74 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Attg, 14, 1890. 



A VISIT TO A FAMOUS KENNEL. 



A TWELVE hours' ride via Lehigh Valley Railroad, 

 through the most picturesque parts of New Jersey, 

 Pennsylvania and New York — the very Switzerland of 

 America— brings one to that lovely little hamlet, Covert, 

 situated near Seneca Lake, New York. A few days' vaca- 

 tion being allowed me, I accepted the invitation of Mr. C. S. 

 Wixom, of the Hornell-Harmony Kennels, to visithim, and 

 a right royal time I did have. We were met on the arrival 

 of the train by our genial host and hostess, and riding be- 

 hind a spanking pair of horses were soon at their house, 

 which rests on the brow of a great hill and from whose 

 broad piazza the placid waters of that lovely Seneca Lake 

 are in full view, seen over the tops of tall trees among whose 

 friendly branches many a partridge is wont to light, flushed 

 by the busy little cockers so much in use among the hills. 

 Here, too, among these hills the woodcock seeks his cover, 

 while the rabbit, chased by six or eight couples of beagles, 

 giviug forth their merry music as they hunt, finds ways to 

 elude his pursuers, and so save his soft skin. 



No mau is a sportsman who does not first want a cursory 

 glance at each new and noted dog he may chance to know of, 

 even though his dinner may be in readiness; so not waiting 

 while our hostess was overseeing the repast that was beine 

 prepared for us, hungry though we were, we gave one little 

 peep into each stall in the kennels, one look into each of the 

 yards, so as not to lose sight of a single beauty, and then 

 once more sought the shelter of the hospitable roof, where 

 the table, laden with the sweetest and freshest of viands, 

 tempted us to "eat hearty." The glorious air about this 

 lovely home, high on the hills and far away from all sound 

 of horses' hoofs "o'er flinty pavements, whetted our appetites 

 till it seemed as if the end would never be, which comment 

 on our part only caused increased merriment and pleasure 

 to our entertainers. 



All good things must have an end, and so did this our 

 first meal at Covert. The chairs were pushed back, the 

 cigar box went the rounds and next we. were all found on the 

 front piazza, feasting our eyes upon the glorious landscape 

 that was laid out before *us, breathing the life-giving air 

 and feeling a life here away from the turmoil and worry of 

 the hot city would be doubly worth the living. The ashes 

 having repeatedly fallen from our cigars gave us warning 

 their usefulness or soothing influence had gone. So up we. 

 arose as one, and would you believe it, Though not one 

 word having been said as to where we should go, like a com- 

 pany of soldiers we marched straight to the kennels. 



The first thing that struck us most forcibly upon entering 

 the kennels was the extreme cleanliness that was every- 

 where to be observed. The floors were perfectly clean, the 

 stalls were whitewashed, sides, bottoms and tops, not a 

 cobweb nor little pile of dust to be seen anywhere. The dogs 

 were all fat, sleek and healthy, and from one end to the 

 other of the yard or kennel not a single sickly or moping 

 one was to be seen, showing that cleanliness and good sub- 

 stantial food keep them as they should be. The food is 

 varied, and here agaiu we see the good results of it. In a 

 house by itself, known as the cook house, we find a large 

 stove filled to its utmost capacity with wood, where a fire 

 is kept burning all day. Oatmeal mixed with cornmeal or 

 wheat is "set" each night with yeast, and the following day 

 is put in pans and thoroughly baked. While the baking is 

 going on a great wash-boiler is filled with scraps from the 

 butcher's, consisting of sheep and cows' heads, hearts, 

 knuckles, livers, etc. These are all boiled together for 

 hours till the meat falls from the bones, when the boiler is 

 taken off and the stew allowed to cool. At feeding time the 

 bread is broken up in small pieces and five large pails are 

 tilled with it. Over this the rich soup is poured, and when 

 served to the dogs it is wonderful to see the relish with 

 which it is devoured by them. The next day milk is served 

 with the bread instead of the soup, and this too disappears 

 with a rapidity that would astonish some of our friends who 

 feed their favorites on cake and dainties. Three times each 

 day the puppies are fed, while the grown dogs get their 

 meal at 5 P. M. regularly. The way they romp and tear 

 about, play and run after feeding would do your heart good 

 to see. Then one by one they glide off to their respective 

 benches, and by 6 o'clock they are all at rest, and quiet 

 reigns supreme. 



The kennels are the most perfectly arranged and conveni- 

 ent that I ever saw. The beagles occupy the first room, the 

 greyhound puppies the second, the Russians the third, while 

 the full-grown greyhounds control the fourth. Each room 

 is separated from the other by a high boarding, above which 

 to the ceiling, wire screens do service. The beagles have a 

 playground about the size of two of our city lots, the pup- 

 pies each another such, while the greyhounds have still 

 greater latitude. In the center is the hospital, a good-sized 

 room provided with a stove, medicine chest, surgical instru- 

 ments, a comfortable lounge for the watcher, and high 

 raised bunks for the patients. In completeness and. con- 

 venience I never saw a kennel to equal it, and I have seen 

 many. 



Though there is evidently plenty of yard and kennel room 

 for all the dogs (some 60 in number), Mr. Wixom is deter- 

 mined to give them still larger quarters, and is now building 

 another kennel (40x20x10) some 50yds. in the rear of the ones 

 just described, and in the very center of an orchard where 

 the dogs will have good shade in summer and be protected 

 from northern winds in winter. It will contain eight stalls 

 only, each opening out into a large yard, and will be used 

 for bitches during service or in whelp and puppies. 



We first inspected the beagles, and here we found many a 

 good one, both dog and bitch. The pride of them all is that 

 lovely specimen champion Royal Krueger, the very cock of 

 the walk, not only on account of his bench performances, 

 but of his field work as well. Of good size, with best of 

 legs, feet, back, coat, a head as near perfect as a dog's can 

 be, we find this great stud dog and prize winner ruling the 

 roost. Then over in the corner sits champion Una picking 

 a bone, while champion Myrtle looks on complacently and 

 wishes she, too, had one Joan W. and Baby W. are trying 

 conclusions at a race round the yard, while Whisker, that 

 good young dog, feels now that he is standing at the stud, 

 entirely too elated to join them. That perfect-beaded little 

 Ava sits in her nest quietly acting the r61e of mother to her 

 little three-weeks-old puppies, while Elf, that recent val- 

 uable acquisition, looks up as if to say "me too, by and 

 by." The sight of this kennel of beagles is worth traveling 

 miles to see, and one would travel still further to see them 

 at full cry on a lead fox's scent. Three times during my 

 visit were we treated to a chase. The gradual slope from 

 the house in front gave us a grand view, and as the dew 

 was falling the fox was unboxed and over the fields he was 

 lead for more than half an hour. Then our host "let slip 

 the dogs of war," and away went those little chaps, keen- 

 scented, never losing the track for more than a second with- 

 out returning to it or finding it, which fact was heralded by 

 a wild burst of merry music. On several occasions so closely 

 did they work that the whole six couples could have been 

 covered' with a blanket. Two tame foxes are kept by the 

 kennel man, and are used to exercise the beagles with or 

 occasionally run the foxhounds. 



In the breeding kennels we find Harmony, the beautiful 

 greyhound bitch, and worthy daughter of champion Double- 

 shot— champion Clio, which Mr. H. W. Huntington holds 

 the credit of having bred. She is undoubtedly the best 

 American-bred bitch ever shown, and her long list of 

 winnings in good company endorse our opinion, while her 

 winning or dividing third" and fourth prizes at the Eastern 

 Coursing Club's meet, proves her to be most excellent in the 

 field. She is at present nursing a litter of ten as fine puppies 

 as one could wish to see,while champion Memnon, that grand 



old dog, looks quietly on and declares his usefulness is not 

 yet gone. In the next nest we find the pointer Natation 

 (Nick of Naso— Temptation) obeying the motherly instincts 

 and nursing her five puppies; great big fellows they are too, 

 strong and healthy, pure white, save that some have orange 

 or liver markings." 



Hazelburst, that divided third and fourth prizes with 

 Harmony, also bred by Mr. Huntington, is a worthy son of 

 champion Balkis— champion Cassandra. He has greatly im- 

 prover 1 si n ce la st we saw him , and wh en another coursing m eet 

 is held rest assured he will be heard from. Fannie M. is the 

 only lady of this kennel, and she will soon take Harmony's 

 bench, as she is due shortly to whelp to champion Memnon. 

 Memnon, though nowretired after a long and eminently suc- 

 cessful career, looks and acts as young as the youngest. 

 His eyes are as bright as a kitten's, and as watchful and rest- 

 less as ever. The constitution of the dog is marvelous and, 

 were it but for his teeth, he would take a deal of beating 

 now. He is a hale and hearty old man and retains much 

 of his youthful vigor. 



The spaniel champion, Hornell Ruby, roams at large 

 among all the dogs, proud of having been the mother of the 

 lovely Velda. Bessie W., a collie of no mean quality and 

 coat, basks in the sun. while not attending to the sheep and 

 cattle, and soon will be seeking her nest where she may 

 nurse her family of little ones. She has a most excellent 

 coat, good legs and feet, and intelligence that is almost 

 human. Little Royal Krueger, a three-months-old son of 

 Royal Krueger, is beyond all question the fin est beagle pup I 

 ever saw. His markings, are perfect, his head very good, 

 his spread of ears great, while his body and legs are all 

 that could be desired in any dog. Mr. Wixom has repeat- 

 edly refused $50 for him, and he came near being sold for $75, 

 at which price he is held. He will make some of our beagle 

 judges hustle a good deal to find a better when he enters 

 the show ring. 



For miles and miles around the country, people flock to 

 see the much-talked-of Russian greyhounds that now adorn 

 this kennel. They are now the very center of attraction, and 

 the universal admiration expressed I fear would make them 

 very haughty were they able to understand our language. 

 They have greatly improved since their trip of three 

 weeks was accomplished, and are as lively as crickets 

 while taking on flesh very rapidly. Between Vladimir 

 and Irma it is now a very close thing; they are both pure 

 white, with deep orange markings. The entire importation 

 is possessed of first-class feet and legs, great bone, good 

 strong pasterns, coats that would set a setter man all ablaze, 

 while their heads are simply beautiful, their eyes being dark 

 hazel and as soft and mellow as a Jersey's. If this breed of 

 dogs is what it is said to be by the Russians, it is beyond all 

 doubt due to the sort of treatment the Russians are said to 

 give to their subjects or servants. A dog with such eyes as 

 these have cannot be otherwise than gentle and affectionate; 

 and, though they were very timid when they arrived, they 

 now are fearless, full of life, and overflowing with affection 

 and gentle ways, that prove beyond doubt the falsity of 

 their traducers' statements. 



I know little of this breed of dogs excepting from what I 

 have read. Taking the present standard of the English 

 greyhound in matter of conformation, their uses being 

 nearly identical, it seems to me it would puzzle a good judge 

 to decide which is the better, Vladimir or Irma. They 

 are so near alike that one has to look twice to dr.cide which 

 is which. The dog's head is simply phenomenal, being 

 iOJ^in. from tip of nose to occiput, while Irma's measures 

 9%., The dog, again, stands ST^in. at shoulder (standard 

 measure), while the bitch is only lin. lower. Judging from 

 their frames it is very doubtful if either will reach maturity 

 or be fully filled out before it is two years old. As they 

 are now but five months old and measure 27j^in., it is more 

 than likely their matured height will be something like 36in. 

 They all had a very bad dose of distemper beiore leav- 

 ing England, which no doubt retarded somewhat their 

 growth. As to coats, from all I have heard it seems to me 

 theirs is about perfect. The hair is long (some of Vladi- 

 mir's measuring 4^in.), soft, and as flat and straight as flax, 

 in marked contrast to some that I have seen, which was as 

 curly as a water spaniel's. 



Every attention is being given these dogs, and when they 

 make their debut I predict for them a most generous recep- 

 tion, and later on a most successful career. That they will 

 become universal favorites is an assured fact beyond all 

 question. Their symmetrical heads and expressive eyes, 

 their graceful outlines and lovely soft coats will gain for 

 them numberless friends. When last I saw them they were 

 romping in their yards. Now I saw a white streak flash by 

 me, followed by still another; then all of a sudden the two 

 were mingled together and looked like a great ball of white 

 floss rolling about the grass. Their movements are quicker, 

 it seems to me, than of the English greyhounds, and their 

 strength of bone and powerful jaws are sufficient to make 

 any wolf fly for his life on their approach. These puppies 

 are of the much-talked-of Krilutt-Elsie litter, and of which 

 so much has been written. They are a great credit to both 

 sire and dam; and as Krilutt's stud fee has been doubled, it 

 will readily be seen how valuable a dog he must be at the 

 stud, while on the bench his record is too well known to be 

 disputed. He is to-day acknowledged to be the best Russian 

 in England, and the owner of Elsie was very wise in his 

 selection of sire. Two more of this litter are soon to leave 

 England for America in company with Elsie, who remained 

 there in order to be again bred to Krilutt. As I am a firm 

 believer that when on first being bred a bitch shows she 

 nicks well with a stud dog, she should again be bred 

 to the same dog, and every subsequent litter will be better, 

 I shall look forward to this second litter with much pleas- 

 ure and hope to see my belief confirmed. Highland. 



THE COLLIE OR SHEEP DOG. 



1%/TR. RAWDON LEE has published a monograph of the 

 ItJL collie that is the most complete history of the breed 

 extant. Mr. Lee is a very pleasant writer and the pages of 

 the book are replete with iuterest, not only to fanciers, but 

 to the general reader as well. The history of the breed is 

 concisely written and contains all that is important from 

 earliest time up to the present day. The writer takes no 

 stock in the tradition that the black and tan collie obtained 

 his color through a cross with the Gordon setter, and thus 

 treats the matter: * * * * "There was a nonsensical idea 

 that the black and tan sheep dogs obtained their color 

 through crossing with the Gordon setter. There is no doubt 

 the contrary was the case and that the Gordon setter had his 

 coat and sensibility improved by being crossed with the 

 Highland sheep dog." 



Mr. Lee is positive in the belief that bench shows have 

 been detrimental to the collie, as far as their working qual- 

 ities are concerned, and treats the subject as follows: 



"The shepherd's dog, when properly traiued, is as good in 

 his work now as at any previous period of his history; bet- 

 ter, perhaps. It must not, however, be taken for granted 

 that the collie, as he is uow seen, obtaining valuable prizes 

 at our canine exhibitions, is the exact counterpart of the 

 dog met with on the sheep farms, and without whom the 

 shepherd could not do his work. There are distinctions be- 

 tween the two. The former has been kept for his beauty 

 alone, and most likely for generations his ancestors had 

 never known what it was to assist the farmer in his duties. 

 So his descendants gradually drop out of the work, and 

 when they come to be trained are not nearly so docile and 

 intelligent as they would have been had all their progenitors 

 been good workers. 



"A young pointer or setter will often intuitively stand 

 game on the very first occasion be may scent, it, a faculty , 



which has been handed down to him from generation to gen- 

 eration from dogs that have always been trained to do the 

 same thing. A retriever puppy for a similar reason is nev«r 

 happy unless he is carrying something in his mouth. Ne- 

 glect to keep up this seeming intuition in the pointer, setter 

 or retriever, and see what the result will be in the course of 

 a few generations. The puppy will no longer point or draw 

 upon game naturally, aud his education will be ten times 

 as difficult to consummate as it would have been had the old 

 conditions been continued. 



"Thus it is with the modern exhibition-bred collie as com- 

 pared with the one that has been kept and reared for work 

 alone, and produced from parents whose capabilities and 

 excellencies in this respect have been of the highest. We 

 occasionally see at the various trials with sheep held in 

 different parts of the country, a rather handsome dog that 

 is a fairly good worker, but such is the exception, and I am 

 sorry to write that, so far as shepherding is concerned with 

 the collie, the handsomest dogs are usually the worst work- 

 ers, at any rate in public. Some exhibitors will tell you 

 how splendidly trained to sheep or cattletheir prize winners 

 are, but if they be so such performances do not appear in 

 public. Attendances for many years at some of the principal 

 trials have led me to form this opinion. Indeed, on occa- 

 sions, the duty has devolved upon me of awarding a special 

 prize for the handsomest dog that has worked his sheep to 

 the satisfaction of the judges, and such prizes, excepting in 

 one or two instances that may be alluded to later on, have 

 always gone to dogs that could not have obtained more than 

 a he. card at any dog show in the kingdom. There are. cases 

 where good-looking dogs, bred from prize winners on the 

 bench, have been entered on the off chance of the judges 

 allowing them to compete for the 'beauty prize,' irrespec- 

 tive of their work in the field; but the latter is generally so 

 bad that the exhibition-bred animal is not allowed to enter 

 the ring at the end of the day when this special honor is to 

 be awarded. 



"Of course I do not mean to infer that the handsome prize 

 winner will not work at all, my contention merely being 

 that he cannot perform his duty so well through lack of 

 opportunity in his progenitors, as the more common-place 

 creature, whose ancestors have spent all their lives among 

 the flocks, A properly bred collie will take to his work as 

 naturally as a sporting dog will take to his; and I very 

 much regret that the Collie Club has not done as much for 

 the working capacity of its idol as it has toward'.beautifying 

 and improving his appearance. Some of the very best work- 

 ing shepherd dogs I have ever seen have been small light- 

 limbed animals, active and fleet, owning intelligent faces, 

 and with such short wiry coats as to lead one to suspect a 

 not very remote cross of the terrier, which the farmer has 

 kept to assist in destroying the rats, or to help the hunts- 

 man when he brings his scratch hounds round to make a 

 raid upon the foxes. At the trials the smooth-coated dogs 

 as a rule more nearly approach show bench form than do 

 their rough -jacketed cousins, for speed and endurance are 

 required rather than long woolly coats, huge 'frills', and 

 'brushes' big enough to disgrace the best that ever hung 

 behind the boldest of bold reynards." 



Mr. Lee devotes a chapter each to the smooth-coated and 

 bobtailed sheep dog, his remarks upon the latter variety 

 being especially interesting. 



Sheep dog trials are earnestly advocated by the author, 

 and the chapter devoted to them contains their complete 

 history, together with the rules governing them. There is 

 also a chapter ou the collie clubs, with standard and scale 

 of points; and an excellent chapter on management, which 

 alone is worth more than the price of the book to the 

 breeder. 



THE A. K. C. AFFAIRS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In reply to Mr. Watson's two letters, which have ap- 

 peared in Forest and Stream, regarding the finances of 

 the A. K. O, permit me to say that while there is nothing 

 contained in any of his letters since he has become the 

 acknowledged champion of the clique's methods in manag- 

 ing the A. K. C. affairs, as his statements, or conclusions 

 which he claims to have arrived at, are in no way supported 

 by the known facts. The dog men of this country to-day, 

 notwithstanding the fact that figures have been thrown at 

 us from Philadelphia, Boston and perhaps Rahway, have no 

 more knowledge of the true condition of the management of 

 the affairs of the club than they had months ago. 



Mr. Watson has now become the favorite at 44 Broadway. 

 He goes there and from the private account book which was 

 kept by Mr. 1-do-not-know-how-much-I-got Lewis, he obtains 

 figures and throws them at us from Philadelphia, through 

 the Forest and Stream. 



What the dog men have been expecting, and what they 

 are entitled to as a matter of right, are the items of receipts 

 and expenditures of the club for the year ending Dec. 31, 

 1888. There is no disguising the fact that the annual report 

 made by Mr. Vrfdenburgh for that year is a faked one, 

 while even Mr. Cugle would be fully entitled to call it faked, 

 for upon my life it is the worst piece of cooking I have ever 

 come across, and Mr. Vredenburgh must take Carlyle's 

 estimate of dog men, and believe they are mostly fools, all 

 fools, apparently, when he asks us to accept his statement 

 as correct. Now, I don't want Mr. Watson to accuse me of 

 plagiarism, so 1 will remind him of this fact, that if he will 

 look at the file of the Sporting Life for 1888 he will find 

 that a correspondent who signed himself "Porcupine," used 

 about this same language when Mr. Vredenburgh made his 

 annual report for 1887, and in that report Mr. Vredenburgh 

 gave a tabulated statement showing the entire receipts and 

 the sources whence they came, as well as a tabulated state- 

 ment of the expenses; he then certified that it was correct. 

 Will the present Mr, Watson, or the late Mr. "Porcupine," 

 now explain to us why he used that language at that time 

 about a statement that covered the entire period and was so 

 full and so-satisfactory, and now at this time attempts to 

 bolster up an annual report which simply says "balance on 

 hand, $1,228.28?" 



It does not make any difference to me whose money was 

 used in the juggle— whether it was Mr. Belmont's, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Vreden burgh's statement, or Mr. Lewis's money, 

 according to Mr. Watson and Dr. Perry. I said long ago in 

 a letter, and have repeatedly said so, that these accounts 

 were juggled, and that Mr. Vredenburgh would never over 

 his own signature give us the items of receipts and expen- 

 ditures for the year 1888. 



Mr. Watson invited me to go with him to the A. K. C. 

 office aud I might ask him questions aud he would answer 

 them from the books. Mr. Vredenburgh is supposed to be 

 the treasurer of the club, and for his services the dog men 

 of this country pay him $1,500 a year; and every man who is 

 a member of a local club, or a breeder who sends his money 

 to 44 Broadway, is entitled to know what is done by the 

 management with the funds they send and the condition of 

 the club; and it is the duty of this $1,500 a year secretary- 

 treasurer to make such a report that a man of ordinary in- 

 telligence may understand it. 



All the writing that Mr. Watson can do in favor of these 

 faked i-eports and all the writing that lean do against these 

 faked reports will never settle in the minds of the breeders 

 the condition of the club's affairs. A large majority of the 

 breeders have no confidence in the present management, and 

 if the officials cannot keep their books correctly and even go 

 so far as to fake the minutes of their proceedings, can the 

 breeders hope to have any confidence in pedigrees of our 

 stock which come from such a course? 



Will Mr, Vredenburgh kindly give us the figures going to 

 make up the sum $1,228.28; and then certify that it is correct? 

 JmWY OjTT, N P J Aug, 10. PEBHAhL, 



