July 28, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



7B 



to try it and see for themselves and stick to the way by 

 which they can receive the most enjoyment, I do not 

 deny one can catch more fisli in the usual waj', but to 

 take one of these bulldogs with a long line out gives 

 to one the genuine sensation of having a fish on one 

 end and a fisherman at the other end. 



I do wish our brother pportsnien would write more 

 frequently to the Foeest ant) Stream celling us of their 

 fishmg trips; in this way we could locate where the fish 

 are. H. C. W. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



If one should ask where the greatest variety of game 

 fishes could be found in water that is open to the general 

 public for fishing I should say in Sunapee Lake, New 

 Hampshire, for of all the waters of the globe there is 

 none to equal it in this respect. There are Bunapee 

 trout or saibling, landlocked salmon, common brook 

 trout, Loch Leven trout and black bass. Smelt are also 

 found in abundance, and rainbow trout and blue-black 

 trout have been planted. The best season for angling is 

 soon after the ice goes out and when the salmon tribe is 

 at the eurface where they will take a fly, but the fishing 

 is good now. An extract from a letter from Prof. J. D. 

 Qubckenbos will give an idea of the fishing; "Bickford" 

 (this is Sidney Bickford, the artist, who lias painted the 

 best picture of the Sunapee trout that I ever saw, and 1 

 am vtry glad to say that it hangs on my wall, a present 

 from Prof, Quackenboj:) "caught a 9;b. salmon on his 

 hand line yesterday off the banks; on Wednesday I took 

 Prof, Dunning, a green hand with a greenheart, over to 

 Hedge Hig; he had three bites on his greenheart, lost 

 the first fish, then killed a 2|lbs. alpiims, and then one 

 of a pound. We had the refrigerator full of usual small 

 fry at night. Two salmon were lost on smelt lines that 

 afternoon. Jake Hutchinson was pulling in an imma- 

 ture trout when a monster salmon grabbed it and leaped 

 from the water with a splash that turned everybody in 

 that direction. But that was the last of him. I went out 

 for the first time with Payn, my tip went down with a 

 snap, and I hooked and killed a 3|-pound alpinus, which 

 Payn netted with consummate skill. I longed tor your 

 presence that you might see the glory of his symmetry 

 and July coloration. Large black bass nose around our 

 pier; but since these disturbances in the weather, acconi- 

 panied with a rise of some Sin. in the water of the lake, 

 the bass have in the main left the shores and the fly- 

 fishing for the moment is over," In explanation of the 

 catching of salmon on smelt lines I may say that hand 

 lines with .^mall hooks baited witb worms are used to 

 catch smelt for the purpose of baiting the rod lines for 

 salmon and trout, and the smelt fishing is done where 

 salmon are found, so that it sometimes happens that 

 after a smelt is hool?ed a salmon takes it instead of wait- 

 ing until it is prepared for him on the rod. While smelt 

 are most desirable for bait", I saw a salmon of 14|lbs. 

 caught at Sunapee last year on a common minnow or 

 chub. Any one desiring a small map of Sunapee Lake, 

 the pimphiet coutainine: it also containing rcprodut'tions 

 of Sunap^"e trout and black bass by Bickford, can obtain 

 it at the exp nse of a postage stamp by writing to F. H, 

 Divis, New London, N, H. 



Of the salmon fishing in New Brunswick Mr, John 

 Mowatt, of Cimphellton, writes: ''This has, on the 

 whole, been a fair angling season on the R^stigouche, 

 and fully as good on the lower as on the upper waters. 

 The reason of this is not far to seek. The early Qsh rise 

 well, the rods are numerous and they have the first 

 chance at the fish. Consequently so many rising salmon 

 do not reach the head-waters as usual. Twenty years ago 

 a salmon was not looked for until you got away up about 

 30 miles, and the famous pools of Indian House, Cross 

 Point, Pdtapedia, Eed B ink. Devil's Half- Acre and others 

 were supposed to be ne pi us ult ra, Naw the first 20 or 30 

 miles of water is f qual to the best of them, particularly 

 in the month of June, The catches run from 30 to, say 

 70 fish, for parties of two and three rods, and some single 

 scores of 30 to 32 fish, I hear of no single rod that has 

 done as well as our mutual friend, Mr. Archibald Mitchell. 

 Many anglers have left for home and others have taken 

 their plac-'s, but unless good rains come to freshen tbe 

 waters the best of the season is past, as July is hot, un- 

 pleasant, and mosquitoes, black flies and midges rule the 

 I'oost. From ail I can hear none of the Biy Cbaleur 

 rivers have come up to the Eestigouche. Tae Big Casca- 

 pedia brags of a 53Alb. fish, and our largest is 45^1bs. 



Iq Answers to Correspondents you say the largest small- 

 mouth on record is Boynton's bass of SIbs. lOcz. That 

 was the largest at the time, but last year one of lOIbs. was 

 taken from Glen Lake. When I weighed it the fish 

 weighed O^lbs., but when first taken it weighed fib, 

 more. A, N. Cheney. 



State Stocking of Private Waters. 



A correspondent asks why the Telegram does not con- 

 demn the posting of private lands under the game laws, 

 it having condemned the stocking of private waters in 

 this and other States and in foreign countries with fish 

 fry hatched and reared at the expense of the State. The 

 answer is a simple one. Private lands, woods, are stocked 

 by private expense, and the State does not contribute one 

 cent to that end. If private clubs, the same as the Mon- 

 roe County Sportsmen's Association, at large expense, im- 

 port quail and other game birds, they are justified in in- 

 ducing farmers and owners of prop rty to post their lands 

 for the purpose of furthering the objects of the clubs. 

 But the State is out of its legitimate sphere when it ex- 

 pends money to raise fish fry to stock private streams 

 and premises, which are closed at all times to the public. 

 That this has been done to a great extent is true. Under 

 the present system of fish propagation and fish food sup- 

 ply, we cannot see that the public is greatly benefitt:ed. 

 The public waters stocked are netted to such an extent 

 that the efforts of the State are nugatory. Several inland 

 bodies of water have been stocked so that the line fishing 

 was Kooi at one time. But poachers and netters soon 

 despoiled the waters, and the money expended went to 

 support the pirates. The stocking of Lake Ontario and 

 other great lakes with wliitrfi?h by the United States 

 Grovernment is a feasible project, one that would yield 

 great benefit to the people, and these efforts should have 

 the encouragement and assistance of the State of New 

 York. It is an open question whether our fish commission 

 is not a political junketing body, and of no earthly use or 

 benefit to the people. — Ehnira Telegram. 



REARING FISH FOR DISTRIBUTION. 



Editor Forest and SUxaiv: 



I wish to tbauk you for publishing ray paper on "Plant- 

 ing Fry or Yearlings," in your issue of July 31. You have 

 been so unjust to our side that we are glad to have yon pre- 

 sent one of our ar-gnments in favor of fry. Iq your issue of 

 July 14 you treat the question as if I was one lone crank, by 

 saying that you wished "merely to show bow an earnest but 

 prejudiced advocate of a certain disappointing system of 

 stocking may let bis fancy outrun his judgment," etc. 



True, I am earnest snd perhaps prejudiced, but I do not 

 know of a .single State Fish Commission that is not of my 

 opinion, hence the injustice of your i-emark. The aystern 

 of fry planting is not disappointing, but is perfectly sati.s- 

 factory to Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New 

 York, the States that do the most trout planting. 



I cannot go over my arguments again, and will only say 

 it is a strange thing that our side should be expected to 

 prove our position. A new theory is advanced and the bur- 

 den of proof should rest on those who advance it. 



Evidently Mr. Page did not have a copy of my paper when 

 he wrote on the subject, for I leave out railway fares, and 

 counting time of men and hotel bills the expense of plant- 

 ing yearlings is greater than their alleged worth. W ho can 

 say that tbe loss of fry in suitable streams so far exceeds the 

 lo.ss on artificial food as to raaive a yearling worth a large 

 number of fry? Two of the gentlemen quoted by Mr. Page 

 have long been connected with the Soiitli Side Sportsmen's 

 Club of Long Island, and have raised many millions of 

 trout, but for their own ponds mainly, and have not sent 

 men on long journeys with yearlings, and therefore they 

 come within the list of those with whom Mr. Page sympa- 

 thises. 



My old angling friend, Mr. D. H. Fitzhugh, of Bay City, 

 Mich,, who has helped plant thousands of trout in years 

 past, writes me as follows: "I have noticed your articles in 



planting fry m more mature fish, and from our experi- 

 ence most heartily agree with you. Our State Commission, 

 which has always been the most able one, has planted 

 millions of fry, and now there is hardly a stream in the 

 State which is suitable for trout that does not furnish good 

 fishing. About six years ago I sent Babbit, whom you re- 

 member as one of our best guides (now, alas! in heaven) 

 5,000 fry from the commission, which were quietly placed in 

 a. stream which has not since been generally known to con- 

 tain trout. I was on that stream five days ago, and it 

 swarms with trout. In a few hours I took 86 hsh going 

 down a few miles, and I understand that tbe whole stream, 

 about 30 miles loug, gives a.s good a showing." 



My time does not permit me, nor does inclination incline 

 to further discussion of this subject at present, and only 

 on account of what I consider to be a slighting of our side of 

 the question and an assumption that the assertions of the 

 yeaning men are correct and that they are a majority of 

 practical fishculturists, which is not true, 1 have been forced 

 to intrude. The very able article by Hon. Herschel Whita- 

 ker. President of the Michigan Fish Commission, would, if 

 published in yoirr columns, give another view of our side, to 

 which in all fairness we are entitled. Fred Mathee. 



THE LAKE ONTARIO WHITEFfSH SUPPLY. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Your j >urn-il deserves credit for its efforts in arousing 

 public sentiment for better laws to prot-ct game birds and 

 fish, but I would suggest a larger and more useful field for 

 your efforts, food fish. 



I am one of the very large majority of wage-earners (witb 

 a fair-sized family to support) who only once in a while can 

 afford to knock oiff and go fishing. Of course, I get the 

 recreation and possibly a mess of fish, but the cost of the 

 latter comes pretty high. Now our State, I find, by the 

 published reports, is expending nearly ¥40,000 yearly on tbe 

 fish business, and I have been trying to make out how I 

 derive any benefit from this large expenditure. This money 

 seems to be wholly spent on trout, a fish that I have never 

 seen and could not catch even if 1 had the time, for nearly 

 all trout streams are now under control of wealthy indi- 

 viduals or clubs, and the few that reach the market sell at 

 75 cents a pound, which is beyond my reech, so that I must, 

 rnr my family use, depend on the public fish market for fish 

 diet. We are all fond of fresh fish and would like to have 

 them twice or three times a week, but I find that good fish, 

 and in fact all fish, have of late years gone up in price, so 

 that it is, as a matter of sustenance, more costly than meat. 



Whiteflsh now cost a shilling a pound, and as they come 

 from Canada and Michigan they are seldom ever fresh— not 

 in the least like our old time Lake Ontario whitefish. Why, 

 I can remember, only a few years ago, when this flue fish, 

 caught the night bet ore, was brought to our very door and 

 sold at five cents per pound. A great many people along 

 the shore of Lake Ontario made a good living catching and 

 peddling these fish; now there is no such industry and we 

 poor people have to pay almost triple for the same fish, of a 

 poorer quality. 



Why should the Commissioners of the State of New York, 

 with lots of the people's money, allow such a state of things 

 to exist? Why have they not protected and fostered the 

 fishing interest of Lake Ontario, instead of devoting their 

 entire attention and expenditures to the raising of fish for 

 the few rich to enjoy exclusively, while the poor man's fish 

 have been entirely neglected? 



Will you kindly take an interest in this matter? You 

 may, if you wish, publish this, for possibly it may j)rovoke 

 a reply from the commissioners or their friends; they may 

 have a good defense, and if so I would like to hear it. 



A WORKINGMAN OF WESTERN NEW YORK. 



Chained to Business? 



Can't go fishing? Make the best of it. Read Forest and 

 Stream, 



Among the many enterprises in southwest Missouri there 

 are probably none that attract more attention than does the 

 snake farm located three-fourths of a mile due west of 

 Chadwick. The farm proper consists of about five acres, 

 half inclosed by a natural stonewall or a ledge. On one 

 side of this inclosure is a natural rock cave, and out of this 

 cave runs an everlasting stream of the purest water. This 

 spring being on the highest spot of land on the farm, it is 

 easily conveyed to all places where needed. Mr. Childs, the 

 owner, has been dealing in snakes and manufacturing rat- 

 tlesnake oil for over ten years and finds it quite profitable, 

 as he supplies all species of snakes for exhibition purposes, 

 all kinds of snake curiosities, rattlesnake oil to the drug 

 trade and charges an admission tee of ten cents to all visit- 

 ors who come to the farm. He is now fixing up the place 

 for the summer trade, and will have large pens built for the 

 snakes with a living pond of water in each one, and a plat- 

 form on tbe outside where visitors may stand out of danger 

 looking at the hundred different species, all in their natural 

 state, eating, drinking, playing, swimming, fighting, sleep- 

 ing, etc. Mr. Childs also proposes to pay cash for all Jive 

 snakes of any species measuring over 3ft. in length. He 

 proposes to ship all the snakes out of this part of the 

 country and bring back eash^ in their stead. — Ozark (Mo.) 

 News, 



REPORTERS. CRITICS, ETC. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The communication of "Observer" in your numbFr for 

 July T must have met with general approval, and the hot 

 weather must alone explain why no one has written to sup- 

 port the position take by this writer Lest, however, he 

 shoul feel that he is alone in his opinions I wish to state 

 that I have thought much as "Observer" has for a long 

 time. 



I think the judges' report in full would give more satis- 

 faction to readers of all classes than any other, and it would 

 probably be a popular thing for the journals to have the 

 judges to write such a report, which might be furnished to 

 all the papers, Avhen the expense to each would be light, 

 while the remuneration to the judge for his labor, which is 

 not pleasant to all, would be considerable. 



A judge who has to write a report is more likely to be cart- 

 ful and examine bis dogs well. 



The work of the critic might then be confined in point'ng 

 out those details in which hediffers from the judge, fnr sub- 

 sequent publication. Editorial or reporter's comments or 

 statements would still be in place, and might be of the nature 

 of encouriigoment, censure, etc, on the management of the 

 .show, and e.specially suggestions for the future. 



In all cases reports, criticisms, etc, to be signed by tbe 

 writer's own name. 



If the Forest akp Stream and every other paper of- 

 standing were to ann^ince that in future onlv those articlPsT" 

 signed by the writei-'s name, or some well-known nuiii, dv 

 plume, would be published, probably not a dozen vahiabl« 

 contributions would be missed in a year, while those who 

 fling their mud from behind a ditch would find their occu- 

 pation gone, greatly to the benefit of the kennel world aa a 

 whole. 



Will the Forest and Stream be the first paper to make 

 the experiment? I confidently predict success for the jour- 

 nal that will do it; and were 1 about to establish a kennel 

 paper to-morrow I .should stand or fallen this plattoTOi, 

 and would rigidly exclude all writing that was offensively 

 personal no matter from what source it came. The latter is 

 practically done by some papers in England now. But a 

 very curious thing is seen in the case of one paper which, 

 while doing this as regards Euglishmen to a very large 

 degree, seems to make an exception to abuse .and misstate- 

 ments which come from this side. 



Do you not agree with my views, Mr. Editor? From your 

 love of peace and fair play I think you are the very man to 

 initiate the proposed changes. We.slet Mills, M, D. 



MONTJRE.iL. 



[The Forest and Stream has made it a point for some 

 time p'lst to have all important show reports and reports of 

 field trials signed by the writers.! 



GORDON SETTER CLUB MEETING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



At a meeting of the executive committee of the Gordon 

 Setter Club of America, held on Wednesday evening, July 

 20, several new members were elected and various matters 

 acted upon. 



After considerable discussion it was resolved that the 

 Gordon Setter CI ub offer a special prize of .?.50 for the Gordon 

 setter showing the best field work at the New England field 

 trials at Assonet, Mass., commencing Nov, 8, 1892— provided 

 there are at least three starters. 



This amount is likely to be increased soon, and it is ear- 

 nestly requested that owners of Gordons send in their con- 

 tributions early, so that a goodly number of Gordon setters 

 can be attracted to these trials. 



There are many Gordons, good in the field, in use for pri- 

 vate shooting in the Middle and Eastern States, and as these 

 can be shown at Assonet without the long and expensive 

 journey to the North Carolina field trials, it is thought that 

 they can he drawn out, as the kind of country calls for the 

 manner of field work that our Northern sportsmen have 

 been accustomed to. 



As soon as details can be arranged, notice will be sent to 

 the weekly jom-nals. L, A. Van Zandt, Sec'y. 



New York City, July 23. 



FLAPS FROM THE BEAVER'S TAIL. 



TOBOSTO, Can,-— During a chat with Mr. A, Miu-doch, of 

 Hamilton, a day or two ago, I learned that KugbyNorah, 

 the crack Irish terrier bitch recently imported by Mr. Mur- 

 doch and his partners in the kennel, had whelped six flue 

 puppies (three dogs), and that three, two dogs and a bitch, 

 Uad already been bespoken to go to three dilferent cities 

 across the line. The others will be retained. The kennel 

 has been named the Rugby Kennel, in honor of Norah, and 

 puppies bred here will be registered with this prefix. 



It is likely that the Toronto Kennel Club will bold a 

 coursing meeting this fall, and beagle trials are also mooted. 

 There is a difficulty in getting jacks to run on, and the 

 little gray rabbit offers no sport, 



Mr. Geddes' letter, in last issue, lets me out and should 

 convince Mr. Mercer. 



Mr. Kirk left on Thursday to fill his engagement at 

 Winnipeg, Manitoba, show. H, B, Donov an. 



THE PACIFIC FOX-TERRIER CLUB. 



Editor Forest and Slyream: 



The Pacific Pox-Terrier Club held its regular meeting 

 July 18, J. E. Watson in the chair. The following gentle- 

 men were elected members: G. D. Shearer, Dr. Thos. Bow- 

 nill and D. J. McCarthy. The treasurer made his report, 

 showing ?50 on hand, but this amount will be increased to 

 $150 by next bench show season, and the money will be used 

 in purchasing special prizes to be competed for by dogs 

 owned by members only at the shows of the Southern Cali- 

 fornia and Pacific Kennel clubs. 



The club is doing a lot of good for this breed on the coast, 

 and expect to encourage the breeding of good specimens and 

 educate the people up to the proper idea of just what a show 

 terrier should be. J. B. Martin, Secretary. 



San Francisco, CaL 



DOGMATICS OF DOGDOM. 



The versatility of the dog is shown in having three or four 

 different breeds of dogs in one litter. The versatility of 

 man is shown in selling the litter as being of three or four 

 different breeds, or more, if occasion arises. 



To listen to many dogmen talk you would think that the 

 whole world was their enemy. Go out in the world and 

 you will seldom hear of them. When you do hear of them 

 it will be in terms of inditf erence. 



— 



Specialty clubs are so, in fact, but specially for the ad- 

 vantage of the members and not for the dogs. 



