May 80, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



883 



weight Ttlbs.; one trout caught by G. S. Whittaker, May 

 39, 1887, Weight 7|lbs.; one trout caught by C. M. Stark, 

 June 2, 1888, weight 81bs. ; one trout caught by L. A. 

 Derhy, June 4, 1888, weight 81bs., one landlocked salmon 

 caught by R. N. Parish, July 6, 1888, weight 51bs. These 

 are only a few of the larger ones that have been taken, 

 no complete record of a season's fishing having ever been 

 kept here. 



A very desirable piece of information to many fisher- 

 men is that Mr. John B. Straw is no longer the agent of 

 the Union Water Power Company, and that this season, 

 and in future seasons, there will be no more fooling with 

 the gates of the Middle Dam, but that a sufficient stream 

 of water to insure good fishing will constantly flow 

 through the dam. Capt. Farrab. 



Anglers' Retreat, Middle Dam, Maine, May Si. 



CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 



CHICAGO, 111., May 34.— Should the question of the 

 weight of the small-mouthed black bass ever come 

 up, there is interesting evidence now on exhibition at 

 Spaldings\ in this city, in the form of a stuffed sinall- 

 mouth black bass which weighed when caught lOlbs. 3oz. 

 This fish is a marvel. It was taken on a light rod, with a 

 live frog, by Mr. Isaac Hendershott, of this city, at Gun 

 Lake, Barry county, Mich,, May 11, 1889. Witnesses to 

 the weighing of the fish are Wm. T. Brown, E. C. Band, 

 and R. A. Turtle. The measurements on the stuffed 

 specimen are length 26in., half-girth, belly to back fin, 

 lOiii. I presume the full girth would be 21 in. Skeptics 

 can easily convince themselves about the size of this fish, 

 for it is here, in all its big and ragged ugliness. 



Mr. L. T. Moore has gone to Northonie, Minn., for a 

 fishing trip. He is just back from successful tarpon fish- 

 ing in Florida. There are few more ardent anglers. 



Mr. Fred Taylor and friends are back from a lucky 

 Wisconsin trout trip. Dr. Buechner has also been in our 

 North Woods, and got 136 trout, scoring also the largest 

 fish of the stream he fished in. There are numbers of our 

 anglers absent now in Wisconsin and Michigan. Indeed 

 it is quite impossible to keep track of them, for they go 

 in flocks. Many are going into Wisconsin after mascal- 

 longe. Now is the time for that, and the fish are rising. 

 Several good ones have come down, but none larger than 

 that of 4olbs., mentioned earlier. 



Twin Lakes, near at home, are looming. One angler 

 took 65 black bass there one day last week, weighing 

 1251bs. , one of over 41bs. 



Lake Maria is showing up well also, and parties there 

 are constant. Fox Lake too has been generous, and 

 plenty of the boys have had fun there. John Gillespie 

 laid aside his shell loading last week long enough to catch 

 a good "mes = .'' 



Mr. J. M. Clark, of the Wilkinson Co., Mr. C. Owen, 

 of Owen & Co., Mr. Chas. Porter, and perhaps other 

 friends, start to-morrow for Channel Lake. These are 

 bait- casting anglers. That feature of the sport is grow- 

 ing here. 



Now is the best time to go out fishing. The water is 

 still cold, and the fish have more life. Besides, now is 

 always the best time to go fishing. It may rain if one 

 does not go. Those who do go now can hardly go amiss 

 at any of the localities above named, while up beyond, 

 the teeming waters of Wisconsin are fairly in an agony 

 to be fished. 



Col. O. Lippincott is requested to come to the front 

 with a good Fox Lake mascallonge story as soon as poss- 

 ible. E. Hough. 



Larue Florida Bass.— Indianapolis, Ind.,May 17. — In 

 connection with Mr. Hough's mention in last week's FOR- 

 EST and Stream of a newspaper account of two large 

 bass said to have been caught in a Missouri lake, I notice 

 that he refers to I21bs. bass having been caught on St, 

 Clair Flats, and to having pretty fair authority for some 

 of that weight taken in Florida. I can assure him that 

 his authority as to the latter was correct, for I have seen 

 bass of that weight in that State. In the month of Decem- 

 ber, five years ago, I saw one that weighed a little over 

 I21bs., caught in the Upper St. John's River, a few miles 

 from Sanford. I have also seen two bass that weighed a 

 little less than lOlbs. each caught in the same locality. 

 These were, of course, the large-mouth black bass, and 

 weights were determined by scales. They were caught 

 with spoon hooks, trolling with rod and line, and were 

 the largest I have seen, though, no doubt, others of equal 

 weight have been caught in the many interior lakes of 

 that State. In the portions of succeeding winters, since 

 then, spent in the State, I have preferred the Gulf and 

 the Atlantic coasts for fishing, as giving better sport, 

 with more gamy fish than the bass, which are dull and 

 sluggish, especially those of large size, in the warmer 

 inland waters. — D. L. W. 



Fishes of the Lower Potomac— We are indebted to 

 Mr. Thomas Lee for recent notes ou fishes observed by 

 him in brackish water of the Lower Potomac River. At 

 Point Lookout very few weaklish, shad and herring were 

 taken in the pounds. Top minnows (Gambusia pah'uelis) 

 were nearly ready to bring forth their young. A small 

 species of anchovy (Stolephorus) was present in large 

 numbers and almost ripe. The same anchovy was noticed 

 also in the Big Wicomico. Silversides (Meiiidia) were 

 abundant and gravid at both places. One sea horse 

 (Hippommpm) was caught at Point Lookout. In the 

 Big Wicomico young striped bass, from three inches to 

 six inches long., were very common. One of the pounds 

 at Cornfield Harbor had two river catfish, a species which 

 is never caught except when the Chesapeake becomes 

 largely fresh; the water at the time was reported to be 

 1.005, whereas its ordinary specific gravity is 1.033. 



Falls of the Potomac— Sandy Spring, Md., May 17. 

 — Fishing at the beautiful falls of the Potomac is better 

 than for years for bass. Some fine strings have been 

 caught; and several weighing 51bs. have been taken. 

 There being no fish ladder at the falls all sorts of large 

 fish stop there, and carp weighing 301bs. are taken with 

 the common fishing worm. Upon my last trip I saw a 

 man take some beautiful shad with a dip net of not over 

 three feet in width. His companion put a rope around 

 his body and he stood on the slippery rocks in the rapids 

 below the falls and dipped down stream. Only the very 

 largest fish can climb the lower falls six miles below.— 

 J. C. B, 



A New Indiana Association — New Albany, Ind., May 

 18. — At a meeting of those interested in the gentle art of 

 angling, held Friday night, an association was formed on 

 a permanent basis. ' It is designed to include the counties 

 adjacent to Floyd and to take supervision of the principal 

 streams in this part of the State. An initiation fee of $1 

 and annual dues of $3, payable quarterly, were fixed to 

 cover the expenses of the club. The following persons 

 were chosen as officers for the ensuing year: Pres., J. P. 

 Applegate; Vice Pres. for Floyd county , Henry Terstegge; 

 Sec. and Treas., J. O. Endris: Executive Committee, N. 

 T. DePauw, R. F. Fuller, R. M Board man, R. E. Burk 

 and Dr. G. H. Cannon. The treasurer was authorized to 

 prepare card posters offering rewards for conviction of 

 violators of the fish laws, and distribute abstracts of said 

 laws. Vice-presidents are to be elected for the surround- 

 ing counties at as early a day as practicable. It is ex- 

 pected that an all-day meeting will be held at some 

 central point during the summer or fall, at which all 

 persons interested in the association will be invited to be 

 present. Persons desiring to become members can do so 

 by calling at the store of Mr. Endris, in New Albany, and 

 signing the articles of association. 



The Heretic Explains.— Fen-is burgh, Vt., May 18.— 

 Let me assure my friends "Von W." and "Kelpie" that 

 I am quite aware that my heretical views concerning 

 trout fishing are due to ignorance and lack of opportunity 

 for gaiuiug personal knowledge of the sport, and that no 

 doubt if I had been favored as they have been, I would 

 now be as devoted to it as they are. In my day there 

 have been no trout in this part of the Champlain Valley, 

 though according to old men's tales they once abounded 

 inthe upper waters of Little Otter and in Lewis Creek, 

 which was a famous salmon stream one hundred years 

 ago. So my first fishing was not in clear, swift streams 

 for trout, but in the sluggish waters of the "'Slang," for 

 bullheads, perch and pumpkin seeds, for the trout brooks 

 of the hill country were too many miles away for a boy's 

 short legs to compass the distance, and when the boy's 

 legs had grown long enough the big trout were all gone. 

 — Awahsoose, 



Salmon Nets in Canada.— Fredericton, N. B, . May 18. 

 — I have just received from the Minister of Marine and 

 Fisheries of the Dominion of Canada the inclosed copy of 

 an act passed at the recent session of Parliament: "1. 

 Subsection 5 of section 8 of 'The Fisheries Act,' is hereby 

 repealed and the following substituted therefor: 5. The 

 use of nets or other apparatus for the capture of salmon 

 shall be confined to tidal waters, and any fishery officer 

 may determine the length and place of each net or other 

 apparatus used in any of the waters of Canada: provided, 

 that no one shall fish for or catch salmon with swing 

 nets in any of the waters of Canada." As this act has a 

 most important bearing upon the salmon angling on our 

 rivers it will doubtless be welcome news to many of your 

 readers. — J. Henry Phair. 



A Channel Cat Obstructionist. — Charleston, 111. — 

 At the water works, three miles east at the Etnbarras 

 River, the other day the water supply stopped very sud- 

 denly, and the engineer, Cooney Scheytt, was frightened. 

 A channel catfish weighing 14lbs. entered the water pipe, 

 thought it had struck a hollow log, and went to the 

 plunger in the suction pipe and had to halt.— Office Boy. 



The Elgin Waltonian Club, of Elgin, 111., will hold 

 its fifteenth annual meeting the first week in June, begin- 

 ning June 4, -at the club grounds, Fox Lake. 



Saybrook Point, Conn., May 16.— Four salmon were 

 caught here the last week in the traps. 



Ipswich, Mass. — John A. Blake caught a trout. weigh- 

 ing lib. in Egypt River. 



Chicago, May, 31.— Everybody has gone fishing,— E. 

 Hough. 



Seines, Nets of every description. American Net & Twine Co., 

 Mfrs., 34 Commercial at., Boston, or 199 Fulton st., N. Y.— Adv. 



NOTES ON FISH COMMISSIONS. 



npHE appropriation for the Nebraska Commission for 1889 

 J_ and 1890 is §16,000. For the same years New York has 

 *30,000 for fish hatching, *20,500 for protection of fish and 

 game, $5,000 for eugineer, SLOOO for clerk, and $1,750 for 

 work in connection with oysters. A violent opposition to 

 this commission was developed among certain associations, 

 some of whose members were fined for violation of the game 

 laws notwithstanding their activity in demanding the 

 punishment of offenders against the laws relating to the 

 preservation of fish. 



Ohio is to expend $11,500 during the current year. 



Pennsylvania has £35,000 for two years. Opposition to 

 fish protection in this State now comes almost wholly from 

 city members; country members have almost without excep- 

 tion favored it. 



In Pennsylvania the fish wardens are now vested with 

 police powers and when they make arrests the magistrates 

 must hear the eases at once. New York has the same pro- 

 vision. 



SAWDUST IN STREAMS.— "Piscator" still sticks to 

 his figures, but they do not prove that sawdust is not in- 

 jurious to fish. He states that the evidence I gave in my 

 last is not the kind that counts in this discussion, but 

 nevertheless it clearly proves that sawdust does not kill 

 fish. He further states that it goes without saying that 

 such a sight as described as the result of sawdust never was 

 seen or occurred in any river on this planet. Now what I 

 described in triy last actually occurred, not only once, but 

 several times on the river, and, to verify what I have writ- 

 ten, I can bring as proof several of the leading men of this 

 county. I have no doubt there are others of your readers 

 who could produce evidence similar to that written by J. 

 M. D.— Sportsman. 



OYSTER CULTURE IN FLORIDA. -Rose Hill, Pla.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: Are there any works or reports 

 obtainable covering the culture of the oyster? Citrus eouuty 

 has fine oyster fields and desires to take such steps as will 

 develop the industry and get it under control, in order that 

 it may be carried on with some system rather than as it is 



now— every one for himself. We propose to organize a com- 

 pany to control some of the best waters, and want to be 

 posted as much as possible and to take advantage of the 

 experience of those who have gone before us in these mat- 

 ters. We want all the information we can get. Can you 

 eive us the address of the American Fisheries Society V 

 Anything you can do for us will be appreciated.— Chas. G 

 Welson. [The corresponding secretary of the American 

 Fisheries Society is Fred. W. Brown. 1020 Arch street, Phil- 

 adelphia, Fa. The president is E. G. Blackford, 80 Fulton 

 Market, New York, who can furnish reports on oyster cul- 

 ture. Numerous papers ou this subject have been published 

 within the last few years, chiefly in the reports and other 

 publications of the U. S. Fish Commission and the reports 

 of Maryland, New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut 

 Fish Commissions. Address Col. Marshall McDonald, U. 

 S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, Washington, D. C, 

 G, W. Delawder, Oakland, Md.; .fohu H. Barden, Rockland, 

 R. I. ; Dr. W. M. Hudson, Hartford, Conn. Dr. A. Oemler 

 read an address on the oyster before the Georgia Historical 

 Society: price, 25 cents, from J. Gardner, 80$ Bull street, 

 Savannah, Ga. The above reports will give you references 

 to other works. 



FROG CULTURE -Quarryville, Covn.— Editor Forest 

 and Stream: I intend to experiment ou bullfrog culture 

 to the extent of satisfying myself as to whether the business 

 can be made to produce satisfactory results or not. I have 

 one piece, or plot of eighty acres of finely located meadow- 

 land, which is a very natural place for frogs to breed, and I 

 think that by flowing this to a suitable depth for breeding 

 purposes and at the same time not so deep but that it will 

 allow the bogs and bunches of grass to remain above water, 

 it will afford the frogs a suitable place to sit upon and ob- 

 tain their insect food. If flowed too deep it will drive the 

 frogs to the shore and thus reduce the capacity of the pond. 

 As the enterprise progresses I will inform you of its success 

 I did not intend to have anything concerning the "ball 

 frog plant" published in the papers until I had achieved 

 success or it had proved an entire failure.— NATHAN S. 

 Maine. [Mr. Maine will liud it advantageous to follow the 

 suggestions {riven in Forest AND Stream of Feb. 14. A 

 place must be provided for the winter hibernation or the 

 frogs will leave A central pond with a good spring are 

 absolutely required. The system of ditches works ailmir- 

 ably, for the insects collect on the strips of land between 

 them and then fall or jump off into the water, where the 

 frogs secure them. The necessary elements of a successful 

 frog farm are a shallow pond for the tadpoles, a deep pond 

 for the frogs to hibernate in, a good spring and a series of 

 ditches.] 



FISH FOR NEW JERSEY WATERS. — The Passaic 

 Water Company stocked the reservoirs several years ago 

 with perch, pickerel and other fishes; additional supplies 

 have been added also by pumping fry into the reservoirs. 

 The object in keeping fish there was to maintain the purity 

 of the water; but the number became much greater than 

 was necessary for this purpose and the surplus fish were of 

 no use to any one except a few persons who had permits to 

 fish. Mr. Chas. A. Shriner, the fish warden of Passaic 

 county, obtained permission to remove some of the fish for 

 stocking other waters. At a single haul of a seine about 

 700 or 800 perch, pickerel and other fish were obtained and 

 transferred to Little Falls and Haledon. Greenwood Lake 

 received a considerable number of small bass and some 

 perch. This lake is already stocked with tke species, but 

 the introduction of fresh blood wi 11 probably improve the 

 breeds now in the lake. With this object in view young 

 pickerel will be transferred from the lake to waters nearer 

 Paterson. 



he Mmttel 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Sept. 10 to 13.— Sixth Annual Dog Show of the London Kennel 

 Club, at London, Ont. C. A. Stone, Manager. 



Sept. 10 to 13.— Dog Show of the Central Canada Exhibition As- 

 sociation, at Ottawa, Can. Capt. R. C. VV. MacCuiisr, Secretary. 



Sept. 11 to 13.— First Annual Dog Show of the Toledo Kennel 

 Club, Toledo, O. T. B. Lee, Secretary. 



Feb. 18 to 21, 1890.— Fourteenth Annual Show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Club. New York. James Mortimer, Superintendent . 



March 11 to 14. 1^90.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Rochester 

 Kennel Club, at Rochester, N. Y. Harry Yates, Secretary. 

 FIELD TRIALS. 



Nov. i.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennel Club. 

 P. T. Madison, Secretary, Indianapolis, Ind. 



Nov. 18.— Eleventh Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, at High Point, N. C. W. A. Coster, Secretary, Sara- 

 toga Springs, N. Y. 



Dec. 3.— Inaugural Field Trials of the Central Field Trial Club, 

 at Lexington, N. C. O. H. Odell, Secretary, Mill's Building, Mew 

 York, N. Y. 



Dec. 16.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field 

 Trial Club, at Amory, Miss. T. M. Brumby, Secretary, Marietta, 



Ga. 



COURSING IN KENTUCKY. 



CI H1CAGO, 111., May 22.— Editor Forest and Stream: My 

 ' visit of a week ago to Lexington, Ky.. was something 

 of a surprise to me, in that it showed that the sport of 

 coursing is rapidly becoming known and being largely prac- 

 ticed in that part of Kentucky at least. I presume no one 

 is to be credited with this more than my host, Mr. Roger D. 

 Williams, resident owner of the Rookwood-Landseer Ken- 

 nels, which, it will be re mem be red, took about all there was 

 hung up for greyhounds at the Mascoutah Kennel Club's 

 show here. Mr. Williams will be further remembered as 

 one of the judges in the American Coursing Club meet at 

 Great Bend last fall, in which position he achieved the diffi- 

 cult feat of making no enemies. He seems to have grafted 

 his own enthusiasm upon the natural Kentucky love for a 

 fast race, and has accomplished so much, in connection with 

 his younger brother, Mr. G. W. Williams, that Kentucky is 

 now fairly to be classed as one of the coursing States, and 

 one which will send a delegation to Great Bend next fall. 



There are no hares in Kentucky, and there is hardly a 

 level place big euough for a mile race track anywhere about 

 Lexington, yet in spite of this, and in spite of the fact that 

 the country is fenced and walled to the last degree, the Lex- 

 ington men manage to get a lot of fun out of coursing. 

 They have a good-sized "woods rabbit," besides the ordinary 

 cottontail, and these are often found out in the middle o'f 

 the big blue grass pastures. They are started up by the 

 ladies and gentlemen both riding upon these hunts, in good 

 numbers. The rabbits have room for quite a little run 

 before they get to the first fence, and then the fun begins. 

 If a dog is not a good fencer he never would catch one of 

 these rabbits, for they turn in and out so fast that a grey- 

 houud can hardly pick one upon open ground. As it is. 

 about one rabbit out of every t wo or three is caught, most of 

 them getting away into the woods. This is not rabbit-bait- 

 ing by any means, and the rider who follows the greyhounds 

 across country, taking fences aud walls in approved Ken- 

 tucky style, does not need complain of the tarn en ess of this 

 novel sort of sport. It is good exercise for the dogs, and 

 as a sport it seems to be held in good favor at Lexington. 



Old Snovvflight— known as Dandy at Lexington— is now 

 turned out to grass ou one of the big farms in the country. 

 He is getting fat, but still shows his vast frame and mus» 



