166 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



(Bkpt. 20, 1888. 



TOMPKINS COUNTY GAME. 



TOMPKINS COUNTY, N. Y., Sept. 4.— The number 

 of woodcock thus far killed, while not exceedingly 

 large, is fully up to that of former years. The first few 

 days of the season witnessed an enormous lot of gunners 

 in the field. The big bags at first reported dwindled down 

 terribly when the truth was scattered abroad. In one 

 instance that came to my knowledge a well-known local 

 sport, accompanied by a more or less conspicuous mem- 

 ber of the medical profession of Gotham town, was 

 reported as bagging IB woodcock on Aug. 1. The hard, 

 cold facts of the matter, as related by the farmer at 

 whose place the gunners found shelter were, in effect, 

 that the day's work resulted in the shooting of 3 wood- 

 cock, 2 robins and 1 partridge (shot out of season by pro- 

 fessed sportsman!) Partridges are reported plenty, but 

 my own experience in finding them is not flattering. A 

 short drive from the county seat brings the lover of quail 

 shooting to a locality where the birds are found more 

 numerous than formerly. Babbits are scarce enough to 

 keep the festive beagle busy finding them. Coon hunters 

 are happy because there are coons without number, and the 

 votaries of fox chasing, in view of the number of bi'oods 

 of red racers coming to maturity in near by glens and 

 gorges, are serenely content. *M. C. H, 



DROP OF STOCK. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I see that quite a number of sportsmen are advocating 

 gun stocks of very little drop, alleging that when the 

 binocular style of shooting is adopted better success is 

 had, My experience does not teach it. What a man 

 wants is a bend in the stock, such that when he throws 

 his gun to the face his right eye looks down the rib with- 

 out the necessity of crooking his neck. Such a gun will 

 "fit" him, and with that it is reasonable to suppose he 

 can do the best shooting. He should keep both eyes 

 open, if his right eye controls the line of vision, as it does 

 with most men. When his left eye does, he must close 

 that or shoot from the left shoulder. One can practice 

 with a differently shaped stock and acquire much ex- 

 pertness. But why should he need that when the length 

 of his neck and his arms suggest what is natural? Of 

 course the stock may be so much crooked that under 

 shooting will result in snap shooting. So if the stock is 

 too straight the shooting will be too high. Avoid the 

 extremes is the doctrine of wisdom. 



For smaller game I am the advocate of light guns. 

 They are quite as effective when weighing from 6 to 71bs. 

 as when they lift the beam at 9 and lOlbs., and then 

 after a long tramp how nicely they feel. A 14 or Ill-bore 

 with 2i to 2}drs. of good gunpowder and g to loz. of shot 

 is good enough, and if properly held will bring down the 

 gafne. For larger game a heavier gun and heavier 

 charges are wanted, But I protest against the necessity 

 of educating ourselves to the use of any gun with a stock 

 of less drop than 2fin. My opinion is that from 3 to S^in. 

 will suit a very large majority of men. Wells. 



Rockimoham, N. O . 



THE CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The new Connecticut Farmers and Sportsmen's Associa- 

 tion for the Protection of Game and Fish is at all events 

 stirring up some discussion, out of which it is hoped good 

 may come. Here are some of the editorial opinions ex- 

 pressed: 



A chap from Westchester, this State, has written an anony- 

 mous, screed to Fohest and Stream, in which he pays his disre- 

 spects to the new game and fish protective association. The 

 writer shows himself to he a fellow who is unwilling to abide bv 

 tho laws of Hie State, and we doubt not that he is a snarer and 

 pot-hunter, just the kind of a chap the new association is anxious 

 to light on with "both feet." Westchester is the most lawless and 

 unpriucipled section of the State as regards the observance of 

 garni laws, and probably the anonymous writer to Forest 

 and Stream is one of the ilk who do so much to destroy game out 

 of season as well as in season. — Hartford Globe. 



For shame. Brother Willey, of the Globe. Don't let your zeal 

 get the better of common sense. The item given above is a base, 

 unfounded slur on the residents of the western part of our town. 

 In the name of reason and justice ti e Advocate requests a retrac- 

 tion of the wholesale condemnation of the place. So far as the 

 article or "Chap" is concerned, we should be pleased to let him 

 speak for himself in a communication.— Colchester Advocate. 



The Colchester Advocate takes up the cudgel for the anonymous 

 fellow who wrote to the Forhst and Stream condemning the 

 new game and iish association. All we have to say to Brother 

 Bigelow is, that we come very near knowing what we are talking 

 about, and simply refer him to President Collins's article in the 

 last issue of the Forest and Stream. Editor Bigelow, if he is a 

 sporting man. wiU spend no time in defense of any man who is so 

 unwilling to abide by the game laws of the State, which areas 

 fair for one man as for another— Hartford Globe. 



Sportsman. 



Hartford, Conn. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Mr. A. C. Collins has not got us Westchester farmers 

 nailed so tight but that we are out again. Mr. Collins 

 does not deny he was the leader in organizing this valu- 

 able^) association, and if he would think real hard per- 

 haps he would remember some selected gentlemen who 

 assisted him in conceiving this movement. 



It is supposed that the farmers did not come forward 

 with many dollars to increase the fund, so now we all 

 can become members by only investing a twetcent stamp, 

 though we can in a measure repay this debt by letting 

 "our city friends'' hunt and scare all the game on our 

 farms to death this fall, or by leasing our land to him for 

 a small compensation. A two-cent stamp was raised, but 

 it was put on this letter to a fair dealing and true sports- 

 man's paper. Mr. Collins thinks the non-export law is a 

 "very wise law in his opinion,* 1 Farmers have opinions 

 as well as "city gentlemen." We do not consider it out- 

 business to prevent city sportsmen from other States 

 carrying game out, but we know of three parties from 

 Providence, R. I., carrying about one hundred birds from 

 this place to that city three different times last season; 

 we have laws that might prohibit it, but they will never 

 be enforced in "Farmer's" opinion. Oh, yes, I do shoot, 

 and also do not think it high crime to snare a bird, I 

 have done that awful deed, but not for several years, not 

 since I could shoot on the wing. I can remember when 

 a small boy how rich I used to feci after selling a snared 

 bird, for twenty -five or thirty cents. My father was not 

 well to do and this was about my only chance for "spend- 

 ing money" in those by-gone days. Farmers' boys of to- 

 day are not allowed this privilege. I am well aware that 

 snaring has been made a business by certain grown men, 

 that is not right; but give the little fellows a chance. 1 



The Algers spoken of by the worthy editor of the Globe 

 are not akin to our family, a,nd are several miles removed 

 from our "stamping ground," and as the Globe is not our 

 family paper we were not aware that they had caught so 

 many or any in fact. Who took them to market? 



Secretary Willey won't win the esteem of the farmers 

 by insulting them. Secretary Willey can find me by 

 coming to Westchester, but he better leave his "feet" in 

 Hartford. One would think to hear this gentleman talk 

 that Westchester was full of a very desperate class of 

 people; but with a residence of twenty-six years in this 

 quiet little hamlet I have failed to find more law-breaking 

 sportsmen here than in other places. The farmers have 

 a law against tresspass on their land and can protect their 

 own land, be their own gamekeepers, let their neighbors 

 and friends shoot or not as they wish, and do not require 

 any "detectives" to assist them. If any member of the 

 F. and S.G. P. Association cares to take the trouble to 

 visit some of our gentlemen farmers, he will find that 

 beds of roses are not prepared for city sportsmen here 

 unless they are invited. The Same Farmer. 



Westchester, Conn., Sept. R. 



CONNECTICUT GAME. 



ESSEX, Conn., Sept. 14.— Thus far this season the rail 

 si looting at Essex, as well as other noted resorts 

 along the Connecticut River, has been verypoor. Hardly 

 any flight birds have arrived, those shot being birds that 

 are bred in the coves here. The largest bag so far re- 

 ported was made by an out of town party on the opening 

 day, Sept. 1, he bagging fifty birds. There is an abund- 

 ance of feed, and the birds should have been here after 

 the recent cold wave, had they been coming at all. 



Some ducks (mostly teal) are beginning to arrive, and 

 the outlook for wildfowl shooting this fall is very good. 

 Most of the quail seem to have outlived the blizzard, and 

 there is prospect for good shooting on Oct. 1. 



This place is noted for being one of the best English 

 snipe localities in the State. All that is lacking to bring 

 on these birds is Jack Frost. Last spring one party shot 

 nineteen in one morning, on what is known as the Great 

 Meadows here, which is the largest bag reported. There 

 are three good hotels here, and sportsmen can find good 

 accommodations here in the way of boats, guides and 

 other requisites. A. W. J. 



Wild Rice.— Janes ville. Wis., Sept. 11.— Editor Forest 

 and Stream: In your last week's issue, in "Answers to 

 Correspondents" column, you reply to C. M. of Green- 

 ville, R. I., as follows: "Wild rice should be sown in the 

 late fall or in early spring, etc," I have handled wild 

 rice seed for several years, in fact was the first person to 

 advocate planting it in waters where it did not grow 

 naturally. I have never known it to grow well wben 

 planted in the spring, and the sooner it is planted after it 

 is harvested in the fall, the better. After the seed has 

 been gathered for some weeks, the enamel on the out- 

 side of the kernel seems to crack, and this I believe ac- 

 counts for failure in spring planting. It should be planted 

 on a mud bottom; where there is" little if any cm-rent, 

 and if possible where there is no other vegetation. As it 

 grows only in the water, it should not be planted on 

 ground that goes dry in midsummer. It will grow in 

 water from a few inches to four feet in depth, but does 

 best in shallow water. Before sowing I always soak the 

 seed for an hour or so, in order that it will sink at once. 

 I also think it best to sow very thickly, rather than to 

 scatter a small amount of seed over a large space.— Rich- 

 ard Valentine. 



West Virginia.— Lewisbiu-g, Aug. 29.— We have the 

 best prospect for partridge shooting here this fall that we 

 have had for years. Pheasant (grouse) are also plentiful. 

 We have a few wild turkey and some Virginia deer. For 

 the benefit of some of your readers, who frequently visit 

 this section in the fall for the purpose of having a little 

 sport, I send you the bird and deer law. The law pro- 

 hibits the killing of partridge (quail) from Dec. 1 to Oct. 

 10, pheasaait (grouse) from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1, and wild tur- 

 keys from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15. It is unlawful to chase deer 

 with dogs in W est Virginia for four years, and they are 

 only to be still-hunted from Sept. 15 to Jan. 15. — P. C. O. 



Maryland Rail. — Elkton, Md. — The rail bird season 

 opened here Sept. 5. There was only a fair tide and not 

 a great many birds were killed, 73 birds being the highest 

 reported, 53 the next, and all the way down to 6 by a 

 small boy with an ancient muzzleloader with only one 

 barrel in working order. Saturday the 8th was the best 

 tide so far and a large number of birds were bagged, 156 

 being the highest heard from. Reed birds are fairly 

 plentiful also.— E. S. G. 



Rear Gun Sights. — I don't know of any rear sight 

 which is used for shotguns unless, of course, the shotgun 

 has a ritie barrel. In some cases, however, my shortest 

 rear rifle sight has been used for shot-shooting, and a few 

 think it quite a help. I myself don't recommend my rear 

 sight for shotgun work, except for the closest shooting 

 chokebore. — Willia M Lyman. 



Leavenworth, Kan., Sept. 13.— Ducks have begun to 

 come into the Missouri lakes, near this city, in consider- 

 able numbers. Prairie chickens are very scarce, and are 

 reported so all over the State. Quail will be more num- 

 erous than ever, and will afford good shooting after Nov. 

 1. — Nim. 



Rockingham, N. C., Sept. 12.— Our prospects for Bob 

 White are excellent. Many coveys can now fly rapidly, 

 and in a little more than a month will be fully grown. ' I 

 regret that our season opens before Nov. 1; then about all 

 the birds are full fledged and strong. — Wells. 



Tourists seeking rest and recreation during the hot summer 

 months can obtain valuable information from the illustrated guide 

 books entitled "A Summer Jaunt" and "Summer of 1888" issued by 

 the Wisconsin Central Line. These books are descriptive of the sum- 

 mer resorts in Wisconsin and Minnesota, reached by the Wisconsin 

 Central Line, and will be sent free to any address upon applica- 

 tion to Jambs Barker, General Passenger and Ticket Agent, 

 Milwaukee, Wis.— Adv* 



m mid ^iver ^siting. 



LAKE EDWARD. 



pAMP TRUTHFUL, Lake Edward, Canada, Sept. 11. 

 \J — Editor Forest and Stream: To-morrow we break 

 camp and return to so-called civilization— a blasted hum- 

 bug by comparison with this sort of life, I lay awake this 

 morning wondering whether this was not the paradise 

 Adam was fired out of, and whether the greatest of his 

 sorrows was not the loss of such fishing. There are Eves 

 of the present day who would just as recklessly burst up 

 a man's fishing. It behooves one to get all he can of it in 

 this world, so the undersigned proposes to build his cabin 

 up here, and return to Ms original state. No sheet-iron 

 dude collars, no boiled shirts, no plug hats, no 3 o'clock, 

 no gas and water bills, no lightning-rod men, no desic- 

 cated females wanting you to subscribe to the life of 

 Benry Hard Meecher. And then as to the cheapness of 

 living; on what it would cost to take your best girl to the 

 theater and the Delmonico postscript you can live a year 

 in your cabin, and be spared the pang of seeing that same 

 girl out the next evening with another fellow and with 

 apparently an equally uni in paired appetite. Your revenge 

 comes when he has to settle for frogs' legs and terrapin 

 stew, to say nothing of a bottle of "extra dry." By the 

 way , why is it that one's best girl always seems chronic- 

 ally dry? It knocks spots out of five dollars to moisten 

 their delicate clay, but never mind best girls, they don't 

 properly come in here, although they do manage to get 

 in almost everywhere. I was saying, what a place to get 

 to. A good many gentlemen have found the climate of 

 Canada more healthy than the atmosphere of New York, 

 and we had one of the flyers here the other day; but he 

 did not seem to get as good a raise from the trout as the 

 gudgeons at home, and soon got Eno-ugh of it and went 

 away, a bad habit of his. 



We have been in camp a week now, and to-day took 

 an account of stock of our groceries. Our original out- 

 lay was about $6. We have lived (three of us) on it and 

 trout seven days, and it is not more than half consumed. 

 Say fourteen days for three men with fishermen's appe- 

 tite on $6. Don't it make a man groan to think of re- 

 turning to civilization, and $5 a day as its penalty, and 

 your temper spoiled in wrangles with the gas man, and 

 if you are a housekeeper to fall within the baleful soul- 

 destroying clutches of the plumber. Good Lord deliver 

 us and let us return to our natural condition, Canada is 

 our paradise. 



I won't say there are not some little drawbacks, for 

 instance from June 15 to Aug. 15 there are black flies (in 

 the paradise I mean). Every fisherman who has visited 

 the Adirondacks or Maine is' familiar with those little in- 

 stigators of profanity. But you can go on a little fur- 

 ther to Lake St. John ; and there are none there, as the 

 mist is cleared away, and there you can get all sorts of 

 fishing, including winnanichi or landlocked salmon. It 

 is a good place to hedge the fly season; but after Aug. 15 

 you can return to Lake Edward and have no annoyance 

 from them. 



As a missionary in the cause, I will venture to give my 

 fellow fishermen the cue to a proper outfit for Canada 

 fishing. Firstly, as to how to get there easiest. Go to 

 Albany, take the Hudson & Delaware Canal Railroad via 

 Lake Champlain to Montreal; thence either by rail or 

 night boat to Quebec. Take the Quebec & Lake St. John 

 Railroad at 8 A. M. next morning and you are at Lake 

 Edward at noon, at Lake St. John at 6 P. M. You can 

 go via Quebec Central & Grand Trunk a little quicker, 

 but then- advertisement to take you through without 

 change is a fraud. If you can get a sleeper from Spring- 

 field you may do it, but woe unto you if you don't get a 

 sleeper, and there is but one, and always fall. We missed 

 it, and w r ere turned out at all hours of the night, having 

 to wait at a place called Richmond, over the Canada 

 line, four and a half hours in a wretchedly cared for 

 station, no fire, and cold. We changed five times before 

 we got to Quebec, sometimes we were in the Quebec Cen- 

 tral, then on the Grand Trunk, then we lost all trace and 

 did not know where we were, We finally turned up at 

 Quebec, chilled and cross; and what the army in Flanders 

 said was not a circumstance to our language. All that is 

 necessary is to be sure and be on hand at the Quebec & 

 St. John station at 8 A, M., as there is but one train a 

 day. Under proper circumstances you should be able to 

 go from New York to Quebec (via Saratoga & Lake 

 Champlain) for about $13.50; from Quebec to Lake Ed- 

 ward $2.50. Hotel at Edwards $1 per day and good fare. 

 Beds a little lumpy, but after you have fished all day 

 and taken a hand at the oar for exercise you will forget 

 all about lumps. 



As to rods, leave your 6oz. bamboo at home, take a good 

 lOoz. rod for fly, or 12oz., a good bait rod. Guns not 

 wanted; no game at this season. Take good warm under- 

 clothing, for the nights are cool. A flannel shirt, of 

 course, a pair of sturdy thick-soled shoes; and don't for- 

 get the waterproof coat. Rubber boots are good in case 

 of rain (of which there is a good deal); they keep your 

 legs and knees dry and are always useful, but climbing 

 around the rocky shores use them up. Leather is always 

 best. You can buy in Montreal and Quebec the porpoise 

 leather, long-legged, waterproof boats for about $7; will 

 last you forever. You can hire plenty of blankets and 

 all camp equipage at Edwards at a very reasonable cost. 

 Everything is cheap at Edwards. 



If you want to bring your fish home, clean them care- 

 fully, removing the blood streak along the backbone, 

 wipe dry inside and out. Keep free of contact with each 

 other. Put on a board and lay the board on the ice at the 

 ice house at Edwards. They will keep that way indefi- 

 nitely. When ready to leave, pack in dry fern leaves, 

 keeping the fish from contact still; and unless the 

 weather is very hot, you will find your fish hard and cold 

 when you arrive home. Under no circumstances trust to 

 expressing your fish; take them along with you. A box 

 is a bother" and you can't check it, but here is a dodge: 

 take along an old rattle trap of a trunk extra, pack your 

 fish in it with your boots, waterproof, etc , so the fish 

 won't get bruised, plenty of ferns will remedy that. 

 With a check in your pocket you will be all right. You 

 can get better smoking tobacco in Lake Edward than in 

 New York, and cheaper. We shall lay in a month's sup- 

 to bring home. 



o-morrow we break up camp and a gloom falls upon 

 us. The dog we borrowed for company seems to know 



P1 T 



