Feb. 24., 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



89 



A Stranded Muskalonge. — During the freshet in the 

 River Raisin in Michigan a few days ago, the bottom 

 lands and meadows along the stream were suddenly in- 

 undated to a depth of 3f fc. When the waters subsided 

 dozens of pickerel and perch were left stranded in the 

 meadows. On the farm of Levi Buck, three miles west 

 of Monroe, a muskalonge, weighing oOlbs., was found 

 "alive and kicking," duly captured and eaten by an ap- 

 preciative party. Fish of this species have been rarely 

 seen in the river for several years, and seldom, if ever, 

 further up the stream than a mile from Lake Erie. The 

 point where this huge specimen was taken is six miles 

 from tho lake. Spearing fish through the ice on the lake 

 has afforded unusually fine sport during the winter, and 

 some very large catches are reported. The late break-up 

 has put an end to the same, and the fish houses were re- 

 moved to the shore just in time to secure them. — J. M. B. 



New Brunswick Fishing Leases. — Anglers should 

 not neglect to note the advertised sale of fishing leases in 

 New Brunswick. The date of sale has been postponed to 

 March 30. 



Izaak Walton's House is among a number of ancient 

 London dwellings reproduced in the Old London Street 

 exhibition just opened in this city. 



«$i$hcultnre. 



THE COLORADO COMMISSION. 



THE report of the State Fish Connnissioner of Colorado 

 for 188(3 is noteworthy as showing the great interest 

 taken in this important work in a State as new as Colorado. 

 There is but one Commissioner, Mr. John Pierce, of Denver, 

 who says in his report that on taking possession of the office 

 in April. 1885, he found at the State hatchery about 7.000 

 breeding brook trout from one to three years old, 16 rainbow 

 trout three years old, 16 carp of the same age, 3.000 rainbow 

 trout fry. 100 carp of one year old and 150,000 fry of the brook 

 trout. The rainbow trout were retained at the hatchery for 

 breeders, while the brook trout were distributed in public 

 waters. The hatch of 1886 was as follows: Brook trout 300,- 

 000; rainbow trout, 20,000; lake trout, 10,000: landlocked 

 salmon, 8,000. 



Section 10 of the Csh laws of the State allows the Commis- 

 sioner to sell fish to private parties, corporations and associ- 

 ations, owning lakes or ponds, and Section 1 of the same 

 laws allows him to issue permits to parties who desire to 

 stock lakes, to catch fish lor this purpose bv other means 

 than with hook and line. The Commissioner states that 

 both of these clauses are liable to abuse and have been 

 abused in almost every case, and that he has adopted the 

 rule to put all trout hatched by the State into public waters 

 and has issued no permits for netting or trapping. The re- 

 sult has already shown the wisdom of this course, for some of 

 tne persons who were formerly in the habit ot purchasing 

 fry trom the State hatchery have now built hatcheries of 

 their own and there are at present in the State seven of these 

 private hatcheries in successful operation, which have a 

 Capacity of about 1,OJO,000 eggs, and these, while they belong 

 to private parties and of course do not help stock the public 

 waters of tne State, they actually add so much to the food 

 products. The value of trout to the public waters of the 

 State is not so much the value in the number of pounds of 

 food whicn they will produce as it is in the attraction to vis- 

 iting sportsmen who leave much more money in the State 

 than tne value of the fish which they catch. The Commis- 

 sioner very truly says, '<jtt would be safe to estimate that 

 every trout caught in Colorado by visitors from abroad costs 

 the catcher at least SI and that each fisherman will spend 

 $10 a day while he is in the Stat?, and if only 100 fishermen 

 arc in th State during th*> fishing season, they will leave in 

 the State $150,000, wmle the market value of the fish caught 

 in the season is not far from £00,000." 



Under the head of tisheulture the Commissioner states 

 that he has received and answered over 500 letters concerning 

 T,he culture of the different varieties of fish, and having no 

 literature on the subject for distribution, the task of answer- 

 ing these letters has been enormous, and therefore he gives 

 some hints regarding the culture of fish adapted to the 

 waters of Colorado, it appears to us that his predecessor 

 should have turned over to him the reports of the United 

 States Fish Commission, which are in themselves a liberal 

 education on the subject of fish and their culture if he had 

 them, and that besides these reports there are standard works 

 on the subject which should be in the possession of a novice 

 in the art. Among the fish which he recommends are trout 

 ot three varieties, "which, though usually classed as one, are 

 sufficiently distinct in their form and habits to be described 

 as distinct varieties." And here is where we get mixed 

 between the "black speckled trout," the "orange trout" and 

 the "Twin lakes trout." When we get down to the rainbow 

 trout we think that we recognize the species, also that of the 

 English trout (Salmo tarlu), which the Commissioner says 

 grows to one-fourth of a pound the first year, but in our ex- 

 perience, which has been as large as that of any person in 

 America, we should cut this down to one-half of that weight, 

 while concerning the eastern brook trout (S. fontinalix), 

 which is credited with "growing to one-half pound weight 

 m the first year after it is put out," we can only say that we 

 ne ver saw any such fish of such a weight. It is thought that 

 this fish will prove a failure as a breeder in the mountain 

 streams of Colorado, for like the fario it "spawns in Novem- 

 ber, just at the time that the anchor ice begins to form in all 

 the mountain streams, and the chances are that the ice will 

 destroy the eggs," 



In a description of a hatchery on page 13 the statement 

 runs very well until we reach the bottom of the page, when 

 we are told that the bottom of the trough should be covered 

 with "clean washed gravel, sifted through two sieves, so 

 that the gravel will be about one-fifth of an inch in size." 

 This was the mode in use 20 years ago, when we began fish- 

 culture, but has not been used in any hatchery which we 

 have visited within the last 15 years. 



Among the other fish introduced into the State is some- 

 thing called "strawberry bass;" what it may be we do not 

 pretend to say, but it has proved wonderfully prolific in the 

 prairie lakes, so much so that in some of them they are said 

 not to grow large because of the scarcity of food. Last year 

 20.000 young black bass and pickerel were planted in four 

 lakes and have made a wonderful growth, said to be three 

 pounds m one and a half years, although which species made 

 this growth is hot stated. It is possible that the Commis- 

 sioner has made a serious mistake in introducing the 

 pickerel, which consume more good fish in the course of a 

 year than ten times their own value. 



Under the head of ways and means, the Commissioner 

 who, under the law, was allowed to draw $500 as salary and 

 &50Q as expenses, makes the following statement : "The value 

 of the hatchery to the State, not only for its contributions to 

 the public waters, but the actual value of the breeding fish 

 on hand is so great that I have preferred working for noth- 

 ing rather than stopping the work there. I have received 

 from April 8, 1885, to Deo. 1. 1886, S197. which about covers 

 actual expenses that have not been charged. " This is an ex- 

 ceedingly creditable showing for a commissioner who might 

 just as well as not charge the round sum of $1,000, and sho ws 



that he is a man whose heart is in the work, and will, no 

 doubt, unless politics or some other thing intervenes to re- 

 move him, make a most valuable and efficient officer for the 

 State. His report is condensed, and although brief, contains 

 a complete record of the work in a small compass. 



THE NEBRASKA COMMISSION. 



r pHE eighth aunual report of the Nebraska Fish Com- 

 X mission for 1836 has been received. It opens with a 

 commendation of the efficient labors of Superintendent 

 Martin E. O'Brien, and a recommendation that Ids salary be 

 increased. The culture of carp is on the increase, but diffi- 

 culty in obtaining reports trom individuals who have re- 

 ceived fish causes rather meagre returns of the success, many 

 persons have reported, and as a rule their reports contain 

 facts that are encouraging, no case having been reported of 

 a failure through accident or misfortune. The . Commis- 

 sioners commend the food quality of the carp, and say that 

 the facilities in the State for private fish ponds are not ex- 

 celled by those of any other State in the Uuion, and that 

 there is no doubt that within a few years the fish-growers 

 of Nebraska will be found in the markets with the product 

 of their ponds alongside of those of the fields. 



The brook trout planted by the Commission in 1884, 1885 

 and 1886 in the streams of the northern and western parts of 

 the State have lived and made excellent growth, while the 

 work of the Commission with black bass has been attended 

 with gratifying results. In every instance where these latter 

 fish have been planted reports have been received that the 

 fish are doing well in private as well as in public ponds or 

 lakes. The Commission has increased the facilities for 

 breeding these fish and will, no doubt, be able in a short 

 time to supply black bass for all the waters of the State. 

 The wall-eyed pike has also received much attention, and it 

 is recommended that the work of supplying them to the 

 lakes and streams should be continued until every lake and 

 stream adapted to them shall be well stocked with valuable 

 fish. 



The Commissioners again recommend that the law pro- 

 hibiting the taking of fish in the inland water* of the State 

 with seines, nets or other devices except hook and line, 

 should be amended so as to more clearly define the distinc- 

 tion between private and public waters. They also recom- 

 mend that an appropriation be made for establishing a 

 museum in connection with the fisheries, where specimens 

 of the different fishes of the State may be collected and pre- 

 served for purposes of study. 



Commissioner W. L. May makes a report to his colleagues 

 concerning the fish exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair, held 

 at Lincoln, under instructions of the Board, in order to 

 further the interest in the subject of tisheulture and co show 

 to some extent the character of the practical work accom- 

 plished by the Commission in introducing and propagating 

 the species best adapted to Nebraskan waters. Live speci- 

 mens of fish cultivated at the State hatcheries and specimens 

 of native fish, such as pickerel, black bass, hickory shad, 

 buffalo fish, catfish, bullheads, sunfish, quillbacks and other 

 varieties, with a varied collection of specimens of water in- 

 habitants not belonging to the class of food fishes, were ex- 

 hibited. Included in the display were hatching jars and 

 other apparatus showing the methods of propagating, and 

 illustrating to a limited exteut the character of the work 

 done at the hatcheries. 



From Superintendent O'Brien's report we find that there 

 were distributed last year 5,050,000 wall-eyed pike, 108,000 

 brook trout, 55,000 salmon trout, 9,000 California mountain 

 trout, and 8,730 German carp, leaving 3,030 of the latter on 

 hand to be distributed iu January of the present year. Dur- 

 ing the past season the facilities for hatching and distribut- 

 ing fish have been greatly increased, and tlie Commission 

 now has the capacity for handling 35,000,000 young fish an- 

 nually, besides increasing the facilities for hatching. Two 

 new fish ponds have been added, making altogether twelve 

 ponds, with a surface of about three acres, which contain a 

 stock of about 55.000 fish of different varieties, from one to 

 three years old. This is followed by directions for the con- 

 struction of cairn ponds, and a list of the number and kiuds 

 of fish in the stock ponds, and also the details of the distrib- 

 ution last year. 



FISH PROPAGATION IN MICHIGAN.— The State Fish 

 Hatchery at Detroit was inspected a few days since by the 

 Legislative committee, consisting of E. B. Chamberlain, of 

 St. Iguace; E. Z. Perkins, of Cheboygan; R. Y. Ogg, Detroit; 

 S. Baker Monson and C. wellman, Port Huron. The work 

 accomplished by the hatchery during twenty-five months 

 ending October 31, 1886, was reviewed and showed that dur- 

 ing the time named there were distributed and deposited in 

 designated streams and lakes in Michigan 101,620,000 white 

 fish; 1,127,000 brook trout; 705,000 lake trout, 1,806,244 pike, 

 71,000 salmon, 325,000 eels, and 5,510 carp.— J! M. B. 



FORESTRY CONGRESS MEMORIAL. 



2'o the Senate and House of Representatives in Conyress assembled: 



Your undersigned memorialists respectfully call attention of 

 the national Legislature to the urgent necessity, so long over- 

 looked, of considering the requirements of the country hf regard 

 to a more conservative forest policy, 



Whereas, favorable agricultural conditions of a country are 

 largely dependent upon a proper amount of well distributed forest 

 areas; 



I Vhercas, the forest statistics of our country show that we are 

 now, with only a population of sixty millions of people, using more 

 wood material than can in continuity yearly be produced on the 

 existing forest areas iu their present status aud under present 

 methods of utilization; 



Wnercax, forest property and forestry business, for the purpose 

 of producing valuable building material, is not attractive to 

 private investment, invon iug large capital, tied up lor a lifetime 

 without returns, aud exposed to considerable risks of loss, deteri- 

 oration by lire, and otherwise; 



Whci-cas, therefore, it is apparent that only Government, State, 

 or Nation cau have an interest in the proper maintenance of for- 

 ests for the benefit of future generations, and for the preservation 

 of favorable agricultural conditions; 



Whereas the denudation of mountain slopes and hillsides by 

 fire, and without regard for renewal, has already begun to injure 

 agricultural interest iu the Western mountain regions and else- 

 where by disturbing favorable distribution of water supply: 



Therefore, the undersigned memorialists, imbued solely by a de- 

 sire to further the best iuterests of the country at large, and 

 cognizant of the disastrous consequences necessarily involved in 

 a coutinued policy of unconcern, most respectfully pray that you 

 will, at an early date, give most deliberate consideration to this 

 important interest, and enact such legislation as will tend to avert 

 any anticipated danger. 



Your memorialists especially request- 

 That the timber-lands still in possession of the General Govern- 

 ment, mostly situated on the Western mountains, be immediately 

 withdrawn from sale or otlier disposal; 



That these timber-lands be either committed in trust to such of 

 the State governments as have provided in satisfactory manner for 

 the protection of the same aud for their conservative management 

 and perpetuity in forest, or else be retained bv the General Govern- 

 ment and efficiently protected and managed; 



That a National Department of Forests be instituted for the pro- 

 tection and management of such forest lands as are retained bv 

 the General Government, and for the purpose, of insisting, advis- 

 ing, and co-operating with local authorities and individuals in the 

 prosecution aud extension of systematic forestry; 



That in connection with such a Department of Forests a system 

 of extensive forest-planting be established on the military reser- 

 vations of the treeless plains for the purpose, of directly assisting 

 and encouraging, by example and by plant material, the tree- 

 planters of the plains, and beuefiring- the agricultural interests of 

 these lands. The American Forestry Congress, 



„ „ _ „ Geo. W. INIinijer President, Minier, 111. 



B. E. Fernow, Cor. Sec, Washington, D. C. ■ 



The Travelers. Ikscranoe Company, of Hartford, Conn., has 

 solid cash assets of §8,055,533.39.-— ^4du. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



March 8 to 11.— Second Annual Dog Show at, Buffalo, N. Y. Goo. 

 H. Chadeayne, Secretary, No. 6 Brown's Building, Buffalo, N. Y. 

 Entries close Feb. 28. 



March 32 to 25, 18S7.— Spring Show of the New Jersey Kennel 

 Club, Newark, N. J. A. C. Wilmerding, Secretary, 17 Murray 

 street, New York. 



March 29 to April 1, 1887 —Inaugural Dog Show of Rhode 

 Island Kennel Club, Providence, R. I. N. Seabury, Secretary, 

 Box 1333, Providence. Entries close March 15. 



April 5 to 8, 1887.— Third Annual Dog Show of New England 

 Kennel Club, Boston. F. L. Weston, Secretary, Hotel Boylston, 

 Boston, Mass. Entries close March 111. 



April 12 to 15, 18K7.— Thirteenth Annual Dog Show of the Western 

 Pennsylvania Poultry Society, at Pittsburgh, Pa. C. B. Elben, 

 Secretary. 



April 19 to 22.— Annual Dog Show of the Philadelphia Kennel 

 Kennel Club. E. Comfort, President. 



April 2*5 to 29.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Hartford Kennel 

 Club. A. C. Collins, Secretary, Ikirtford. Conn. 



May 8 to 6. 1887.— Eleventh Annual Dog Show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Club, Madison Square Garden, New York. JamcB Morti- 

 mer, Superintendent. Entries close April 18. 



FIELD TRIALS. 

 Nov, 21.— Ninth Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field Trials 

 Club, at High Point, N. O. AY. A. Coster, Secretary, Flatbush, 

 Kings County, N. Y. 



A. K. R.-SPECIAL NOTICE. 

 T^HE AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration 

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

 published 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 snbscription 

 51.50. Address "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 2832, Now 

 YTork. Number of entries already printed 4697. 



ENGLISH SPANIEL CLUB STANDARDS. 



[Continued from page 70.] 

 THE BLACK FIELD SPANIEL. 

 Positive Points.— Head and jaw, 15; eyes, 5; ears, 5; neck, 

 5; body, 10; forelegs, 10; kindlegs, 1.0; feet, 10; stern, 10; coat 

 and feather, 10; general appearance, 10 — total positive 

 points, 100. 



Negative Points.— Light eyes, 10; light nose (fatal), 25: 

 curled ears, 10; curled coat, 10; carriage of stem, 10; topknot 

 (fatal), 25; white on chest, 10— total negative points, 100. 

 DESCRIPTIVE PARTICULARS. 



Head. — Should be quite characteristic of this grand sport- 

 ing dog, as is that of the bloodhound or but bloc, its very 

 stamp and countenance should at once convey the conviction 

 of high breeding, character and nobility. Skull well 

 developed, With a distinctly elevated occipital tuberosity, 

 which, above all, gives the character alluded to; not too wide, 

 across muzzle, long aud lean, never snipy nor 'squarely cut, 

 and in profile curving gradually from nose to throat; lean 

 beneath eyes, a thickness here gives coarseness to the whole 

 head. The great length of muzzle gives surface for the free 

 development of the olfactory nerve, and thus secures tlu- 

 highest possible scenting powers. 



Eyes.— Not too full, but not small, receding, or overhung; 

 color, hazel or brown; grave in expression, and bespeaking 

 unusual docility and instinct. 



Ears.— Set low down as possible, which greatlv adds to 

 the refinement and beauty of the whole head: moderately 

 long and wide, and sufficiently clad with nice setter-like 

 feather. If the ear be well set on, it need not be very long 

 in feather, which is a practical disadvantage. 



Neck.— Very strong and muscular, so as to enable the dog 

 to retrieve his game without undue fatigue; not too short, 

 however. 



Bod u (including vise and symmetry).— Long and very low, 

 well ribbed up to a good strong loin, straight or slightly 

 arched, never slack; weight, from 801 bs. to 401ds. 



Nose. — Well developed, aud with good open nostrils, thor- 

 oughly well developed, and always black in color. 



Shoulders and Chest.— Former sloping and free— latter 

 deep and well developed: but not too round and wide. 



Back and Loin—\ cry strong and muscular, and slightly 

 arched; long in proportion to the height of the dog. 



Hindquarters.— -Very powerful and muscular, wide, and 

 fully developed. 



Stern — Well set on aud carried low, if possible below the 

 level of the back, in a perfectly straight line, or with a slight 

 downward inclination; never elevated above the back, and 

 in action always kept low; nicely fringed, with wavy leather 

 of silky texture. 



Feet and Legs— Feet not too small and well protected be- 

 tween the toes with soft feather; good strong pads. Legs 

 straight and immensely boned, strong and short, and nicely 

 feathered, with a flat or waved setter-like feather— feathering 

 below hocks objectionable. 



Coat.— Flat or slightly waved, and never curled— suf- 

 ficiently dense to resist the weather, and not too short— silky 

 in texture, glossy and refined in nature, with neither duffle- 

 ness on the one hand, nor curl or wireness on the other; on 

 chest, under belly, and behind the legs there should be 

 abundant feather, but never too much, and that of the right 

 sort, namely setter-like. The tail and hindquarters should 

 be similarly adorned. 



Color.— Jet black throughout, glossy and true. A little 

 white on chest, though a drawback, not a disqualification. 



General Appearance— That of a sporting dog, capable of 

 learning and doing anything possible for his inches and con- 

 formation. A grand combination of beauty and utility. 



ANY OTHER VARIETY OF FIELD SPANIEL. 



Positive Points.— Similar to those given in black variety. 



Negative Points.— Subject to color. Similar to those 

 given in black variety. 



descriptive particulars. 



Head. — Similar to that of the black spaniel, save in color. 



Eyes.— The color in all cases to match the coat and mark- 

 ings, viz.: Black and tans, hazel or brown; liver and tans, 

 rather lighter than in black and tans, but of good rich tone; 

 livers, light hazel color; black tan and white roans, etc., 

 somewhat similar to black and tans: liver and tan roans, etc., 

 somewhat similar to liver and tans. 



.Ears.— Similar to those of the black spaniel, except in 

 color. 



jyec7{. — Similar to that of the black spaniel. 



Body (including size and symmetry).— Similar to that of 

 the black spaniel. 



Nose.— Variable, according to color of coat and markings: 

 Black and tans, black; liver and tans, dark liver color; livers, 

 liver; black and tan and whits roans, black; liver and tan 

 roans, liver. 



Shoulders and Cliest — Similar to those of the black 

 spaniel. 



Back. and. Loin.— Similar to those of the black spaniel. 



Hindquarters.— Similar to those of the black spaniel. . 



Stem.— Similar to those of the black spaniel. 



Feet and Legs.^- Similar to those of the black spaniel. 



Coat.— Similar in quality, substance and texture, and in 

 all othpr respects, except color, responding to that given for 

 black spaniels, 



