54 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan. 19, 1893. 



and the special committees on legislation and on finances 

 were continued. 



The Committe on Legislation consists of Messrs. Walter 

 8. MacGregor (cha Lrmiin)., ,Syi>i,cuse: AV. S. Gavitt, Lyons; 

 J. S, Van Cleef, Pouglikocpsie: G. M. Skinner. Clayton. 



The Ways and Means Committee, whose sjtecial pur- 

 pose is to secure funds for the actual protective work of 

 the Association, consists of Messrs. Frank J. Amsden 

 (ciiairman). Rochester-: D. H. Bruce, Syracuse, and W. H. 

 Thompson. Alexandiiji Bay. 



The reports presented hy the delegates of their club 

 work will be given in ovlt next issue. 



At the Norembei- committee meeting. IVir. W. E. Wol- 

 cott. secretary of the Black River Fisli and Game Protec- 

 tive AssociatioD. had made a report on Adirondack deer; 

 and on request of the president had prepared for the con- 

 vention a fnllei- statement, which was listened to with 

 close attention: 



Report on Adirondack Deer. 



[Pivserited by W. B. Wolcott. of Utica.] 



A great deal of interest is taken by Adirondack deer 

 hunters, guides and hotel men. as well as by sportsmen 

 generally, in the operations of the existing game laws 

 and their effect in protecting the cervine animals in our 

 groat Northern wilderness. It is generally adinitted that 

 (leer have been increasing in numbers in the Adirondack 

 region ever since the unsportsmanlike and higlily-destrnc- 

 tivc mode of hunting known as ••crusting" was alxilislicd 

 several years ago. Fornierlv men would go into tlie 

 vviidei'iiess. vvlicn (he snow was dee]) and thci'c v\ as a 

 iicavy cru^t. and uilli rc\ ol \ rrs or clul.- >lani;hi('r deer 

 by tlie score \\-hil(' they wcrt^ b(vlpli'ss in their yards. One 

 i)id ^^oodsman boasts of haxiu.i; killed doer in ojic winter 

 in this way. Of course. \\'liere so many were killed nnujli 

 of the venison was allowed to g(^ to waste and only tlie 

 hides were taken. This slaugliter was permitted to C(jn- 

 tinue until it became evident that the uhimate e.xtinction 

 of the deer must result unless it was stoj^ped. and then it 

 was that a law Avas eiuicted iinposiug a severe i.ienalty 

 for crusting, and this statute has smce been in torce. The 

 wisdom of tliis laA-^^ has been jjlainly demonstrated, as has 

 also that of the act prohibiting killing deer at salt licks. 

 Now the (pieslion arises as to wliether or not, with the 

 increasing tide of traAcl in the Adirondacks and tlie 

 rapidly nuiltiplying number of iumters. it will not be wise 

 to enact further la-ws for the i>n>tection of deer. 



Many sportsnu>n hi centj'al New York faM)]- doing away 

 etdirely with the style of deer hunting known as lloatijig 

 or jacking, for tlui reason that wJien this method is most 

 successfully carried on. which is in hot weather, the deer 

 are not in their prime, marn' more does than bucks are 

 killed, andthe percent:! M Inerthatare womided andes- 

 cap8 the hunter oiil i > rlieir woundH is ver\' iireat. 



There is also quiti- -u'ln ijucnt among our spoi'tsmen in 

 favor of doing riwa>' \\ ub bounding, but it is by no means 

 as strong as that against Moating. All In>licvc the season 

 should be sliortened. Most, sixtrtsmen would be ghid to 

 see a law iMiacted making it illegal to kill does, providing 

 such, a, hiw could be enforced. 



It has been argued b\ ineii who have lia.d yeai's of ex- 

 perieiK'c in luiniiu'j deer and t lu'i-(>f on; know what they 

 are talkmg ab<uu.. iliai ilic season lor sliooting shoidd not 

 op Ml until Sei)t. lu or later. M.mv would lik<> to have the 

 Season extpnde<l so as t.o inelude ti tteendays of November, 

 for the (leer arc not in iifimc condition until lat^c* in the 

 tall. l)ut such ]iersous are also in favor of abbreviating tlu' 

 .season l)v opening it later. 



In order to obtain detinitc inrorniation a.s to whetluM- or 

 not deer are inci'easing in numliei's and with a vic\v of 

 ol)taining other information (joncerning tlie-iii I sent out 

 loiters of iiKpiir.N addre.ssed to Adirondack girides fi.nd 

 hotel tneu in all i)a,fts of the woods. The reHi»ons(:« wen;: 

 prom]»1, and to the point,. 



Of tlie replies icceived ))() favor(:'d doing away with lloat- 

 ing or jackiiu; bir deer entirely. Tt favor(:'d lloating. and 1 

 (•orr(-'spondent wrote, rhat some guide's were in favor of 

 and others oi)|)ose(l Ic it. Tims it will be .seen that the 

 weigiit o1 the spiilimenl among the guides and liotel men 

 is strongly aiiMinst lloalmg. and quite in accord with tliat 

 of sjiortsmen w ho rre<|uent that region, as far as this 

 method of hunl iii'.: is concerned. 



As to the practice ot running deer vx ith dogs, more tli an 

 three limes as main- L;iiides ami hotel men favored tliis 

 style of hunting as were opposed to it. Tlie general fei^l- 

 ing, howe\'er. a\';i.s loiiiid to be (juite lu tavoi- ol a short 

 season for hounding. There seemed to i)e ipiite a divei-- 

 sity of ojanion as to tlid^ dal(>s when i\\v season lor (le.(,'i' 

 hunting sb Old d op(>u and (^lose. but, the ma jorii v apjieared 

 to be satisfled with the present dates. Quite a number, 

 liowever. declared in favor of opening tlie season Sept. 1 

 or 15, and a dtwen or more desired the season extended 

 IntD or through No-\'ember. The St. Lawrence (.'omity 

 tiuides say they would like to be permitted to hunt deer 

 with dogs th(n-e. if it is allowcl in other counties. 



TIk^ following repoiteil deer increasing in (heir htcaii- 

 litis: In Herkimer (■ouid.\, .\. 1.). Barber, lloniiedaga 

 Lake: J. E. S. Wilkinson." Wilmurt: Charles ||. Smith. 

 Stillwater; Henry Studor. Bisby Lakes: Robert Perry, 

 Christopher ftoodsell. Eugx^m^ L. Scrattord, .John L. Scrai- 

 ford. Sum Duuakiii. ( '. V. Wells, ()|<1 Forge. In St. Lau- 

 rence county. Chaimc(\\ Wesicott. Donald Stewail. Cian- 

 berry Lake." In HamUton c<.)uiity, C. H. B(;nnett. J\'aqiiett,e 

 Lake: G. W. Tuuniclitf. Blue Mountain Lake: David 

 llehna. Long Lake: O. L. Howland. Rudeston: Tyler .M. 

 Merwin. Blue Mountain Lake: Theodore C. Remonda. 

 Morehouseville. In Warren (.;ounty. W. H. Robhv.'. North 

 River: Henry S. Dowmis. ( heslertown. In Lewis county. 

 Warren Humes and i<'re.d. I'lielps. llarrisville. In Sara- 

 toga count \ , Thomas Salnum. of Sacandaga Yalley. In 

 lilsse.v (tounty. the I-ela,iul House. Schroon Lake, and Orrin 

 Harris, of the Pyramid Lake House. In Oneida county. 

 Byron E. ('ool, Forestiioit;, referring to the Hlack River 

 (tountrv. 



Deer are reported decreasing in their respective locali- 

 ties t)V Charles Fenttai. ot Number Four, Fulton Chain, 

 Plerkiiner county, and Vs. W. Grilfith of Prospect, the lat- 

 ter speaking for North and South lakes. WiUard Howlin 

 (.»f S.mth R.uss(dl. St. Law reuc(^ couiitv. rejiori- deei not 

 increasing there, and .Tack Thomas of Cranljerr>' Lake in 

 the same county, thinks llievare ab(_mt holding their own. 

 < 'barh^s Waaner ol .Morehouseville writes that d(^er are 

 not increasing there. 



The guides say there are- afow wolvfis and now juni then 

 a panther in the IMoos-? Uivev region, and also in tlie 

 Spruce Liike r-iglori, noav Cranberry Lake and about the 



headwaters of the Osw^egatchie. Two panthers are re- 

 ported between the Graas and Raquette rivers, one m Es- 

 sex county and occasionally one near Blue Mountain Lake. 

 Hamilton coimty, and now and then one near Chester- 

 town, Warren county, Imt these animals are getting very 

 scarce and, of course, kill comparatively few (leer. 



Estimates as to the number of persons who now visit 

 the different localities in the Adirondacks where there 

 was one ten years ago. Avere made as follows: Old Forge. 

 Herkimer county. 100; Cranberry Lake, St. Lawrence 

 county, 25; Long Lake, Hamilton coimty, 10; Rudeston, 

 Hamilton ccamty, 13: Wilmurt, Herkimer county. 10; 

 Sacandaga Valley. Saratoga, county. 50: Bisby Lakes. Her- 

 kimer comity. It); North River. Warren county, 10: Ches- 

 tei-town. Warren county. 10; Blue Mountain Lake, Ham- 

 ilton county. 100: Essex county. 16; Hari-isville, Lewis 

 county, 50; North and Soutli lakes. Herkimer county. 50; 

 Raquette Lake. Hamilton county. 10: Number F'our, Ful- 

 ton Chain. 12: South Russell, St. Lawrence county 10; 

 Honnedaga Lake, Herkimer county, 10; Morehouseville, 

 Hamilton county, 10; Stillwater. Herkimer county, an in- 

 crease of 25 per cent, ; Schroon Lake, Essex county, not as 

 many. 



Estimates a.s to tlie number of deer killed in various 

 localities last season by the various methods of hunting 

 were given as follows: 



Fl(»atirifr. riouiKhiig. .Stiil-laintiiig 



FiUton Chain 100 1S5 30 



CraiilieiTv Lakc^ 7o to 100 S,5 .30 



Long- Lake 10 to 15 .25 to 30 



lliHlestoii SO to 40 fJ5 to 150 10 to J5 



Weriliou.switlc SJ5 -10 IS 



Wilmurt - 6 10 10 



Sacandaga Valley 25 W 



Bisbv Lakes.....' :.; 8 :S 



Noilh River '^'O ID 



( .'liesterto-n-n 25 i'5 10 



Blue Jlountain Lake 'i^ 50 5 



I'vraimil Ltike. (i 



irclnisville 10 to 12 15 lo SO 20 to 25 



North and South Lake.s 14 37 



Kaqnette Lake •. 100 10 



Little WooUhuU Lake 42 



Selirooii LaU-e :iO 



South ]?iissell 100 t(.. 150 15 to -25 



Stilhvat(-?r 8 100 '20 



Honnedaga Lake i)0 



From the lUiove ligurt^s it will lie seen that in tin; local- 

 ities named from 475 to 567 deer were killed bv floating, 

 from 998 to L02H by hounding and from 170 to 245 by 

 still-hunting. The totals tli us show tliat from l.()4;5 to 

 1,840 deer were killed, and the number not r(ii)ort,ed would 

 c(;rtainly make the aggnegate over 2.000. 



There are comparatively f(^w Adirondacks liotels where 

 venison is not included in tlie bill of fart! before tlie hunt- 

 ing season opens, provided the proiirietor has confidence 

 that his guests will not enter complaint against liinu 

 Many ])ersons living in the woods or on the bord(?rs be- 

 beve they should be allowed to kill a deer at any time 

 M'hen th(;;y are out ol meat and do not hesitate to do so. 

 There has. howe\ (!r. been a gretit change for the bett(*r 

 during tlie past lew years in the attitude of th(^ residents 

 ot the Adirondacks toward the u,'a.me laws and 1 think 

 most ot them vvonld be gla,(! to see wise proiectiv'c meas- 

 ures lived up to. It goes without, sayini;-. however, that 

 no game protector wdio is not an e.KiMirieiu'ed woodsman 

 Ciin do effective; work in the Adirondacks. 



Report on Forestry. 



Your committee on forestry beg leave to re|>ort as Col- 

 lows: 



1 Under the new constitution of the New York State 

 .Association lor the Pi-ob'ction of Ftsli and (lame. adoiited 

 last .June, the preservation of the forests is designat«!d as 

 one of the objects tor wbicli this ortianization exists and 



I to wdiich its membt>rs ari' pledLicd. The subject is one 

 of vital moment to every citi/.eii of the Empire State, ajid 

 to those interestiMl in the aims and jiurjioses of this asso- 



I elation it has a double signilicance. 



I The most miportant f'oicst in tlu^ Statt\ and on(^ of the 

 i mo.st important in this country, is the great Adirondtw^k 

 I wilderness, and as this is seriously threatened on all sides 

 at present it would seem to bi' projier and advisable for 

 this iissociation to tirst {■(Hisider what can lie done toward 

 I its preservation. 



I The gross area (jf the Adirondack, wilderness i-egion 

 j j)rop(^r is ajipro.ximately 5.fiOO s<|uare miles, or 3.5S,S.80:i 

 I acres. These lands are classitieil, as to (■b,n':ietei-. as I'ol- 

 I lows: Improved. 101. 12^5 acres: wild meadiiw. s,"^!,") acres: 

 i water, (i7,(iS(i: waste. :)1.12l: burned. 2i."-2';4: denuded. 



1 t 



1 Vt .0','7: lumbered, 

 i ol I he latul is un 

 much of it, w hen < 

 I It is an (Establish* 

 i tect and ])reser\'e the spi 

 1 overshadow, and are. iber 

 ating and eijuali/am; tin 



smtabh 

 le)M-ive. 

 ^daud^ 



■St. l,9M2.i;!0 acres, 

 agricultural ])U|•po^ 



Most 

 a,nd 



t Its timber, is worthless. 

 l-kuoA\'n fact that le)rests pro- 

 ms ;md sti-eams which they 

 ore. a jirime factor in regu- 

 \N-at,er su])|)ly. Denude the 



1 rocky si o])es of the Adirondacks of the timber and the 

 I scanty soil of leaf mould will speedily lie waslu.'d awav by 

 I the ruins, leaving only the granite foundation, upon w hicli 

 I vegetation can scarcely find a foothold. These hills and 

 1 mountains nwco denutU'd cannot i-egain their primit,iAa> 

 I condition in centuries. The experience of oldtir nations 

 has demonstrated the fact tliat disastrous floods and fresh- 

 ets follow in the wake ot forest destruction. The bitter 

 ' ie,s-,on learneil by the people of France. Italy and .Asiatic 

 ! countri(^s should serv(^ asa warning to us. In this regi(m 

 I are tlie reservoirs which are tlie feeders and the life of our 

 i canals. Under tlie coii.stitution of tliis Stat(; the canals 

 I are gi\ en special safeguards. Article VII. . Section (1 of 

 the constitution says: --Thvy shall remain the pnnierty 

 of tlie State and under its managciment forever." The 

 liroper management of the canals entails the^ procurement 

 I of a sutticient water supply" which can only be had from 

 : Adirondack streams and lakes. The yiublic interests in 

 I this line, therefore. re(|uire their protection. Buttli(?yare 

 not receiving it. for even now lumbering is in progre.ss on 

 the water sheds of the reservoirs, and hundreds of men 

 are at work. ,i- ll!c\ ha\e lyeeu lor two yi^ars, felling tim- 

 ber on the he.idw alei s of Black River. It is .said that 

 I within memory ila' ourllowof the A dirondacvk streams has 

 decreased in summer from '30 to 50 per cent. 



The great Adirondaiik wilderness is not only^ (.essential 

 to the water sujiply. but it has a pow^ertul influence upon 

 I the general ( limatology of the State, equalizing the 

 I amount of moisture in tiie atmosphere and the rainfall, 

 i modifying the sm-erity of the winds and storms and mak- 

 ing the temperature more uniform. Science has shown 

 that forests are b(>neticial to public health, aside from cli- 

 I luatic influences, for the air that passes through the trees is 

 1 dive.sted of poisonovis gases and rendered pure and whole- 



some. Thousands of devotees of rod and gun have favor- 

 ite haunts in this region which they^ love next to their 

 homes. As a resort for the overworked people of the 

 cities who need rest and recreation it is deservedly popu- 

 lar and has no superior. As a sanitarium for consump- 

 tives our lea,ding physicians commend it. 



The dangers tlia,t threaten the magnificent forest are 

 many and great. Years ago most of the grand old hem- 

 locks were prostrated, depi'ived of their bark to supjily 

 the tanneries and left to decay on the ground. Most of 

 the gigantic pines have long since loweretl their heads 

 and floated down stream to the sawmiUs. C'otmtless 

 thousands of spruce tx'ees have followed the same course. 

 Annually, in flood of springtime, eA^ery^ stieam in the 

 Adirondack region of sufficient volume to float a log 

 bears downward its flotillas of soft wood logs destined to 

 be sawed into lumber. Annually in the heat of summer 

 forest fires rage in the partially lumbered disti"icts, ob- 

 taining their first start in the scattered tree tops or brusli 

 heaps that follow in the wake of the wood-choiiper's axe. 

 or recei"ST.ng irrepressilile impetus therefrom. Annually 

 in the snows of winter processions of teams drawing long- 

 timbers for spare and piles may be seen comuig markets- 

 ward over every wilderness higliw'ay. And all the year 

 round the woodman's axe rings the death knell of the 

 forest trees; aU through the yeai- their bodies are de- 

 posited in the mills, where their funeral music is played 

 by the buzz and the gang saws, and in others cremated 

 for wood acid or reducetl to wood pulp. Thousands of 

 sturdy axmen, hundreds of sawmills and scores of other 

 mills are ravaging our beautiful forests. The .soft wood 

 has already been removed from l.;35U,0O() acres and the 

 hardwood wih soon follow suit if no one cii(\s ■'halt." 



Raih-oads ha,\'e been laid around the wilderness, 

 branches tlirust into it from every cpiarter and the year 

 just past saw the c(mipIetion of a great line running 

 through its verv heart. The shriek of the nnjderii loco- 

 motive and the rumble of Wagner car wheels are now- 

 daily heard where a short time ago the wild deer roamed 

 in undisturbed seclusiim and the cry of the grea t northern 

 diver was the loudest sound that greeted the ear. The 

 new Adirondack & St. Lawrence railroad trax ei ses the 

 wilderness from Remsen to Malone, a distance of 145 

 miles and opens this great section to markets in which all 

 kinds of timber will find a ready sale. That a great and 

 constantly inci'easing traffic in timber will residt is cer- 

 tain and that fretpicnt. almost daily foi'est fires in thi'. dry 

 sea.son will occur ahjug the line of this ro;id seems inevit- 

 able. 



The lurnbering. as Ga,n'ied on at present, is as far re- 

 moved from the teachings of scientific forestry as black 

 from white. The ever.green trees are the tirst to suffer, 

 and those lOin. through, and even do^vti to 8. 6 and 4in.. 

 fall with the others. Land cut oA^er in this way cannot 

 regain its growth of soft timber in half a century. But 

 this is not all. The thick treetops are left on the gromid 

 wdiere they^fell, and after lying one season tliey form food 

 of the most uiflammaJile nature for forest fires. Forest 

 land Avhicli has been burned oA-er is jn-actically ruined, for 

 most of the Airtue of the soil itself. a\ liicli is composed of 

 leaf mould and other decaying s'egetation, got^s uit in 

 flame and smoke. When:.' the hardwfiod timber, the 

 beecli. liircli. nuiple and cbi'rry are also cut off. fire is al- 

 most certain to follow to complete (lie work of liestructioii 

 and render the land A\'orthless for gcneralions. It is caJ- 

 ciliated that there are now about 1 .ODO.noo acres of primi- 

 tive Avilderness. and at tlie present rate of iMitting there 

 are people livuig wllo wll See the timber sufiply ex- 

 hausted. 



For a century or more thoughtful men have raised their 

 voices ag-ainsttbe wholesale and wasteful cutting of timber 

 in this State. Perliaps the earliest recorded action by aU 

 organization along this line, was that taken by the NeA\^ 

 York S(jciety for tlie Promotion of Agriculture. .Arts and 

 Manufactories, in 1710. wduMi it apjuiinted a committee to 

 consider the besi modes of preserving and increa-sing the 

 groAA'th of wood and v.ihiable timber -'Whii.-lt committee 

 recommended that the State sliould devote those lands 

 not adapted to agricultural pui-poses to the cultivation of 

 trees."' This very Avise recf)inmendation produced no 

 visible results. hoAsever, and nothing definite was done 

 by the State until I8i2. when a commission of State pai'ks 

 was app(3inted to ini|uire inti> the exjiediency of the State 

 ac(]uiring tille to the timbered lands in the ,Adir(jndack 

 region. This ci.>uiinission sulisei]uentl> rejiorted that in 

 its opinion tlie jirotcctiiin of a. great jiortion of that forest 

 from wanton destruction was absf)lute]y and ini mediately 

 required. The preserv^atioii of the timbei- \'\-as recom- 

 mended as a mea,sure (_>1|Kjlitical economy. The Legisla- 

 ture took no further steps in tlie matter, however, imtil 

 1883, Avhen an act was passed .stopping the sale of State 

 lands in the Adirondack counties. Tlie ^car following 

 $5,000 Avas appropriated to compensati^ e.\-pierts lor report- 

 ing on a .system of forest preservation. In 1885 the 

 present Forest Commission was established, as was also 

 the State Forest Preserve, consisting of lands in the Adir- 

 ondack region lielouging to the State. The commission 

 was empOAvered to sue for trespass, collect jiena hies for 

 timber illegally^ cut, and guard against forest fires. This 

 action Avas in the right direction, and the ( 'omniission did 

 much good work, but something more was neerled to 

 meet the public demands. The intelligent peo|)lc of the 

 State soon came to understand that the com|)aratively 

 smaU proportion of the Adhondack lands owned by the 

 commonAvealth Avas not at aU strfficient to meet the public 

 requirements, and that liOAvever Avilling the Commissicui 

 might be its poAver Avas limited. Then came the plea for 

 the purchase, of additional lands in the Adirondacks 

 and the establLshnient of a permanent State Park, Avhich 

 plea has since echoed and re-echoed from tlie North 

 River to the St. Lawrence, from Saratoga to Niagara 

 and Chautauqua, groAving in intensity- and gaining in 

 A'^olume year by year until it has at last attaine(l the form 

 of a demand that cannot be disregarded. Gov. Hill re- 

 alized the import of this plea tliree years ago, and in a 

 special message to the Legislature of 1890 recommended 

 the appointment of a commission to report a plan for the 

 creation of an Adirondack State Park. Gov. Flower ap- 

 preciates the import of the demand, and in his annual 

 message to the present Legislatoi-e recommends prompt 

 and liberal action along this line. 



The recommendation oi Governor Hill was. by the 

 Legislature, referred to the Forest Commission, which 

 body presented an extended report favoring the establish- 

 nieiit of an Adirondack park contahiing 2.307,760 acres. 

 Then the Legislature passed an act authorizing the com- 

 mission to purchase la^i(is m the counties of the Forest 



