Dec. 12, 1889,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



409 



you ask how it is that with the use of Schultze powder in 

 this gun one or two patterns dropped considerably below 

 the average of the other shots with same ammunition. I 

 account for these '"unaccoun tables'' in this instance as 

 follows: 



The gun which made these patterns was bored so large, 

 in common with many American-made guns, that by 

 putting a wad of same size as bore of gun into the barrel 

 daylight could be seen all around the wad throughout the 

 whole length of barrel until the choke was reached. For 

 this reason the 12-bore wads contained in the shells were 

 not enough confinement for a powder burning as cleanly 

 and giving as high initial velocity and pressure as Schultze 

 does. The better and stronger the powder and the cleaner 

 and quicker burning it is the more necessary it is to use 

 large enough and sufficiently good and thick wadding 

 over it to prevent any gases from coming in contact with 

 the charge of shot by burning past or through the wads. 



To this same cause I attribute the rather irregular and 

 mediocre results of your trial of wood powder in a Smith 

 gun. It is impossible to load cartridges which will act 

 equally well in all guns. Wadding which will do well 

 in one gun wil I be worthless in another. Also wadding 

 which will do well with one load and kind of powder 

 will not prevent flukes or occasional open patterns with 

 another powder in the same gun. As you correctly say, 

 "There does indeed exist a perfect load, but it is for each 

 g,un only, and it is for each gun holder to work out the 

 effective capabilities of his own weapon," 



Justus Von Lengerke, 



RIFLE AND REVOLVER. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



My main reliance for a rifle is a "Winchester .45-60. 

 Once in a while for a few moments I take it out of its 

 case just to feel it in my grip, to glance through the 

 barrel to see if it is bright and to put it through a dumb 

 show; but during forty-eight to fifty weeks in the year 

 it rests undisturbed in its case. I use the regulation am- 

 munition and never reload a shell, and am not deeply 

 versed in trajectories and the different theories in load- 

 ing, etc., but with my old Winchester on my arm I feel 

 a deal of confidence and am never tired. With it I have 

 made some good hits (and misses) at long distance, and 

 would rather have a heavier than a lighter arm. I used 

 to take with me to the Maine woods an assortment of 

 guns, consisting, in addition to the aforementioned 

 i Winchester, of two Maynard rifle barrels, a .44 and a .22, 

 and a Maynard shot barrel, all fitting into one stock — 

 each an admirable piece and entirely satisfactory in its 

 particular sphere— but of late years I am prone to leave 

 the Maynards in their case and to use the Winchester for 

 everything. 



There are seldom enough broad-billed ducks on the in- 

 land lakes of Maine to be worth consideration, at least at 

 the time of my autumn trips, and I can kill with the 

 Winchester all the partridges I need for camp use; and 

 for everything else in the way of real game the rifle is 

 the proper weapon. If one is collecting small birds, that 

 is another matter; but if one learns to rely on the rifle 

 alone, he will never be caught with the wrong gun in 

 that particular and unexpected moment which sooner or 

 later comes to every man, when the possession of a re- 

 peating rifle will give him noble spoil and memories of 

 triumph, and when the absence of it will leave him last- 

 ing regret and chagrin. My guides seem generally to 

 have known little about any heavier rifles than .44cal., 

 and to be perfectly content with them; but are always 

 surprised at the greater power of the larger caliber, and 

 to admit its superiority under certain circumstances. It 

 is interesting to see then- surprise at the distance to which 

 it will throw a bullet on a still lake. 



One day on Seboois Lake, an Indian summer day in 

 October, a day so beautiful that no words could convey 

 its charm, the sky one absolute sapphire and the surface 

 of the water absolutely motionless, I succeeded in an ex- 

 periment which I had tried many times before, but in 

 which I had always failed, viz,, discharging my rifle into 

 the air and hearing the returning ball strike the water. 

 Sitting in the canoe I held my watch and both guide and 

 I almost held our breaths. We waited long without a 

 sound and had given it up when we distinctly heard the 

 faint "zip" with which the bullet cut the water some 

 distance away. Encouraged we tried again and the 

 interval was between 51 and 52 seconds. How far up 

 into the clear air must have leaped that bit of lead ! I 

 suppose the height could be calculated easily enough 

 from the single datum, and wish some of the '"trajectory" 

 men with talent in that line would solve the problem and 

 let me know. At the same time I wish they would tell 

 me why the bullet is made of the precise shape it is. 

 What would be the objection to a bullet with perfectly 

 conical point? Is it made blunt that it may spread on 

 meeting resistance and make a more tearing wound? I 

 have repeatedly sharpened a bullet with my knife arid 

 found its penetration to be greater (3 or 4in. greater in 

 seasoned timber) than that of the blunt bullet, and that 

 it more nearly retained its shape, while the blunt bullet 

 would spread and make a much more ragged hole. 



I am reminded of another question I want to ask about 

 pistol shooting. For my own part, and as far as I ever 

 had anything to do with the pistol, I heartily wish it had 

 never been invented. I believe that for one case where 

 it has served a good man a good turn there have been 

 five hundred where it has done harm, and that it is, gen- 

 erally speaking, a nuisance. There are. however, men 

 who are so expert with it that in their hands it rises into 

 dignity and usefulness. They are usually trappers, who 

 often have to tramp long distances carrying heavy 

 loads of traps or peltries, and who find a rifle-pistol or 

 revolver no trouble to carry and who have learned to 

 make it serve all the purposes of a gun. I know one such 

 man, a handsome young fellow, one of the best shots and 

 canoemen in Maine, a successful hunter and trapper, and 

 whose services as a guide are deservedly in great demand. 

 To him the revolver is rifle and shotgun combined. With 

 this he can "head" a partridge almost every time, and it 

 is his favorite weapon when still-hunting deer. But the 

 peculiarity of his method is that it is two-handed. He 

 grasps the butt with both hands and holds the revolver 

 straight before him, and thus can take the steadiest aim 

 and without the slightest tremor of muscle. 



I should be glad to know of others who have tried this 

 method. I never knew of but one other expert with the 

 pistol who used it. He was a Texan, and pistol shooting 

 was his one acromph'-Timmit, For a small sum he wa.s 



always ready to give an exhibition of his skill , and would 

 snip off the heads of chickens at an amazing distance, 

 and seldom made a miss. I am no shot at all with a 

 pistol held in the ordinary way, but with the two-handed 

 method I hit my own visiting card pinned to a tree the 

 first and second time I ever tried it and at a distance at 

 which I would not have been at all sure of hitting the 

 tree by the one-handed method. Let any one make the 

 experiment who has never tried two-hand'ed pistol shoot- 

 ing, and I think I can assure him that he will surprise 

 himself at his success. It will be worth trying once for 

 amusement at any rate. C. H. Amus. 



A Florida Side-Hunt.— Marianna, Fla., Nov. 29. — 

 Editor Forest and Stream: It was my pleasure to ac- 

 company the Jackson County Gun Club on a 24-hours' 

 shoot, ending Thanksgiving Day at noon. The Jackson 

 County Gun Club was made a permanent organization 

 Tuesday, with about thirty members, with G. A. BozeJl 

 president, and J. D. Smith secretary and treasurer. The 

 meets are to be every thirty days, open to residents of the 

 State and to visitors, the contest to be in Jackson county 

 fields. On this occasion the club presented a gold medal, 

 which was won by an old hunter here, J. P. Perry, on 

 the killing of a 1461b. deer and twenty-five quail. There 

 were fifteen hunters who left the Chipola Hotel Wednes- 

 day at noon, and although they encountered very un- 

 favorable weather, owing to rains and strong winds, they 

 returned Thursday at noon with 155 quail, one deer, one 

 wild turkey, 61 squirrels, 14 doves and 6 rabbits. Aside 

 from this 22 birds were thrown out by referees on account 

 of having been killed on the ground. Other birds and 

 game were killed, but no points were given on them. A 

 Thanksgiving supper, at which the hunters took their 

 lady and gentleman friends, was given by A. J. Sweetser, 

 proprietor of the Chipola, a new, large and well-kept 

 hotel, to whom the game was turned over on the return 

 from the shoot. Toasts and speeches, together with a 

 meeting of the club, were included in the order of the 

 evening. The next hunt will take place Jan. 10, at which 

 sportsmen from everywhere are invited, and may be sure 

 of bagging plenty of game and having a good time, — H. 

 P. Hevenor. 



Fox Hunting in the City.— Lockport, N. Y., Dec. 7. 

 —Editor Forest and Stream: On Thanksgiving Day 

 John Gooding, of the second ward, shot a fox within the 

 city limits, on the C. L. Hoag Niagara White Grape 

 Vineyard. Mr. Gooding presented his claim for the 

 bounty to Supervisor M. C. Conlin and received an order 

 on the County Treasurer for $3. Reynard probably 

 thought that he could cheat Mr. Hoag out of his Thanks- 

 giving turkey. There are a good many foxes killed in 

 this county on which the bounty is paid. The slayer has 

 only to present and make oath before any Supervisor or 

 Justice of Peace, that on such a day he killed the fox, 

 the officer then mutilating it by cutting off or making a 

 hole through the ear. Some of the orders presented to 

 the County Treasurer are unique as to composition, as 

 the following (neatly written) document will show: 

 •'You solemnly swear, that on the 10th day of Nov., 

 1888, you killed a full grown red fox, so help you God. 



[Signed.] J. S. H , Justice of the Peace of the 



town of C."— J. L. Davtson. 



THE CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I, as well as Mr. A. C. Collins, noticed the communication of 

 "A." in Forest asb Stream of Nov. U, and I heartily agree with 

 Mr. Collins in all his article of the 5th implies. "A." did not 

 mention the place of his residence, which is, and has been for 

 some time, Brooklyn, N. Y., although he formerly resided in Had- 

 dam, this State. I perfectly recall his article of last year referred 

 to by Mr. Collins, in which he stated that in his ride over the 

 Shore Line road he encountered a certain messenger who was the 

 party carrying the 2,500 birds to >iew Haven that season, and in- 

 timating there were many snared birds in the string this messen- 

 ger had that morning, etc. Now, 1 am well acquainted with the 

 messenger mentioned (Mr. T., of Clinton), and know him to he a 

 man of integrity, and one who would not knowingly violate the 

 State laws by handling snared birds. He has been on the road in 

 that business for years, and is well and favorably known all along 

 the shore. "A." forgot to mention how he purchased some of 

 Mr. T.'s string of birds to carry out of the State, and also how he 

 wished to sell his dog, etc. 



Mr. Collins and his deputies are doing a grand work in this 

 State. Any sportsman who has hunted any section of Middlesex 

 county this fail will agree with me when I say that snares are 

 seldom met with. I myself have hunted from Clinton on the 

 west to Chester on the north during the past fall, and have only 

 run across one snare fence, and this not set. This one was quickly 

 up-rooted by a few "foot ball" strokes of my foot. 



In conclusion, we have no "patent coffee mill" in this State, 

 which every spring grinds out a different code of laws for each 

 county, but we have ample laws for the protection of game and 

 fish, and I for one speak from experience when I sav they are fullv 

 s.s well enforced as are those in "A.'s" State. A. W. J. " 



Center Brook, Middlesex County, Conu. 



The Hartford Telegram-Record of Dec. 6 reports: 

 Orrin J. Whiting sent some game [ruffed grouse and quail] 

 from Thompson, Conn., to New York city, which is contrary to 

 law. Game Warden A. C. Collins laid violent hands on that game 

 in the Adams Express Company's office in this city. Yesterday 

 Detective W. C. Fielding, of this city, arrested Whiting and 

 brought him before Justice of the Peace Randolph H. Chandler, 

 of Thompson. Whiting pleaded guilty, and his fine and costs 

 amounted to nearly $80. While the Connecticut Association of 

 Farmers and Sportsmen for the Protection of Game and Fish of 

 this city occupies this mundane sphere, it behooves game and fish 

 violators to look out. Here is what the New York World says of 

 the Association: "Never in the history of the Nutmeg State 'have 

 the game and fish law violators got such a fearful shaking up as 

 in the past year. The work of the Association is bearing fruit; 

 the illegal shippers, shooters and snarers are awakening to the 

 fact that they 'can't monkey with the buzz-saw' without leaving 

 a finger or two as a pleasant memento of their sport." 



The success of the Connecticut Association of Farmers and 

 Sportsmen for the Protection ol Game and Fish has been phenom- 

 enal, out of thirty-six cases brought into Court they have only 

 lost two. One of these, the famous Simsbury decision, the justice 

 did not agree with the two Supreme Court decisions on the point 

 in question and discharged the party. It may be fair to add that 

 the justice in this case did n6t know of these decisions or of any 

 other. The other case the justice (a very facetious one) discharged 

 the party because he said "he was in fun" when he offered several 

 snared partridges for sale. "Mark Twain" had better hang his 

 laurels on a tall sapling when in the vicinity of Kent, Conn. 



Book buyers are reminded of the crowding of 

 the mails as Christmas approaches, and are urged 

 to send in their orders to the Forest and Stream 

 Publishing Co. in season to prevent vexatious 

 delays and disappointments. 



Fishing in Florida Waters.— Anglers who intend visitin 

 Florida this coming winter will find it to their advantage to in- 

 spect the superior tackle for tarpon and other fishes, manufac- 

 tured by Thomas -1. Omroy, 6fi Fulton strepf, Nptv York. - 4 r/r. 



m ni\d §mr fishing. 



THE MATERIAL BENEFITS OF FISH 

 PROTECTION. 



THE sole aim of the organizers of the Anglers' Associa- 

 tion of the St. Lawrence River in 1883 was the pre- 

 servation, protection and perpetuation of game fishing 

 in the St. Lawrence River. Probably no one of the 

 persons active in its organization had any other idea in 

 view: but they builded better than they knew. 



At the time matters on the St. Lawrence River were 

 at a standstill; there were very few persons going there 

 for the sake of the fishing for the simple reason that, 

 owing to the activity of the netters, it had been almost 

 destroyed. But a small number of the islands had cot- 

 tages built upon them. There were a few people who 

 passed down the river on tourists' tickets from Niagara 

 Falls to Montreal, but there were no inducements for 

 tbem to stop over on the way. Some of the anglers who 

 had resorted to the river for many years for fishing still 

 continued their yearly visits. The organization of i)h'e 

 Anglers' Association created a sort of excitement in 

 reference to the possibilities to be accomplished by it, so 

 that its members lived for two or three years upon faith, 

 believing that the efforts of the Association in ridding 

 the river of netters would very soon have its effect in 

 much better fishing. Its members continued to visit the 

 river year after year and to induce their friends to do 

 the same. The results of the exertions of the Anglers' 

 Association are now known to every one who is inter- 

 ested, and its efforts in ridding the river of fish netters 

 have been attended with so great success that it is now 

 possible, and has been for the last three years, for any 

 angler to obtain all the game fish he desires. The object 

 of the organization of the Association has thus been ef- 

 fected, in part by increasing the supply of game fish in 

 the river, and in part by ridding the river of the fish 

 pirates. Its efforts in preventing net fishing will not 

 be slackened, but will, on the contrary, be increased. 



The material benefits which have come from the efforts 

 of the Anglers' Association of the St. Lawrence River 

 have been entirely unexpected, but they are, however, 

 no less welcome. As an object lesson which should be 

 carefully read, marked and inwardly digested, the fol- 

 lowing facts are given, showing the material benefits 

 which have come to Jefferson county from the Anglers' 

 Association of the St. Lawrence River. 



Jefferson county, the county lying along the St. Law- 

 rence River, from Cape Vincent to Alexandria Bay, a 

 'distance say of fifteen miles, embracing the celebrated 

 Thousand Islands, is naturally one of the most attractive 

 regions in the county for the tourist and sportsman. Its 

 exquisite river scenery, its banks and islands and its de- 

 lightful ah- leave nothing to be desired — if the fishing is 

 good. 



There were in 1.889 about 600 persons employed as oars- 

 men on the river: in 1883 there were perhaps 100. In 

 1886 there were about 250 employed in connection with 

 steam and other boats; in 1883 there may have been 

 thirty. There were last summer thirty -six hotels capable 

 of accommodating 4,000 people. Six years ago the hotels 

 could accommodate scarcely 1,000 people. Besides these 

 there are now thirty boarding houses, with a capacity ©f 

 500 guests; there are between 600 and 700 cottages used 

 exclusively by summer residents. From $1,000,000 to 

 $1,250,000 was spent on the river last summer by tourists, 

 exclusive of railroad fares. A large and increasing busi 

 ness has also grown up in building steam yachts and the 

 celebrated St. Lawrence skiffs. 



The total tax assessed against the town of Alexandria 

 (the central point on the river) was $10,906,97, of which 

 $2,351.28 was paid by summer property holders. In other 

 words, nearly 22 per cent, of the taxes of the town of 

 Alexandria was paid by summer property owners. The 

 assessed value of summer hotels and island property in 

 the town of Alexandria in 1888 was $256,000, the basis of 

 assessment being one-third of the actual value, while the 

 total amount assessed was $1,218,029. 



Here then is a veritable gold mine lying at the feet of 

 Jefferson county by which every resident of the county 

 is benefited either by a reduction in his taxes, by being 

 given employment, or in his business. The population 

 of Jefferson county is 66,000, every one of whom is con- 

 stantly being benefited by the Anglers' Association. 

 That is one side of the question. The other is this: there 

 were during the netting season of 1888 about sixty or 

 seventy persons engaged in illegal net fishing within the 

 limits of the comity, and of this number more than one- 

 half were non-residents. When it is borne in mind that 

 these net fishers do not make nearly as much if allowed 

 to carry on their netting as ordinary farm workers, it 

 will at once be apparent that Jefferson county could , as 

 a business speculation, afford to hire and pay them a fail- 

 salary to remain perfectly idle, and to pension them in 

 their old age. 



Would the property owners of Saratoga consent that 

 their celebrated mineral springs should be ruined if it 

 could be shown that half a hundred men would gain a 

 precarious living thereby? Should the taxpayers allow 

 the prosperity of an entire county to be jeopardized by 

 the unlawful pursuits of a score or two of men? Emphat- 

 ically, no. 



The Anglers' Association does not propose to give up 

 the fight in which it has been engaged during the last 

 five or six years, and the ringing letter of Mr. H. H. "War- 

 ner in accepting the presidency of the Association at the 

 last annual meeting is a reflection of the feeling of all of 

 its members. 



The organization of fish protection associations accom- 

 plishes three distinct things: protects the fish, furnishes 

 the people with cheap fish food, and last, but not least, is 

 of enormous material benefit to the surrounding country. 



New York, Dec. 6. H. S. Chanih,ek.' 



National Rod and Reel Association.— New York, 

 Dec, 8.— Editor Forest and Stream: The National Rod 

 and Reel Association will hold their annual meeting for 

 the election of officers, etc., on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 2 

 P. M., at the laboratory of Mr. E. G. Blackford, Fulton 

 Market. Business of importance will be transacted, and 

 a full attendance of members desired.— G. Poey, Sec'y. 



Smkes, Nets of every description, American Net &■ Twine Co., 

 Mfrs., 31 Commercial st, Roatnn, or 199 Fulton st„ N. Y.- A dv. 



