March 81, 1893,] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



SOS 



California trout, to Perch Pond at Carnpton, 10,000, making 

 a grand total o£ trout and salmon fry from the Plymouth 

 hatchery of 980,000, not iucluding 20,000 transferred to Sun- 

 apee station. There were 550.000 lake trout fry distributed 

 from the Bristol station: 710,000 from the Laconia station 

 besides 50,000 transferred to Kpene. Sunapee station dis- 

 tributed 68,000 brook trout: 75,000 golden trout: 75,000 land- 

 locked salmon; 10,000 Loch Leven trout.laud 10.000 California 

 trout. Keene station distributed 50.000 lake trout. 



In the appendix State detective,, B. P. Chad wick reports 

 upon the enforcement of the fish and game laws. A number 

 of parties charged with violations of these laws were taken 

 before the courts and fined in sums rangiug from $10 to $120, 

 and costs. Mr. Chadwick concludes that the "business of 

 killing trout while on the spawning grounds does more in- 

 jury to our lake fisheries than does the taking by hook and 

 line of all the fish caught. The subject is an important one, 

 and I trus'.tyour honorable board will take active, measures 

 to further protect the fisheries in the spawning season." 



The report is signed by George W. Riddle, Elliott B. 

 Hodge and Willard H. Griffiu, Fish and Game Commis- 

 sioners. 



ARTIFICIAL LANDLOCKING OF SCOTCH 

 SALMON. 



I SENT Forest AKD Stream a communication the other 

 day on the spawning of Atlantic salmon that had been 

 artificially reared at the Craig's Brook station of the U. S. 

 Fish Commission and had never been to sea. 



I find an impression prevails that this is something en- 

 tirely new in fishculture, and knowing this to be incorrect 

 T have taken pains to look up what information I had on 

 the subject of a prior achievement in the same line of fish- 

 cultural effort. My only accessible, authorities are the com- 

 mercial circulars of the Howietoun fishery in Scotland, 

 from which I make the following quotations: 



December, 1888. "A salmon hatched from ova obtained 

 from the Forth District Board in December, 1880, and 

 reared in the ponds, having spawned three seasous, was 

 found in the first week of November this year to be clean. 

 It weighed just under Bibs., was very silvery, with about 

 thirty jet black starlike spots. The flesh cut pink and the 

 flavor was that of a fish a week in fresh water. This salmon 

 had been fed exclusively on clams (pect-en) and was a fair 

 specimen of those still alive at Howietoun of the same 

 spawning. The smolts and grilse which have been bred 

 from these fish are growing more rapidly than their parents, 

 and we hope to show that although the first generation of 

 artificially landlocked salmon are usually dwarfed yet their 

 progeny may attain to the size of Loch Leven trout — viz , 6 

 to lOlbs. weight," 



December, 1889: "The experiments on artificially land- 

 lockiugisalmon have been successfully continued, but, how- 

 ever interesting from a biological point of view, do not 

 appear likely to lead to any direct results of commercial 

 importance. Indirectly, however, as providing subjects 

 suitable for crossing with levcnensis or farto, they are of 

 value. The American landlocked salmon has at last been 

 reared from ova obtained at Howietoun, but does not 

 appear to have any advantage over the artificially land- 

 locked salmon and is markedly more delicate at Howietoun. 

 Depth of water in which above experiments are being con- 

 ducted is about ten feet." 



Two later circulars, dated October, 1890, and November, 

 1891, are at hand, but contain nothing on this subject. 



Chas. G. Atkins. 



East Orx/And, Me., March 23. 



FISH COMMISSIONS. 



THE New Jersey Commission was reorganized at a meet- 

 ing in Trenton, March 18, by the election of George 

 Pfeiffer of Camden, as president, and R. D. Foote, as secre- 

 tary and treasurer. Thos. Meskell of Morristown, was made 

 State fish and game protector. The State was divided into 

 three districts. An appropriation of $3,000 was made to stock 

 the Delaware with shad and other streams with trout and 

 black bass. 



The California Commission has now in its Bear Valley 

 hatchery 350,000 fry of the eastern brook trout, which will 

 be ready for distribution about thelast week in March. The 

 eggs were obtained from the Nevada Fish Commission. 

 Carp are spreading everywhere and cause much uneasiness 

 to owners of fishing waters by their unwelcome fertility and 

 voracity. 



The U. S. Fish Commission, on March 21, planted 1,230,000 

 young cod in Squam Pond, Gloucester, Mass. by way of ex- 

 periment in rearing them in surronndings wherein it is be- 

 lieved the dangers to the fry will be greatly lessened. Salt 

 water anglers have begun to reap the benifit of the hatching 

 operations at Gloucester and Woods Hall. 



JPri! kernel 



F I XTU RES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



April 5 to 8.— Seventh Annual Dog Show of the New England 

 Kennel Olnb, at Boston, Mass. G. Steadman Hanks, Sec'y. 



April 13 ro 16.— Third Annual Dog Show of the Continental 

 Kennel Club, at Denver, Col. R. W. Iaenthal, Seo>y. 



April 20 to 23.— Fourth Annual Dog Show of the Southern Cali- 

 fornia Kennel Club, at Los Angeles, Cal. C. A. Sumner, Sec'y. 



May 4 to 7.— Annual Dog Show of the California Kennel Club, 

 at San Francisco Cal. FranV J. Silver, Sec'y. 



Sept. 6 to 9.— Second Aunual Dog Show of the Hamilton (Out.) 

 Kennel Clnb. A. D. Stewart, Pei'y. 



Sept. 12 to 16.— Fourth Annual Dog Show of the Toronto In- 

 dustrial Exhibition Association, at Toronto, Canada. C. A 

 Stone, Sec'y. 



RETRIEVING AT FIELD TRIALS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have read with great interest Mr. Avent's article pub- 

 lished recently on retrieving, and also the various replies 

 thereto, and have been hoping to hear from some of the pro- 

 fessional trainers at more length, as I know many of them 

 have most decided views on this important matter. The 

 question as presented by Mr. Aventis, "Does teaching a bird 

 oog to retrieve injure his field qualities: 1 " and he proceeds to 

 argue the question from the Vfliroiative point, citing two 

 dogs, only one of which he. trained, or attempted to train, as 

 proof of his position. There are only two ways by which to 

 teach a dog to retrieve. One the natural or "goody, goody" 

 method, the other by force. I have tried all methods m 

 turn, from patting on the back and coaxing, through all the 

 various gradations of nose-twisting, foot and lip-pinching, 

 choking, etc., and long ago settled to the use of the spike- 

 collar as the surest, most effective, and in the hands of an 

 expert, the most humane method of making a dog— what all 

 sportsmen require — a quick, cheerful, and tender-mouthed 

 retriever. Unless a shooter has a dog of some description to 

 seek and find the dead birds, he will lose a large number of 

 the birds he kills, and all cripples. In England a special 

 dog is used for this purpose, which is kept at heel until his 

 services are required. If the English custom ever becomes 

 general in this country, it will be time to quit teaching Bet- 

 ters and pointers to retrieve, but I question if such custom 

 ever becomes popular here, as thers are but few sportsmen 

 who will rare to keep two dogs to do t he work of oae, The. 



question theu is, does teaching a dog to retrieve injure his 

 field qualities? more especially, does teaching by force do so? 

 I say, most emphatically, No. And where such cases arise 

 as Mr. Avent has cited in Antonio and Roderigo, the fault 

 lies not in the system but in the application, or rather mis- 

 application of the system. I have seen numbers of dogs in 

 field trials retrieving tirelessly and cheerfully and yet going 

 well up in the competition. The milk in the cocoanut is 

 ju«t here. 



When held t Hals were inaugurated and well under way, 

 some of the more shrewd of the handlers quickly discovered 

 that a well-trained, obedient dog had no show in the com- 

 petition against one half trained, who at every opportunity 

 would steal his opponent's points and whose handlers could 

 make sufficient noise to "break up" the other dog without 

 rattling his own. Consequently their aim from that time 

 was to produce a dog such as T have sketched, which they 

 proceeded to dub "a field trial dog," andall strictly obedient 

 dogs of good training were "not in it" at all. Some of these 

 handlers have been eminently successful and have gained 

 great reputation, but the field dog has suffered in propor- 

 tion and the notion has become quite widespread that field 

 trial dogs are unfit to shoot over. Well, there is a great 

 deal of truth in the idea, but such should not be the fact, 

 and when I remember the work of such dogs as Gladstone 

 and Sue, over which brace the Messrs. Bryson did their 

 shooting for years, I begin to think the "natural quality" 

 fad has been carried far enough and some recognition 

 should be given to useful acquired qualities. It is true all 

 field trial rules insist on perfect training, but how do they 

 insist? There is ouly one way, and that is to penalize 

 poorly-trained dogs to such an extent that they cannot win. 

 I see dogs each year in the trials refusing "to back and 

 retrieve under rules that insist (?) on perfect training, and 

 winning simply because their not doing so gives them a 

 decided advantage over their better trained opponents, who 

 possess as fine natural qualities but are handicapped in 

 running against such wild dogs. When I find a handler 

 advocating such training I set him down as working for 

 purely selfish ends and not iu the interest or the advance- 

 ment'of sportsmanship or the good of the dog. 



There is a wide difference between a handler and a trainer. 

 It is true a man may be both agood trainer aud good handler, 

 but it does not always follow that because he is a good 

 handler in field trials, he is a good trainer also, as many 

 persons have found to their cost who have purchased field 

 trial winners expecting to have perfect shooting dogs. In 

 fine the very qualities required by all field trial clubs are 

 the qualities required to made a high-class shooting dog, viz. : 

 Pace to carry the dog along rapidly, range to find coveys, 

 style— which includes grace in movement and on point — 

 and obedience and disposition so as to be easily handled, etc. 

 As a matter of fact, if an unsophisticated handler goes into 

 a trial with such a dog he will be greatly disappointed. Let 

 us have an imaginary heat between such a dog and one 

 trained by an expert to win with. The first thing the new 

 handler notices, the expert has his whistle in his mouth, and 

 between toots, while waving his arms frantically, is shout- 

 ing "get away there, Duck," at the top of his voice, and as 

 he has already "caught on" to the new chap's whistle, pro- 

 duces one of the same tone and proceeds to "break up" his 

 dog whenever he shows indications of same. After waiting 

 in vaiu for the judges to call the expert to order, he expostu- 

 lates with him, anil is coolly informed that he fthe expert) 

 always whistles to his dog to send him on and keep him out 

 at his work. He then appeals to the judges, with no better 

 success. Finally, with his dog entirely broken up in his 

 work at every point, only because he is well trained iu ac- 

 cordance with the requirements of the rules, he sees bis dog 

 beaten by one he knows is inferior to his own both in train- 

 ing and natural qualities, and resolves that iu the future, if 

 he expects to win at all, he will be obliged to briug his dog 

 to the start in the same condition as to training, and handle 

 in the same manner. I do not think I have overdrawn the 

 picture of many trials that I have seen, though under the 

 present system of spotting, and with skillful judging, there 

 are not the same opportunities for jockeying as in the past, 

 but some of the old jockeying handlers can never forget 

 their old tricks, and still continue to use them as the oppor- 

 tunity presents itself. 



I have wandered away from my original subject, aud wish 

 to say a little more on the question of retrieving. Force in 

 teaching retrieving does not mean cruelty, but simply forc- 

 ing the dog to do something he is unwilling to do. and would 

 not do if left to bis own devices, I may be pardoned for 

 speaking of my own kennel, but I each year teach from fif- 

 teen to twenty-five dogs to retrieve, some of them old, tough 

 cases, and have never seen the dog I cannot make a cheerful, 

 willing retriever, and have never trained to retrieve under 

 the whip. There are now in my kennels twenty dogs that 

 have "passed" under the spike collar this seasou, and any one 

 of them will bring a bird, either in the field or yard, with no 

 tail-tucking or desire to crawl under the bed or elsewhere. 

 One may teach a bulldog or mastiff to retrieve with a whip 

 or club, but the high-class nervous setter and pointer require 

 different treatment, being a different subject; and it takes 

 patience, tact and industry, together with a careful study of 

 the dog's disposition coupled with the manual dexterity, 

 only acquired by practice in graduating the punishment, to 

 accomplish the end in view. ' My desire in the present arti- 

 cle is to provoke discussion, bring the question up, so as to 

 get the views of all handlers, owners and others interested 

 in field trials in a free and full discussion of the matter. 



Nat. B. Nesbitt. 



CUESTEEVILLE, Miss. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Mr. B. Waters under head of "Points and Flushes" says, 

 that the great interest taken in the conduct of field trials 

 and the theories advanced for competition, are very gratify- 

 ing to him, and adds that the ideas of the younger associa- 

 tions have a tendency to undervalue the rulings of the older 

 ones. Very likely. History often repeats itself. It was 

 universally accepted in the early ages that no good could 

 come out of Nazareth, and that Wendell Phillips in '56, who 

 advocated the abolishment of slavery and had only sixty-five 

 followers who dared to deposit a ballot even secretly in this 

 State, was too "impulsive" and "retarded progress," and 

 also that the female portion of the human race should only 

 be the ones to toil and bear the burdens. 1 think we have 

 sufficient evidence that some good may come from the 

 younger associations yet. He says that there is more general 

 interest taken in retrieving, whether it^shouldbe recognized 

 as a campetitive quality in a trial, and if so, should it be in- 

 sisted upon in boch puppy and all-age stakes, and that men 

 of sound judgment and extensive experience hold conflict- 

 ing opinions. He then proceeds to argue against retrieving 

 in all classes, which surprised me very much. If I remem- 

 ber correctly he has been the strongest advocate for a well 

 trained dog in the public field trials, writing against the 

 idea that it was necessary to have two dogs in order to com- 

 pete in a public trial and to enjoy an ordinary day's hunt. 

 All field trial associations as well as all other institutions 

 in dogdom claim that their object is to teach the people 

 about the best kind of dog. If a pointer or setter puppy 

 two years old or a little less, cannot be taught to retrieve 

 without impairing his usefulness in the field among the 

 very high class breeds we now have, let us look a little fur- 

 ther for blood, for we want something practical. The high- 

 toned Englishman might say, "Ah! you must have your re- 

 triever, you know," to bring in your bird after your high 

 class pointer or setter has stood it in such superb "form after 

 running until his poor staving qualities has obliged him to 

 slow up enough to catch on to the game that he may have 

 com« upon. 1 saw « cut cm theb^ck page of onaof out 



sporting papers that amused me very much. The high class 

 dog had started for the next county showing great mettle 

 and speed, while our common sense and more practical dog 

 had lifted bis nose and taken in the scent of whatever might 

 be in the air and had located a flock of birds near by. I'll 

 guarantee that this- useful and practical dog that is repre- 

 sented standing the birds will, when one of them has been 

 shot down, at the command "dead bird," go and retrieve it 

 in a very careful manner and come and sit before you, ready 

 to deliver in the most becoming way imaginable, which is 

 his greatest reward, after doing all his other duties in such 

 an agreeable and practicable fashion. But this is not the 

 fashion, it makes me sigh to say it, for we are told by Mr. 

 Waters, the best authority in the land, "that a well trained 

 dog is handicapped in any public field trial." The same 

 authority also says that the more training a dog has the 

 better work he will do with less pottering, etc. I therefore 

 thiuk it the best evidence we can have that retrieving and 

 hunting for birds do harmonize when being taught together 

 on account of the reward the pups get by retrieving, after 

 doing all their other work in a proper manner. I want all 

 my puppies taught to retrieve on the force principle before 

 they are put into the field, and while teaching them make 

 them seek in every conceivable place the object desired, 

 without their having any information in regard to its local- 

 ity. If any one tbinks this cannot be done without injuring 

 his industrious habits, his steadiness on the point or causing 

 him to break to shot or wing and running riot, it is because 

 they have not as good a handler as I can introduce them to. 

 What are pointers aud setters bred for? Are they only for 

 those who have not yet found the tint for their gloves deli- 

 cate enough, nor the speed of their dogs great enough to 

 win by getting into the next county first? I think not. I 

 think they are bred to assist a man in the most enjoyable 

 way to get a few birds, to be so trained that they will re- 

 spond with a certainty, when beyond the hearing of the 

 ordinarv voice, by the blast on the whistle, and when their 

 attention is secured you can direct them where you will. 

 Call me a butcher, murderer, pot-hunter, or what you like, 

 I have never seen a man so unlike me, however scientific, 

 but would do his best to kill a oird when flushed before the 

 point of his dog. even though he had more than he needed 

 for his supper. Then Mr. Waters says the field trials can- 

 not offer opportunities for retrievers even in all-age stakes, 

 for to test them, six birds at least, must be shot over each, 

 and no handler will try to kill except in a clear field, and 

 then when the bird will drop near his dog. This only shows 

 up the trickery of the past, and what may be expected in the 

 future. We poor novices have spent much money in get- 

 ting and in breeding to these field trial winners, supposing 

 we were getting the best, but it seems by this expose that 

 we were only getting the dogs that are handled by the mo-it 

 adroit, instead of the dog best qualified for the work he is 

 intended to perform. S. 

 New ~Ka ven, Conn. 



THE IRISH SETTER TRIALS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A number of bench shows have come aud gone since our 

 greatest of all, Westminster, yet it lingers fresh in the 

 minds of most of the Irish setter men. I mean those inti- 

 mately interested in furthering the breed as a field dog, that 

 by the negligence of a fewmembers not beingpreseot caused 

 at least some people throughout the land to think that the 

 club may have gone by default, and that there would be no 

 Irish setter trials this year. If there are such doubting 

 Thomases I think it would be wise for Dr. Davis to come 

 forward and say to the world at large that he holds over for 

 this year and that by the assistance of those interested, same 

 as last year, there will be a much more successful trial than 

 the inaugural one. 



After the trials last year many somewhat prejudiced peo- 

 ple had their "eyes opened" and were willing to admit that 

 really the Irishmen were better field dogs than their "wins" 

 or "starts" infield trials would indicate. Now it need not 

 take long before the special club can be dispensed with 

 in so far as the red dog is concerned and the Irish Setter 

 Club can open its stake to all comers. Indeed I am of the 

 opinion that a trial should be made this year of having an 

 additional free-for-all stake, and by having the trials in con- 

 nection with some other club, the Southeim being prefer- 

 able, I am sure the entries would be large and many of all 

 breeds would participate. 



What most concerns the handlers aud owners now- is 

 where and what time to hold the coming trials. Some three 

 months ago a number of letters appeared in a Western 

 sporting journal strongly urging a location in Ohio, and 

 when the worthy secretary was called out by Mr. Bishop, 

 replied that he was not prepared to say just how their claims 

 should be passed upon. Ii the Eastern interest, influence 

 and patronage is the strongest and must be catered to, then 

 let the club call upon the Central Club and see if they will 

 do for them what the Eastern did last year— grant their 

 grounds and let the trials be held about the middle of Jan- 

 uary. 



But, gentlemen, listen to me; the claims of the West 

 should not be passed by without careful consideration. 

 There are many lovers of the red dog all through the West, 

 North and South, and it would not be without good results 

 to give them a fair show this year. There are many owners 

 who cannot send their dogs to High Point or Lexington on 

 account of the distance and expense, and yet I think many 

 of them could arrange to send them South in care of the 

 handlers who spend all of the winter South anyway. To 

 hold the trials upon the same ground used by the Southern 

 Club would be the best that I know of for this year. All 

 the handlers will be there, and the extra stake that I have 

 mentioned would add materially to the interest centered in 

 the club's trials. Let the dates be from Jan. 25 to Feb. 15, 

 before or after the Southern meeting. This would give 

 ample time to get the young dogs in fine condition to enable 

 them to compete with any dogs they might meet. There is 

 no denying the fact that Feb. 1 is the best time to hold the 

 trials and the grounds at New Albany, Miss., the best yet 

 used. The Carolina grounds are not good, having too much 

 cover, and often a good dog at either the Eastern or Central 

 is put out of the race more from lack of opportunity to range 

 and find game than anything else. The Eastern and Cen- 

 tral grounds are by no means ideal ones. 



All dogs shouLd have equal chances. Several of the dogs 

 started last year had no cnance to show what they could do, 

 and the owners of dogs, not having a chance to point during 

 their heats, can justly feel aggrieved at their misfortune. 



J. L. Shumac. 



New York. 



BLACK AND TAN TERRIERS. — Buffalo, March 20.— 

 Editor Forest and Stream: Mr. Raper, in his report in 

 Foeest and Stream of the New York show, said of the 

 black and tan terriers, that Louie won from Broomfield 

 Madge with consummate ease, and that Madge had "gone 

 wide in front." Your report of Pittsburgh show says Louie 

 was shown in good condition. Now, if she won so easily at 

 New York and was in good condition at Pittsburgh, there 

 must have been a wonderful improvement in Madge to have 

 changed Mr. Raper's opinion. What was it? Has she grown 

 narrower in front since the New York show? There have 

 been so many queer things done m black and tans in the 

 past three years that a spectator wonders which is right. 

 Many of us naturally supposed that Mr. Raper would en- 

 lighten us, but if a dog can beat another "with consummate 

 ease" at one show, and be beaten by the same dog in three 

 weeks, when the first winner is in good, condition, I would 

 like to know what caused the change of positions.— A. W". 

 SMITH, 



