518 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 19, 1888. 



MANITOBA FIELD TRIALS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I inclose list of entries for our annual Derby. Mr. W. B. 

 Wells, of Chatham, Out., 1ms at the unanimous wish of the 

 club again kindly consented to judge our trials. 



DEBBY. 



FRANK Simpson (Thos. Johnson), blue belton English 

 setter dog (Mark J.— Cambria). 



M ac (E. E. Adams), liver and white pointer dog. 



Manitoba. DAISY (Manitoba Kennels), liver and white 

 pointer bitch (Birtle— Poison). 



Manitoba. Gladstone (George Tempest), black and blue 

 belton English setter dog (Mark J.— Cambria). 



Montana (Hubert Gait), black, white and tan English 

 setter dog (Mark -J.— Cambria). 



Pete (Prank Morrice), orange and white English setter 

 dog (Dash B.— Qu'App'elle Belle), 



Pique (C. A, Boxer), black, white and tan English setter 

 don (Dash B.—Qu'Appelle Belle). 



Prairie (D. Smith) orange and white English setter doer 

 (Dash B.— Qn'Appelle Belle). 



Royal Prince III. (Thos. Johnson), blue belton English 

 setter dog (Royal Prince II.— Manitoba Belle), 



Spotty (W. F. Henderson), blue belton English setter dog 

 (Cable-Belle). 



Tom ,T, (M. Putnam), lemon and white English setter doe 

 (Dash B.—Qu'Appelle Belle). 

 UNNAMED (John Baird), liver and white pointer dog. 



Thos. Johnson, Sec'y. 

 No. 37 Jemima Stkeet, Winnepeq, Manitoba. 



THE NATIONAL DOG CLUB OF AMERICA. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The National Dog Club has recently been brought into 

 prominence by the publication of a certain communication 

 received by the management of the International Fair 

 Association, Buffalo, N. Y. A reprint of it was sent, under 

 the seal confidential, to some, if not all, of the members of 

 the National Dog Club, by the secretary of the association, 

 together with an explanatory letter in which he states "You 

 will see that the fight has begun." No one can mistake the 

 meaning of these words. The writer, of course, assumed 

 that war — which some had prophesied — had been inaugurated 

 between the National Dog Club and the American Kennel 

 Club. From certain facts, to state which is the purpose of 

 this communication, it is safe to infer that the secretary con- 

 sidered that the American Kennel Club had taken the ag- 

 gressive. Whether or not that conclusion was justified he 

 alone can say. That he did not, and could not rightly as- 

 sume that the National Dog Club had declared war upon the 

 American Kennel Club, will appear from the following 

 statements. 



Shortly after the first meeting of the National Dog Club, 

 and long ere the nominating committee had made their re- 

 port, the secretary of the Buffalo Fair Association in a com- 

 munication informed me that a bench show was to be held 

 in September. He also stated that he was not very well in- 

 formed on bench show matters and did me the honor to ask 

 my advice as to whether or not it would be the wisest course 

 for his association to identify itself with the American Ken- 

 nel Club and hold the contemplated bench show under its 

 rules. At the same time he stated that he had become some- 

 what interested in the movement toward forming the 

 National Dog Club and desired to learn more concerning its 

 future policy, etc. In my reply to the secretary I favored his 

 identifying his association with the American Kennel Club. 

 I did not retain a copy of my letter, but I feel certain that I 

 plainly advised his doing that as the wisest course. As fur- 

 ther evidence I quote from a recent letter of his in which he 

 says, "You are right, when you say that you have not even 

 invited us to hold under your rules. It was purely our own 

 choosing." Some weeks 'later the secretary wrote me for a 

 copy of the rules of the National Dog Club, intimating that 

 he might hold his show under them. At that time they had 

 not been framed and so I informed him. Some two weeks 

 after that, if I remember rightly, a printer's proof was sent 

 him. In good time I was informed by him that his associa- 

 tion had decided to recognize the National Dog Club. I 

 thanked him for the honor and assured him that the club 

 would endeavor to make his bench show a success. 



The secretary, whom all who know him hold in high esteem , 

 will I am sure' pardon me for thus relating in substance our 

 correspondence. I have felt it my duty to make this public 

 explanation in proof that we have acted consistently, and if 

 war between the National Dog Club and American Kennel 

 Club has been inaugurated, the former is not the aggressor. 

 But has war been declared ? The National Dog Club and 

 those friendly to it are meeting with some opposition, which 

 can scarcely be. digni tied by the term war. From its very in- 

 ception it has struggled against prejudice. Why the breeders 

 of this country have not, with every other class of individuals 

 whose interests meet, the right of organization, yet remains 

 to be explained. As a club, beyond ratifying their constitu- 

 tion and by-laws they have as yet done absolutely nothing. 

 Would it not be well for those who are so ready to take up 

 arms against it to wait until it has shown the' first sign of 

 hostility or taken a single step which merits condemnation? 



J, Frank Perry. 



Boston, Mass., July 14. 



[The letter to which Dr. Perry refers is one written by Mr. 

 Hamilton Busbey, and reads as follows: " Office Turf, Field 

 and Farm, New York, June 29, 1888.— Dear Mr. Hamlin: 

 You want to advise Mr. Robinson to look before he leaps in 

 his bench show. If you do not show under American Ken- 

 nel Association rules you will not get the best dogs, such as 

 those owned by Mr. Belmont, Mr. Peshall, the Coptic Ken- 

 nels, etc. This I know. It will be a mistake to enter into 

 an arrangement with the National. Hope your horses are 

 doing well. Yours truly, Hamilton Busbey."] 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I observe that on the strength of a letter which he has re- 

 ceived from Mr. Hamilton Busbey, Mr. C. W. Robinson, 

 secretary of the Buffalo dog show, proclaims that "the fight 

 is on." 'I presume that Mr. Robinson thinks that he has 

 sufficient ground for such a statement; very likely he im- 

 agines that in the person of Mr. Busbey he sees certain 

 hostile factions drawn up in battle array to confront the 

 Buffalo show managers. He may be quite right, but it is 

 worth while for him and for those of us who care to main- 

 tain our independence of action in showing our dogs to 

 understand precisely the value of Mr. Hamilton Busbey's 

 intervention in this affair. 



For Mr. Busbey, as a luminous writer on the horse and an 

 authority of conceded eminence in turf affairs, I have due 

 respect; but Mr. Busbey in connection with kennel concerns 

 I do not know. Who does? While, therefore, I might value 

 Mr. Busbey's prognostications in respect of a running meet- 

 ing I cannot bring myself to attach any importance to his 

 Cassandra utterances regarding a bench show. Who does? 



But even granting that some weight might fairly be given 

 to an expression of Mr. Busbey's deliberately formed opin- 

 ion in this affair, 1 do not accept his letter to Mr. Robinson 

 as such an expression of any personal conviction on his part. 

 Who does? The letter contains abundant internal evidence 

 of having been written by him at the instance or request of 

 some one else, and written in a hurry by a good-natured 

 writer, willing to oblige, but who did not fully comprehend 

 the details of what he was asked to do. Oh what other 

 theory can you explain the use of the name " American Ken- 

 nel Association? " or the " Coptic" Kennels? or the-inclu- 

 sion of poor old Jimmie among the entries, which it was in- 

 despensable to secure ? Would any man, possessing informa- 



tion acctirate enough to base an opinion on, have made so 

 extraordinary a mess of it in writing his deliberate convic- 

 tions? I don't believe it. Who does? 



But you may say that Mr. Busbev wrote it in his editorial 

 capacity. This cannot be. I am informed on the best pos- 

 sible authority that one of Mr. Busbey's editorial associates 

 pledged to the promoters of the National Dog Club the 

 ' cordial support" of his journal. He did this explicitly 

 and repeatedly, both before the Busbey letter was written 

 and again after it was known to have been printed and sent 

 out by Mr. Robinson. And the support promised to the club 

 was not alone for what had already been done, but for other, 

 suggested measures beyond the declared plan and scope of 

 the club. Under these circumstances 1 do not believe that 

 Mr. Busbey's letter is to be accepted as representing the atti- 

 tude of himself and his associates. 



Now, if the letter did not truly represent Mr. Busbey per- 

 sonally nor professionally, whom did it represent? In other 

 words, who went to Mr. Busbey and asked him to write that 

 letter to Mr. Hamlin ? Who was it that saw in this new club 

 of dog breeders something on which thev must declare war 

 in this roundabout way? Who was it that, after the craft 

 of Hannibal of old, ploughed up the turf, the field and the 

 farm, that the dust might fly into our faces and so blind us 

 that we should not discern the enemy in this "war"— if there 

 indeed be War? I shall not endeavor to explain: my duty is 

 done if I have shown you that the letter sent to the Buffalo 

 people and ostensibly emanating from a newspaper office 

 did not originate there, and that its writer caunot speak for 

 the dog bleeders and exhibitors of this country. At all 

 events, he cannot speak for 



One Who Will Show at Buffalo. 



New York, July 16. 



LONDON DOG SHOW. 



LONDON, Ont., July 11.— Editor Forest and Stream: The 

 stock of the London Kennel Club having been all taken 

 by the most influential meu of this city, they are determined 

 to leave nothing undone to make the coming bench show, 

 which is to be held on the grounds of the Western Fair Asso- 

 ciation, London, Out., on Sept. 24, 25, 26, 27 next, a great 

 success. 



At a meeting of the stockholders, held last Monday even- 

 ing, the following gentlemen were elected officers" of the 

 club for the ensuing year: Col. Walker. President; T. Her- 

 bert Marsh, Vice-President; F. C. Wheeler, Secretary and 

 Treasurer; C. A. Stone, Manager; Dr. J. S. Niveu, T. G. 

 Davey, R. McElroen, A. G. Chisholm and L. Meredith, 

 Directors. 



It was decided to offer £1,000 in cash prizes, besides diplo- 

 mas and a large number of specials. The entries will close 

 on Sept. 15; and dogs will be received on Saturday, Sept. 22. 



Arrangements are being made with the different railways 

 and express companies for the transportation of dogs to and 

 from London, and with the customs authorities, so that 

 American exhibitors will have no trouble at the lines. 



The London Kennel Club give a most cordial invitation to 

 all kennels and fanciers of dogs, both in the United States 

 and Canada, to attend the show. 



The. premium lists are now ready and can be had by ad- 

 dressing F. C. Wheeler, Secretary, 157 Duudas street, Lon- 

 don, Ont. C. A. Sto ne, Manager. 



DOG TALK. 



THE Wacouta Kennels, of St. Paul, Minn., write us that 

 their mastiff bitch, Vistala, has been bred to champion 

 Beaufort, and that she is now on her way over from Eng- 

 land. Vistala is the bitch referred to recently as being a 

 valuable acquisition to the mastiff interests of "America. 



A correspondent writes: The best thing heard lately is 

 where an English setter fancier being anxious to obtaiubliu 

 beltons, placed his bitch, after service, in confinement along 

 with a Plymouth Rock chicken, in order that the markings 

 of the chicken might influence the markings of the puppies. 



A correspondent calls attention to the entry in the cata- 

 logue of the recent Cincinnati dog show of the English set- 

 ters Dad Wilson and Di, of the same litter, but which were 

 stated to have been bred by clifferent individuals, and he 

 wishes to knowif Rule 4 should not be enforced in this case. 



Mr. E. H. Moore was at the Kennel Club show at Barn 

 Elms the first week in July, where he purchased the mastiff 

 dog Alonso, winner of second in the novice class. He is two 

 years old and is by the well known Orlando and out of Lady 

 Canute. 



Mr. E. B. Sears, of the Wyoming Kennel, Melrose, Mass., 

 is in England and has purchased of Mr. S. W. Smith the 

 St. Bernard bitch Lady Wellington. She will be bred to 

 Pliulimmon before her departure for this country. 



At the recommendation of the Americau Mastiff Club, the 

 A. K. C. have cancelled the entries of the mastiffs Lord 

 Brougham and Lottie, to which attention was called by Mr. 

 Wade in Forest and Stream of May 21, 



The Chestnut Hill Kennel has purchased from McEwen & 

 Gibson the collie bitch Bonnie Knowe, a litter sister to their 

 well known Bonnie Brae. She is in whelp to Bonnie Dun- 

 keld. 



In recording the deaths of the mastiffs Minnehaha Turk 

 and Lion IV., the other day, we gave the residence of their 

 owner, Mr. Otto Schultz, as Minneapolis; it is Gretna, Ma- 

 nitoba. 



The English Spaniel Club at a meeting held July 3, voted 

 to reduce the standard for the weight of cocker spaniels to 

 251bs. Also to abolish the class for small field spaniels. 



New Bedford, Mass., has 5,731 militia to guard the city in 

 times of war, and 1,099 dogs to take care of her in peace.' 



There will be a meeting of the Board of Governors of the 

 St, Bernard Club on Sept. 3. 



BUYING MASTIFFS— Editor Forest and Stream; Why 

 will people keep on being swindled in buying mastiffs ? Or 

 what is the same thing, why do they not read the papers, or 

 consult with those who do, before they send their money to 

 an unknown party for a mastiff? I know more or less of al 1 

 the mastiff breeders in the country, and among the whole 

 lot there is but one unmitigated, unadultered— hold up. 

 "The greater the truth the greater the libel." May I sug- 

 gest to anybody entering into mastiffs that he first require 

 the vendor to obtain the indorsement of some kennel paper 

 or reference to some known party? This may at first sight 

 seem hard on such breeder's as Messrs. Moore, Craig, Sears 

 Gram, Hull, etc., but they should remember that they are 

 thereby helping to extinguish the one black sheep who would 

 convert Lake Superior to good ink should he fall therein. 

 There are varieties among mastiff breeders; some are satisfied 

 if they keep well withia the truth, while some go further 

 and strive to give satisfaction; but, as I said before, there is 

 but one who is utterly utter. — W. WADE. 



AMERICAN FOX-TERRIER CLUB'S SHOW.— New 

 York, July 16.— Editor Forest, and Stream: Owing to the 

 fact that the Republican State Committee require the 

 Spring Casino for Aug. 28 and 29 for the State Convention, 

 the American Fox-Terrier Club concluded to change its date 

 of holding its specialty show at Saratoga Springs to Aug. 

 22, 23 and 24. Entry blanks and premium lists can be had 

 from H. P. Fbothinoham, Sec. (No. 2 Wall st., New York). 



NIGHTS WITH THE COONS. 



viil— coon hunting tn Ontario. 



ACCORDANCE with acustom 

 that has gradually become es- 

 tablished among the devotees 

 of St. Hubert, I proceed at this 

 time, midway of the shooting 

 seasons, to put in an appear- 

 ance at the Broadway shrine 

 of ourblesssed patron, and give 

 an account of myself. Of course 

 confession is the first business of 

 a pilgrim when he arrives at a 

 f shrine, therefore I will begin by 

 making a clean breast of all devi- 

 ations from avowed principles, of 

 which I may have been guilty. I was 

 once concerned in the making of a 

 WW/ <£f ' drawing for this paper, in which the 

 W g&'Mr evils and cruelties of deer hounding were 



set forth in a manner calculated to result 

 in a frightful mortality aniongdeerhounds, 

 and in the registration of a vast uumber of 

 vows among their owners. Now, may it 

 please you, 1 do not mean to say that I have 

 become an inveterate deer bounder and water 

 killer, or, indeed, that 1 have to any serious extent retracted 

 the opinions of the subject which I formed largely through 

 the influence of that drawing, but I must say that I have 

 since materially modified my views relative to the advisa- 

 bility of totally exterpating the hound as an auxiliary of 

 the chase, and the manner of my conversion was in this 

 wise: 



The fall of 1887 found me prosecuting a business project 

 in a country place fifteen miles west of Toronto, on the 

 shore of Lake Ontario. During the daytime, my occupa- 

 tions were numerous and various but not too tiring, and 1 

 had my nights to myself. The country about, though long 

 settled, is so cut up with ravines and cedar swamps that 

 small game of various kinds is fairly common, and in conse- 

 quence many of the farmers' sons keep hounds. One of my 

 own employees I found had a good hound "the best in Can- 

 ada," and my proposal to accompany him on a night hunt 

 that very evening was readily acceded to. Accordingly 

 after supper I made for Dod's shanty in the bush, and very 

 soon afterward, he audj his brother Babe and myself were 

 making our way through the woods, pausing about every 

 hundred yards or so to listen for the hound, who was ca- 

 reering about where he listed, for from the start he gave us to 

 understand that he was running this entertainment and 

 long experience had taught his master that it was useless to 

 interfere with him, and that the best course was just to 

 wait and listen till he received official notification that game 

 was afoot. I shall not soon forget the sensation of that 

 night: We three were standing in a black cedar swamp into 

 which we had groped our way, for we had brought no torch 

 and there was no moon, everything was silent as the grave, 

 but once or twice we heard the leaves rustling near us and 

 knew thereby that the' hound was passing close at hand. Sud- 

 denly the solemn stillness of the night was shocked by a 

 terrific and blood-curdling roar, which set our hair on end 

 with sickeniug horror and froze the blood. No, no, I've got 

 on to a book I used to like reading in school hours, but still 

 the first sensations were similar. It was the opening note 

 of the hound, reverberating through the swamp. Coming as 

 it did on the perfect stillness, the effect was startling, especi- 

 ally as I was not familiar with the baying of a hound on 

 scent. But what a feeling of exultation followed, now 

 there was game afoot surely, for the baying continued. 

 What glorious music it seemed, how my enthusiasm 

 mounted up and up, till it seemed to me that' the chief and 

 noblest feature of the chase was that rolling voice that so 

 loudly directed our course through the murky woods. O 

 thrice sacred institution! O blessed adjunct of the chase, 

 what joy to folio v that frenzying din through all the 

 gloomy woods, what cared I about the game, be it deer or 

 bear, be it but a skunk, a ground hog or a rat, kill we it or 

 no, I care not one straw, enough for me to follow for a 

 while the maddening strain of canine music— music all 

 hallowed by the memories of ten thousand huntings, and 

 the doings of long lines of hunter forefathers way back to 

 the very beginning of all things. Lives there a man with 

 soul so dead, that would forever silence this most ancient, 

 grand and sacred strain ? Beware of Mm; that man is fit 

 for treason, stratagem and spoils, he would make a 

 poacher, a trout-jigger and a crust-hunter. He would 

 shoot the partridge that is shamming lame to save her 

 brood, and there is no evil that would not be found in him. 

 Selah! 



That live minutes and that few yells from the old hound 

 exploded my prejudices more effectually than could have 

 been done by ten years of solid argument, and the final 

 result of the train of feelings it set agoing is that now I 

 myself am the owner of a hound, "the best in Canada," but 

 1 anticipate. 



The first business of the hunter-in-chief was to diagnose 

 the case, from the official notification just received. It was 

 not a fox, for the chase, theu would have been straightaway; 

 it was not a rabbit, because the baying would have been 

 interrupted while old Range was unraveling the doublings; 

 nor was it a skuuk, for it was through the swamp and had 

 already lasted too long for the tardigrade Sir Mephitica; 

 therefore we were left with the pleasant conclusion that the 

 cause of all the racket was a coon, and away we went, as 

 fast as might be, stumbling marvelously little, considering, 

 until at length we came to an opening, on the far side of 

 which was a tall pine, and near by the hound was beard 

 giving a tew finishing yelps. 



' TUe coon's up that tree," said the commander-in-chief, 

 "they always climb the biggest tree in the bush." 



"It's instruct," said the rear-admiral, "same as when a 

 tree falls near a road, it always crosses the road so as to 

 smash both fences and stop the way." 



Now old Range had an unfortunate habit of shutting up 

 as soon as his game was treed and also of declining to indi- 

 cate the tree; but his master was satisfied that the largest 

 was the likeliest tree, and proceeded to disappear up the great 

 column into the gloom of the night. After a long wait his 

 voice was heard from away up, announcing that the coon 

 was in a hollow limb and quite beyond reach. Accordingly 

 he came down, and as it was late Ave were obliged to start 

 for our respective and distant homes. So ended hunt No. 1. 

 Just my luck. But my experience has always been that 

 nothing worth much is obtained on the first try, and, as I 

 have hitherto observed, "the beauty of hunting is its uncer- 

 tainty." However, I am moralizing in proverbs now, and 

 this, I maintain, is a bad, not to say criminal, propensity; 

 for I find it productive of numerous errors and much confu- 

 sion, aSj for instancej when in a former writing I referred to 

 the devil's pig-shearing. I have learned recently that this 

 allusion is not generally understood. It has nothing to do 

 with the head of swine "that were drowned in the Sea of Gal- 

 ilee, but refers to a little-known tradition of Beelzebub, 

 which I may be allowed to repeat. The devil was informed 

 that an honest farmer had been found on earth; discrediting 

 this improbable story, he came and found it so. He was so 

 pleased that he resolved to take him into a business part- 

 nership, the evil one to find the capital, the rustic the labor, 

 the profits to bo evenly divided. "At the farmer's sugges- 

 tion, the first crop was to be divided in the middle, the 

 devil to take the bottom and the farmer the top half. Ac- 

 cordingly the farmer sowed wheat. When his majesty got 



