefully worked, so these dogs wei-e 

 likewise ordered up and the first two put down again. 



FAIRY GLEN AND BUCKING HAM, 



being started a second time, in a field which a new pilot de- 

 clared contained a fine covey of quail, were worked carefully 

 against the wind, and as dog and handlers approached the 

 corner of a fence near the road, where Leigh Doane II and 

 Victoria were being held in readiness for their turn again, 

 somebody stumbled over a hare and Leigh Doane II. broke 

 loose and gave chase. This and the noise caused by the pilot 

 shooting a hawk which flew over, flusned a large covey which 

 was hiding in a deep ditch in the field. These birds took to a 

 heavy cedar and bayberry thicket near at hand. Bucking- 

 ham here pointed but failed to locate. Fauy Glen then 

 pointed and Buckingham called to back, which on coming up 

 he failed to do, but moved up to the bitch, pointed by her side 

 for a few seconds, then moved ahead and the birds got up. 

 The dogs were then ordered up, the heat being given to Faii-y 

 Glen, and the party retm-ned to the club house for diimer. 



After dinner Victoria and Leigh Doane il. were put down 

 again to the south of the club house. Fairy flushed a single 

 bird in the open, an excusable fault, as she was urged on by 

 her handler, Shorebrook. Victoria also flushed a single bird 

 in the sedge grass. More fields were worked over, but no 

 quail found, it was becoming discouraging. The dogs were 

 taken up, and the next day were put down in the sorgum 

 stubble back of the club house at 7 :30 A. M. In five minutes 

 Leigh Doane II. pointed a covey in a squatting position 

 staunchly in the open, the wind being full in her face. Vic- 

 toria, handled by Shorebrook, coming up to back, rushed in, 

 and, without hesitatmg, forged ahead and put the birds up. 

 Leigh Doane li. remaining firm and dropped to wing when 

 the covey arose. She was at once given the heat. This was a 

 very pretty piece of work on the part of Chief's daughter and 

 showed i/uai J^reomore, her handler, had given her veiy care- 

 ful training. 



FAIRY GLEN AND LEIGH DOANE II. 



were at once put down to contend for first place. The last 

 covey had taken to an almost impenetrable tnicket of briers, 

 where it would be impossible to move them from. So it was 

 decided to use Mi-. DeHaven's Don, an old-time setter, to 

 start them, which be soon did, but the puppies failed to find 

 the single birds, and the judge ordered the brace up and all 

 returned to dinner. At 3 o'clock the same dogs were put 

 down again and the heat was soon finished, Leigh Doane II. 

 winning thrst prize and Fairy Glen second prize of the puppy 



At lb A. M, of this same day, owing to the great scarcity of 

 quad it was agreed to draw a judge to decide a separate heat 

 in the all-aged stakes and thus facfiitatethe trials, which were 

 consuming too much time. Cassino Gladstone not being pres- 

 ent, the owner of Leigh Doane agi eed to wait a day longer 

 for her appearance, and Mr. Jas. Watson, of Philadelphia, 

 was appointed to judge the next brace in order. 



BRUCE AND KNOB 



wei-e cast off, and after hunting two hours and failing to find 

 game, they were taken up and the party went to lunch. After 

 lunch the dogs were put dowu in the thicket back of the 

 house. Knob pointed a brace. Bruce backed, but the thicket 

 being very dense the noise made by the handlers coming up 

 flushed tne birds. Bnice dropped to wing. Bruce then 

 pointed a single bud and Knob faded to. back and ran in. The 

 heat was given to Bruce. 



GROUSE AND JESSIE 



were put down, and L. E. Wills, of Lehigh ton, Pa., was ap- 

 pointed judge of the heat. Taking a southerly direction in the 

 open sugar stubble, Grouse ran by with the wind and flushed 

 a large covey of quad, which took to a cedar thicket, Tbfi 



