436 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 19, 1890. 



FISHING TO SUSTAIN LIFE. 



THE Hartford, Conn., Times of June 11 reports this interesting 

 case: "Last Sunday a young man somewhat widely known 

 in the North Bloomfleld section for his eccentricities, dug a box 

 of bait and went fishing in the Farmiugton River. Two men who 

 were strolling tip the stream bad to him a suspicious appearance, 

 and fearing arrest for fishing on Sunday, and also for fishing for 

 black bass, which was unlawful up to June 10, the ■'oungman 

 fled for his life. He sought a hiding place in a barn. The nwher 

 drove into the barnyard, and when questioned «iw ft rhmiee for 

 a joke, and gravely advised the. voting mi" that the tw- men were 

 Fielding's detectives, sent out by Game Warden Collins especially 

 to catch him. This was enough. He got out through the back of 

 the bnrn and fled to the woods. Nothing further was heard from 

 him until to-day, when Game Warden Collins received a letter 

 showing that the young man had continued his flight to West- 

 field, Mass. Safe across the State line he penned this remarkable 

 letter, which we print verbatim: 



" 'WB6TFIEDD, Mass., June S.— Ho?i. Mr. A. C. Collcns: Dear Sir 

 —Last Sunday I was in East Granby but at present i am bear I 

 went down last Sunday to th« river, 1 dident take any fish pole 

 with me but 1 cut one and thought, it no harm in catching a few 

 river roach to eat for my own supper as I hadent nothing to eat 

 only a few crackers and a pease of salt pork, I caught 2 little bass 

 & I let them go »s I dident want them. Two fishermen came up 

 the river & I soon learned that they were spotters and that at 

 sundown they were going to arrest me for fishiug And I thought 

 it pretty hard to go to jale for catching S little roach to eat That 

 Sunday was the first Sunday this year that I put a hook into any 

 waters and I shouldent then only 1 was in want of somethintr to 

 eat, My father moved to Windsor Locks & left me all a loue and 1 

 was keeping batehelers hall I dident "entend to break any law & 

 dident think 1 was doing so in catching a few roach to eat Just to 

 sustain life. I write you this letter to tell you the truth about my 

 last Sundays fishing and I hop you will with draw the rit you 

 have against me as 1 should like to go home & get my clows as I 

 have work in thisplase & want them Enclosed is a stamp I would 

 like to hear from you <fe what you have to say about it N. H.— 

 Mr Collans What I have written to you concerning my last Sun- 

 days fishing is the truth & nothing but the truth so help me god & 

 I would take my oath on the bible or i f I was to he hung up by the 

 neck this very minitt. From Tryin W. Talbot Address West- 

 field Mass' " 



It appears that aa these two men were not detectives Talbot was 

 unduly alarmed, owing no doubt to his having been once already 

 convicted by Warden Collins for unlawful trout fishing in Febru- 

 ary. 



NEWFOUNDLAND SALMON RIVERS. 



ABOLPH NIELSEN'S report to the Fish Commission on 

 the condition of the salmon rivers contains a useful 

 and timely lesson. Salmon are found to be diminishing in 

 numbers so rapidly that their extermination is a question of 

 only a very little time, unless something is speedily done to 

 protect and multiply them. The catch on Gander River not 

 many years agowas from 510 to 1,000 tierces annually. Now 

 it is' under 20 tierces. In Exploit's River the yield has 

 dropped from over 500 tierces to 50 or 60. Large' breeding 

 fish are seldom seen in the rivers; only grilse of 4 or Slbs. 

 and sea trout are taken. The causes of this rapid decline 

 are known. Eggs naturally deposited are destroyed in vast 

 quantities by fish and birds. Stake-nets prevent the salmon 

 from ascending the streams to their spawning grounds. 

 Cod traps around the headlands bounding the estuaries 

 catch most of the adult fish before they fairly leave thesea. 

 Dog Bay River is barred across its mouth by three brother's. 

 The Exploits has suffered chiefly from the operations of the 

 cod traps. Generally speaking, the barring of rivers has 

 almost annihilated the salmon. Naturally enough the su- 

 perintendent recommends the prohibition of every fishing 

 appliance except rod and line within 1% miles from the estu- 

 ary of any river for the period of five years. He urges, also, 

 the necessity of artificial propagatiou to restore the depleted 

 waters, and calls attention to the fact that, in Norway, an 

 apparatus capable of holding and developing 300,000 salmon 

 ova can be constructed at a cost of from $S0 to $100. There 

 is a good deal of doubt as to the spawning: season of the 

 salmon in Newfoundland, but in Exploits River it is sup- 

 posed to occur in the latter part of July and the month of 

 August. 



THE UTILITY OF TROUT CULTURE. 



DENVER, Col., June 12.— Editor Forest and Stream: In 

 your issue of May 29 I observe that Mr. Peirce reiter- 

 ates his belief that trout culture is a failure. He also mani- 

 fests a little disappointment because his former article did 

 not provoke or attract more attention. He does remember 

 that the paper replied briefly to his article, and that some 

 one, he "thinks in one of the Territories," answered his com- 

 munication, but he evidently attaches very little importance 

 to that answer. 1 suppose that I am the person referred to, 

 as I have seen no other contributed reference to Mr. Peirce's 

 article than mine, but I do not hail from a Territory. As- 

 suming that I am the chap that Mr. Peirce is after, I now 

 wish to give a little attention to his later communication. 



He says he believes that I '"did not elaim that any great 

 quantity had been taken, but that they had been seen dart- 

 ing about the stream." I said nothing whatever about their 

 being seen darting about, nor did I limit my statement to 

 one certain stream as Mr. Peirce assumes I did. I did cite 

 Bear Creek and a day's fishing as an example, in which the 

 fisherman took some sixty-four fish, all of which, except 

 four or five, were '"planted" fish. This was simply given as 

 an illustration of what is done in many streams. The im- 

 provement in the South Platte River and many of its moun- 

 tain tributariesismoremarkedeven than it is in Bear Creek. 

 Mr. Peirce can be supplied with a list of fifty or a hundred 

 streams if he wants it. 



Mr. Peirce appears to look at the question from a purely 

 mercenary point of view, with returns to be realized directly 

 from the fish. I respectfully submit that when a State be- 

 comes sufficiently interested in the fish question as to pro- 

 vide for their propagation and preservation, it relegates (or 

 tries to) the fish hog' to the rear, and Mr. Peirce's argument 

 no longer applies. The State puts a stop to market-fishing — 

 at least for trout. The stocking of streams with trout is. 

 as Mr. P. says, "in the interest of sport, pure and simple." 

 This is about the only point that he correctly makes. But 

 the State reaps its profit in another way, and I doubt if this 

 State makes any other investment that pays so largely or so 

 well as does its little annual appropriation for hatching and 

 distributing trout to the public streams. 



As I said in a former letter, the South Platte, with its sev- 

 eral hundred miles of fishing waters, had been almost de- 

 pleted of native trout when planting by the State was begun. 

 Now, and for two or three years past, the fishing in that 

 stream and its branches has "been so greatly improved that 

 a railway along its banks runs a special daily "fishing train" 

 during the entire fishing season. Moreover, the sport is 

 good, and certainly many more than half the fish caught 

 are the planted Eastern brook trout. Now, Mr. Peirce will 

 ask, "How do you know?" "We know just as readily as he 

 can distinguish a negro from a white man. Our native 

 trout are black-spotted, spring spawners. The planted 

 ones have crimson and yellow spots and are autumu spawn- 

 ers. There can be no mistake. The State, or the people, 

 reap profit upon the outlay by the influx of visitors, sports- 

 men, tourists; by full hotels, increased trade, more railway 

 trains, crowded stages, ready market for farm and garden 

 products, work for laborers, etc., etc. Cannot Mr. P. see it 

 in this light? It does pay a profit. 



Now a few words about the cost and return of raising 

 trout for market — necessarily in private waters. Mr. Peirce 

 says there has never been a pound of trout raised in America 



that did not cost a dollar and that was worth more than 

 twenty- five cents when raised. I don't know just the ex- 

 pense of raising trout, but I do know that quite a number 

 of people hereabouts are engaged in the business, and they 

 stick to it. In fact there is a demand for land and water 

 suitable for the purpose by more people who want to engage 

 in the business. I had an application for such a lease within 

 the past week. In our spring water the Eastern trout, with 

 fair care, grows to two pounds weight in two years. 1 have 

 seen them pull down two and a quarter pounds at twenty 

 mouths after hatching. In some of the little land-looked 

 mountain lakes they grow even faster, and there without 

 artificial feed. The common price for such fish in our mar- 

 ket is seventy-five cents per pound. 



Mr. Peirce mourns a life wasted trying to raise dollar 

 trout to sell at twenty-five cents. He ought to have con- 

 fined his ambitiou to the nurture of "mud cats," or found a 

 better market. If he will come out here we will show him 

 how to raise trout, as well as how to catch, cook and eat 

 both wild and tame ones. He won't even have to risk his 

 life in a Territory. ¥m. N. Byjgks. 



THE LOBSTER IN NEWFOUNDLAND. 



ACCORDING to the last report nf the Fisheries Commis- 

 sion, 5,000,000 lobsters, worth §180,000, have been caught 

 in a year in Placentia Bay. Forty canneries valued at about 

 $100,000 are engaged in utilizing this catch. Some of the 

 bays uniformly furnish larger lobsters than others, and a 

 variation is observed in the leugth of the spawuiug season. 

 Owing to the want of a close, season, and the. multiplication 

 of canneries, the lobster is diminishing rapidly in size and 

 abundance. Mr. Nielsen, therefore, recommends a close sea- 

 sou, and would fix the time in Fortune and Placentia Bays, 

 from July 15 to Sep. 20, and in Trinity and Conception Bays, 

 from July 15 to Sep. 15. The hatching establishment on 

 Dildo Island has been used for the artificial culture of lob- 

 sters. Mr. Nielsen discovered that the lobster has two spawn- 

 ing seasons, the larger ones maturing their eggs from July 

 15 to Aug. 15, and the smaller and medium sized ones dur- 

 ing the latter part of October and in November. The eggs 

 were obtained from the factories, and were thus saved from 

 destruction, and developed in great numbers. In addition 

 to t he apparatus copied from that used by the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission, the Superintendent has constructed floating hatch- 

 ing boxes, for use at the canneries. As a result of the first 

 season's work, 4,039,000 embryo lobsters were liberated at 

 various localities around the head of Trinity Bay. It is not 

 a fact that this is the greatest number hatched in a single 

 season, by any country. We have already recorded in For- 

 est and Stream a larger output by the U. S. Government 

 from the Wood's Holl station. The first eggs for the Dildo 

 hatchery were obtained in Green's Harbor, Trinity Bay, 

 July 19 and hatched July £4. Others were brought from 

 Long Harbor, Placentia Bay. During August lobsters be- 

 came scarce, and after the beginning of September none but 

 green eggs were found. To hatch these, it would have re- 

 quired a couple of months. No method of rearing young 

 lobsters in confinement has yet been discovered. They will 

 not eat small crustaceans, except of thei r own species. To 

 such an extent does cannibalism prevail among them, that 

 their liberation soon after hatching is necessary to their 

 continued existence. By way of experiment, 200,000 lobsters 

 just free from the egg, were placed in an aquarium at Wood's 

 Holl, and food of various kinds was offered them. They 

 preferred, however, to devour one another, and at the end of 

 two weeks only four lobsters remained alive. 



ROCK BASS AND CATFISH IN GERMANY.— Max 

 von dem Borne, of Berneuchen, has issued a neat little 

 pamphlet: which bears on its cover and title page a figure 

 of our well-known rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), and 

 contains a brief account of the successful introduction, in 

 1887, of this favorite game fish into Germany. In February, 

 iSSt, twenty rock bass, measuring from lin. to 1 l-5in. in 

 length, were sent from Wytheville. Va., to von dem Borne. 

 In lSS'J twelve remained alive and bred freely, so that the 

 wider distribution of the species in German waters is prac- 

 tically assured. The pamphlet gives a brief sketch of the 

 nomenclature, habits, food, edible qualities, spawning sea- 

 son, spawning habits, and principal baits used in the cap- 

 ture of the fish. A similar pamphlet deals with the Schuyl- 

 kill cat or horned pout forwarded to Germany by Prof. 

 Baird in the summer of 1885, and now regarded as acclima- 

 tized in its waters. The species is the common Amiurus 

 netnrtosus of the books. Germany can boast of the biggest 

 catfish of the world, so that the American stranger will be 

 overshadowed in size, but it will make up the difference in 

 numbers and longevity, and doubtless will continue to be 

 in Germany, as in America, "bei Damen und Kindern als 

 Sportfisch beliebt." 



TRANSFER OF RED-THROAT TROUT.— The first in- 

 troduction of black-spotted trout from Colorado into Eastern 

 waters was affected by the U. S. Fish Commission June 14, 

 when seventy-six individuals averaging about lOin. in 

 length were safely landed at Wytheville, Va. This is one 

 of the varieties or the red-throat which is characteristic of 

 the Rocky Mountain and Cascade regions and extends into 

 Alaska. It promises to become a favorite game fish, and 

 we trust it will speedily become acclimatized in the East. 

 In weight this variety often reaches 8 or lOlbs.. and it fur- 

 nishes wholesome food and rare sport. The East has no 

 native species of black spotted trout. 



" SUMMER TOURS, 1890," 



Is the title of the new illustrated summer tourist book of the 

 Michigan Central, "The Niagara Falls Route." It is a practical 

 guide and profusely illustrated. Sent to any address on receipt 

 of 6 cents postage by O. W. RtrGGLES, G. P. & T. Agt., Chicago, 111. 



Milk Fever in Cows.— There's always a wan t for a medicine 

 of proved reliability, we thought, observing the great demand 

 among our farmers for Humphreys' Specific A. A. for milk fever 

 in cows: and being interested, having cows of our own, we sent a 

 representative of the press to interview Mr. White, a gentleman 

 well known for integrity and worth, and residing in Dover Plains, 

 N. Y., feeling sure that he would act upon the principle, if you 

 know a good thing tell it. and let your friends have the benefit. 

 "Yes," said Mr. White cheerfully, "1 have been using Humphreys 1 

 Specific. A. A. for milk fever in cows, and with slpendid 

 results, and my belief is that if the directions in Humphreys' 

 Veterinary Book are strictlv carried out every case of milk fever 

 could be promptly cured. I am now using the A. A. as a preven- 

 tive, and do not expect to have another case in a herd of 130 

 cows."— Delaware Dairyman. 



A Book About Indians.— The Forest and Steeam will mail 

 free on application a descriptive circular of Mr. GrinnelTs book, 

 "Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales," givinc a table of contents 

 and specimen illustrations from the volume.— Adv. 



Names and Portraits of Birds, by Gurdon Trumbuu. A 

 book particularly interesting to gunners, for by its use they can 

 Identify without question all the American game birds which 

 they may kill. Cloth, 220 pages, price 82.50. For sale by Forest 

 and Stream. 



Forest and Stream. Box 2,832, N. Y. city, has dessriptive illus- 

 trated circulars of W. B. Leffingwell's book, "Wild Fowl Shoot- 

 ing." which will be mailed free on request. The book is pro- 

 nounced by "Nanit." "Gloan," "Dick Swl voile r," "Sybil lene" und 

 other competent author! ties to he the best treatise on the aobjeot 

 extant. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Sept. 2 to i — Dog Show of the Midland Central Fair Associa- 

 tion, at Kingston, Out. R. W. Meek, Secretary. 



Sept. 2 to 5.— Third Annual Dog Show of the Michigan Kennel 

 Club, at Det roit, Mich. M. V. B. Saunders, Secretary. 



Sept. 15 to 19.— Second Annual International Dog Show of the 

 Industial Exhibition Association at Toronto, Canada. C. A. Stone, 

 Secretarv. 



Sept. 23 to 26.— Second Annual Dok Show of the Central Canada 

 Exhibition Association, at Ottawa. Alfred Ocddcs, Chairman 

 Committee. 



Oct. 6 to 11.— Ninth Annual Dog Show of the Danbury Agricul- 

 tural Societv, at Danhurv Conn. B. C. Lynes, Secretary. 



Dec. 30 to Jan. 3, 1891.— First Dog Show of the Buckeye Poultry 

 and Pet Stock Association, at Canton, O. James Sterling, Sec'y, 

 39 North Market street. 



FIELD TRIALS. 

 November.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Brunswick Fur 

 Club, at, Brunswick, Me. J. H. Baird, Secretary, Auburndale, 



Nov. 3.— Fourth Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennel 

 Club, at Carlisle, Ind. P. T. Madison, Indianapolis, Ind., Sec'y. 



Nov. 10.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Canadian Kennel 

 Club, at Chalham, Out. C. A. Stone, Toronto, Ont., Secretarv. 



Nov. 17.— Twelfth Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, at Otterburn Springs, Va. W. A. Coster, Saratogo 

 Springs, N. Y., Secretary. 



Dec. 1.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Central Field Trials 

 Club, at Lexington, N. C. C. H. Odell, Mills Building, New York, 

 Secretary. 



1891. 



Jan. 19.— Eighth Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Kennel Club, 

 at Bakersfield, Cal. H. H. Briggs, Secretary. 



Feb. 3.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field Trials 

 Club. T. M. Brunby, Secretary. Marietta, Oa. 



COURSING. 



Oct. 21 to 25.— Fifth Annual Meet of the American Coursing 

 Club, at Great Bend, Kan. I. D. Brougher, Secretary. 



A. K. C. MANAGEMENT. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The clique which is now controlling the American Kennel 

 Club is endeavoring, and has been for the last year, to im- 

 press upon the dog men and breeders of this country that I 

 am fighting the American Kennel Club, and that 1 am op- 

 posed to the said club. Such is not the case. I am now, and 

 always have been, a firm believer in the American Kennel 

 Club. Such a club in this country (if we expect to improve, 

 and encourage the breeding and preservation of the pedi- 

 grees of thoroughbred dogs, and the successful holding not 

 only of bench shows, but field trials) is an absolute necessity. 

 That is. we should have an American Kennel Club exist- 

 ing, and recognized throughout the country as a governing 

 body— a governing club that not only local clubs, but every 

 breeder and exhibitor should encourage, respect and obey— 

 a club founded by and with the consent of all the local 

 clubs— a club founded upon the theory of right, and whose 

 laws and rules should in all cases be executed with practi- 

 cal and impartial justice. 



When Mr. Elliott Smith of New York, was elected presi- 

 dent of the American Kennel Club, he entered upon the 

 discharge of his duties as such president, and brought to 

 that chair with himself dignity and grace, which were ever 

 evinced by his impartial discharge of the duties of that 

 office. No delegate could ever determine from the actions 

 or manner of Mr. Smith what his individual feelings were 

 upon any motion or resolution pending before that club. 



Mr. Smith never had the impudence to vacate that chair 

 and advocate the adoption or reject) en of any resolution or 

 motion pending before that body, and never while he was 

 president (except in one instance) did he ever address the 

 delegates who under the constitution have the management 

 of the club, and that was when he was called upon by rea- 

 son of a tie vote to cast the deciding vote, when he arose 

 from his chair and standing by it gave his reasons for his 

 vote. 



Mr. Smith's impartiality has ever been remembered, not 

 only by his friends, or the delegates who voted for him, but 

 also by those delegates who voted against him for that 

 position. 



Alter Mr. Smith's resignation, Mr. Child, of the Phila- 

 delphia Kennel Club, was elected president of the American 

 Kennel Club. The dignity and grace, as well as the impar- 

 tiality possessed by Mr. Smith, were again brought to the 

 chair during the administration of Mr. Child, and when 

 he resigned from the position to which be had been elected, 

 no delegate could say that duriug the time he occupied the 

 chair that he ever in any way influenced the action of any 

 delegate upon any motion or resolution pending before that 

 body. 



Upon the resignation of Mr. Child, the writer of this ar- 

 ticle nominated the present president, Mr. August Belmont, 

 Jr., for the position, which had been so ably filled and im- 

 partially administrated by Mr. Smith and Mr. Child. Mr. 

 Belmont was elected, and since that time, the writer is sorry 

 to say that the position of president has become a total 

 stranger to dignity, grace and impartiality. The present 

 president has from that time considered that it is his duty 

 to not only preside and to decide such questions as may 

 come before him, and then to vacate his chair, call some 

 trusty member to fill the position, while he makes a stump 

 speech either for or against almost every resolution or 

 motion that may, can, or does come before the board. 



The president of the American Kennel Club is not a dele- 

 gate, and should not be a delegate, and it never was in- 

 tended by the framers of the constitution that he should 

 have any of the powers possessed by a delegate, except in 

 case of "a tie vote. His duties are defined by the constitu- 

 tion, and the moment he leaves the chair that moment his 

 duties within the board cease. He is not elected the presi- 

 dent of this club, or that club, of this delegate, or that dele- 

 gate; and he should not in any wav by word, action or deed, 

 use the influence of his office to influence the action of any 

 delegate upon any motion or resolution pending before the 

 board. 



He is young, and with time may improve, and as I con- 

 sider him in every way worthy of my personal feelings, as I 

 do every animal, be it man, insect or reptile, even the insect 

 with a sting in his tail or the reptile with poison in his 

 mouth, or even the reptile who in a coil of himself makes 

 his own lair and gulps up and emits a slime, which is read- 

 ily devoured by those of his clan with not only seeming sat- 

 isfaction, but joy. Even unto this one mypersonal feelings 

 extend for his'future and continued enjoyment of "health, 

 wealth and wisdom." 



That I now am, and have been for some time, opposed to 

 the management of the American Kennel Club, every breeder 

 in the country is well aware. 



About §13,000 annually are now gathered in from the dog < 

 men and breeders of this country, and expended at No. 44 

 Broadway, New York, by the secretary, the assistant secre- 

 tary, the type-writer, the boy in waiting, and the firm of 

 printers employed by the clique to do the work. That the 

 dog meu and breeders get absolutely nothing for this money, 

 we all must admit. The stud book, which should come out 

 quarterly, took about fifteen months in getting to us. 



A stud book is a necessity, and we should have it every 

 quarter. 



The Kennel Gazette, which makes its appearance monthly, 

 is not only of no value to the breeder, but in itself is one of 

 his greatest enemies. 



