144 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Fee. 17, 1804 



it was determined by the Legislature to try the_ effect of 

 another system. A law was passed in 1857 abolishing all 

 restrictions, regulations and enactments as to close time, 

 trawls, nets and lines. Every one was left free, to fish the 

 sea in any mode and at any time he deemed most advanta- 

 geous, while a Fishery Commission was established to col- 

 lect the statistics of the various fisheries and report 

 annually to the Legislature upon all maters affecting the 

 interests of the fisheries. The result has been a steady and 

 continuous improvement." 



Z These statements comprise the result of the investigations 

 of governments and scientists and practical authorities for 

 over four centuries, and in every instance, notwithstanding 

 the erroneous ideas that existed in the minds of fishermen 

 and others, those engaged in the research decided against 

 repressive laws, and established the fact that fishing with 

 nets or with any other appliances cannot influence or decrease 

 the supply of migratory food or other fishes. 



Now, I do not believe that the. gentlemen who signed the 

 petition calling this meeting fully understood the facts to 

 which I have referred, or they would not place themselves 

 in opposition to the published decisions of those great 

 authorities in science and ichthyology, whom I have quoted, 

 and who have in many cases made life studies of the subject 

 which is now under consideration. I notice that in the 

 circular calling this meeting the statement is made that 

 during the past year the spawning ground of mackerel and 

 other migratory fishes has been discovered to be local and 

 inshore. This statement is an error — in fact, it looks uncom- 

 monly like an intentional error. No man knows where these 

 migratory fishes pass the winter, and after twenty years' 

 experience and investigation the best living American 

 authorities cannot definitely locate the precise ground where 

 any of these fishes spawn. 



I do not think that I can add further new matter to this 

 argument. It is the duty of the people of the United States 

 to insist through their States and National Legislatures that 

 the food fish shall be conserved and protected; but it is as 

 clear as the sun at noon that the only fisheries that can be 

 benefitted by restrictive or protective legislation are those of 

 oysters and other shell fishes, crustaceans, and those fishes 

 that are known not to be migratory. It is therefore appar- 

 ent that those who seek for the enactment of repressive 

 legislation have not given this matter the attention or study 

 necessary to place before the Commissioners an intelligent 

 argument, and as far as my experience and understanding 

 of the facts enable me to form an opinion, I believe that it is 

 the duty of the representatives of the people to oppose by 

 every and any just means all attempts at legislation which 

 would restrict our fishermen in their freedom of fishing for 

 migratory fishes by every means at their disposal. 



South Harwich, Dec. 7, 1893.— John T. Hangaard, Secre- 

 tary: Sir— Whereas, my attention has been called to a meet- 

 ing to be held at the office of the Commissioners of Fisheries 

 of the State of New York for the purpose of securing national 

 legislation restricting the use of pounds, traps and seines in 

 the taking of fish, claiming that by their use the supply of 

 food fish is being rapidly depleted. If the proposers of that 

 measure were honest and not influenced by their desire for 

 private amusements during a few weeks of the year, regard- 

 less of consequences to the poor people of the villages along 

 the coast, whose living must come from the waters, to whom 

 robbing them of their rights and privileges of catching fish 

 by more reliable means than simple hook and line, means to 

 them a loss of their little all, for which they have toiled, i. e., 

 the value of such gear as they have f or fishing, and a loss of 

 employment and a living for their families — they could easily 

 learn that the use of these contrivances does not contribute 

 an atom to the cause of the scarcity of fish; neither do they 

 retard the periodical seasons of plenty. Again, the propor- 

 tion of fish taken by these fixed contrivances on the shores 

 to the whole bodies of fish in the waters is so small it cannot 

 be computed, only imagined. Therehave always been, from 

 time immemorial, years of plenty and years of scarcity of 

 fish: not only of one kind, but of all the dif- 

 ferent kinds and varieties which visit our shores 

 and bays, from the alewives in our brooks to cod upon the 

 banks of Newfoundland. Such are the facts in fisheries as 

 in everything which comes to the lot of men. As regu- 

 larly as the tides ebb and flow so come successful years, and 

 then the reverse; and it always will be so. There are 

 evidently as many fish now as ever in the sea, notwithstand- 

 ing all the contrivances and appliances of man. Let man 

 take ali he can, he cannot reduce them. There were, accord- 

 ing to recollection of our old men, and our records, times of 

 greater scarcity of fish on the shores of old Cape Cod years, 

 yea scores of years, before any such contrivances as pounds, 

 weirs and traps were conceived of. Two years ago several 

 kinds of southern, or warm water, fish made their appear- 

 ance in our (Chatham) bay, fish that the fishermen never 

 before saw. Why did they come? It is said by very old 

 people that, from great abundance of bluefish on the shores 

 of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, they suddenly dis- 

 appeared and for a long time (it is said fifty years) were not 

 known, so when they returned only some of the oldest 

 people could name them. I have heard an old uncle of mine 

 (a fisherman until age incapaciated him) say, when he was 

 a boy (in his teens), while with a party using a sweep 

 seine, a bluefish was caught, and as none could name 

 it, it was left on the beach, the men fearing to eat it; 

 but later, another was caught, and a very old man remem- 

 bered that fish of that kind was plenty in his early years. 

 Now, as there were then no traps or weirs or seines to deplete 

 them, why and where did they go and again return? So 

 with all fish; they go and come, and natural causes— to man 

 now unknown — are responsible for it, and not man with his 

 contrivances for their catch. Surely, pounds, traps and 

 seines are not the cause of the years of great scarcity of cod- 

 fish on all the banks, where at other years they do so much 

 abound — sometimes large fish, at other times fish of seem- 

 ingly smaller growth. Who can account for all the changes? 

 Not man. Neither does the catching of them in large or 

 small number, or quantities, with the millions of eggs depos- 

 ited by individual fish. Man has no influence, only the 

 power that created them for the use of man and decreed that 

 he take of the abundance thereof. Fish has from the days of 

 the Apostles (and then there were times of scarcity) to the 

 present been a great means of livelihood to those about the 

 coasts the world over, and all nations have the same years or 

 seasons of scarcity and plenty, even where pounds and traps 

 are unknown. If pounds and traps are the cause of our 

 seasons of scarcity, why should all other nations have them 

 without the said pounds and traps? 



No, as a fisherman of close observance of the ways of fish 

 lore for two-score years, I am fully conviuced that the 

 coming and going of fish is not influenced by the use of 

 traps, weirs or seines. We have just had a few years of 

 small catch, but the last two have decidedly improved, and 

 our oldest fishermen look with pleasure to a series of greater 

 plenty, till in a short time it will be high tide followed by 

 another ebb; and ali, like myself, do protest against legisla- 

 tion robbing us of our God-given right of living by fishing, 

 solely that a few wealthy summer residents may claim better 

 fishing for sport alone, and surely raise the prices, making 

 fish a luxury thereby. Respectfully submitted, 



. Darius F. Weekes. 



New York, Dec. 11, 1893.— We, the undersigned wholesale 

 fish dealers of New York city, certify that, as regards the 

 general supply of edible fish brought to this market, there is 

 no evidence whatever of a decrease in the catch as compared 

 with the supply at any time during the past ten or twenty 

 years, and that the prices obtained during the past three or 



four seasons have not been higher in the average than during 

 any similar period of time in the past. 

 [Signed] 



J. W. Campbell & Son. 17 Fulton Fish Market. 



Caleb Haley & Co., 14 Fulton Fish Market. 



D. Haley & Co., 6 Fulton Fish Market. 



A. W. Haff , 12 Fulton Fish Market. 



H. M. Rogers Co., 11 Fulton Fish Market. 



Eldred & Haley, 9 Fulton Fish Market. 



Jno. Powell's Son & Co., 8 Fulton Fish Market. 



Kingsland & Comstock, 5 Fulton Fish Market. 



Horace E. Stillman, i Fulton Fish Market. 



J. N. Harris & Co., 3 Fulton Fish Market. 



Geo. T. Moore, 2 Fulton Fish Market. 



Amos G. Chesebro, 1 Fulton Fish Market. 



S. B. Miller, 7 Fulton Fish Market. 



Wallace & Keeney, 10 Fulton Fish Market. 



John Feeney & Co., 13 Fulton Fish Market. 



S. L. Storer & Co., 16 Fulton Fish Market. 



Fulton Fish Co., 15 Fultou Fish Market. 



Middleton, Carman & Co., 70 Fulton Fish Market. 



A. E. Potter, 148 Beekman street. 



F. G. Kenny & Co., 146 Beekman street. 

 Benjamin & Ken well , 144 Beekman street. 

 Sam'l T. Skid more, 142 Beekman street. 

 Sam'l Z. Chesebro, 150 Beekman street. 

 P. M. Comstock & Co., 152 Beekman street. 

 Willis H. Rogers, 106 South street. 

 Warner & Prankard, 10S South street. 

 Benj. W. Davis, 109 South street. 



B. Cohen, 114 South street. 



C. H. Cone, 107 South street. 



hmttt 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Feb. 20 to 23.— "Westminster Kennel Club, at New York. James 

 Mortimer. Superintendent. 



Feb. 27 to March 2— Columbus Fanciers' Club, at Columbus, O. Or. 

 F. Mooney, Sec'y. Entries close Feb. 20. 



March 7 to 10.— City of Straits Kennel Club, at Detroit, Mich. Guy 

 D. Welton, Sec'y. Entries close Feb. 21. 



March 13 to 16.— Mascoutah Kennel Club, at Chicago, 111. J. L. 

 Lincoln, Sec'y. Entries close Feb. 24. 



March 27-30.— Philadelphia Kennel Club, at Philadelphia, Pa., Dr, 

 D. B. Darby, Sec'y. 



April 3 to 6.— New England Kennel Club, at Boston, Mass. D. E. 

 Loveland, Sec'y. 



April 18 to 21.— Southern California Kennel Club, at Los Angeles, 

 Cal. C. A. Sumner, Sec'y. 



May 2 to 5.— Pacific Kennel Club, at San Francisco, Cal. H. W. 

 Orear, Sec'y. 



May 15.— Portland Kennel Club, at Portland, Ore. D. L. Williams, 

 Sec'y. 



FIELD TRIALS. 

 Sept. 5.— Manitoba Field Trials Club, at Morris, Man. R. J. Gallaug- 

 her, Winnipeg, Sec'y. 



Exhibitors should remember that entries close for 

 Columbus show, Feb. 20, with Geo. F. Mooney, 

 Columbus, O., for Detroit, Feb. 3 1, with Guy Welton, 

 Detroit, Mich. Entries for Chicago close Feb. 24 

 (the day after New York show), with Room 910, 

 276 Dearborn street, Chicago. 



The Canadian Kennel Club Meeting. 



We have already published an account of certain proceed- 

 ings at this meeting, and the secretary, Mr. H. B. Donovan, 

 sends us further particulars as follows: In addition to the 

 committee selected by the president to confer with the A. K. 

 C. toward forming a new compact between the two clubs, the 

 president appointed Messrs. H. B. Donovan, J. S. Williams, 

 C. A. Stone and R. W. Boyle to draft instructions to delegates, 

 also to be submitted to him. _ 



The following communications were read by the president. 

 He was empowered to carry on any further correspondence 

 necessary: 



London, Ont,— Clarke Wallace, JEsq., Ottawa: Dear Sir— As it is 

 generally understood that various changes are about to be made in the 

 tariff. I take the liberty of bringing to your attention the subject of 

 the importation of thoroughbred dogs. As it is at present, the duty 

 of 20 per cent, on dogs, which, like other animals, are imported for 

 the improvement of stock, is a serious drawback to the dog breeders 

 of the Dominion, and a great good would result if it were made com- 

 pulsory for free admission of dogs that they should have pedigrees 

 that were eligible for registration in the Canadian Kennel Club's regis- 

 ter, which calls for three generations. Thus, in order to get free ad- 

 mission, it would be necessary that certified pedigrees must accompany 

 all importations, and in this great good would arise to Canadians. As 

 it is at present, dogs are sent out from Ecigland and the Continent to 

 purchasers with only partial pedigrees, and it is almost impossible to 

 get the correct pedigree after a dog has once been shipped. But if it 

 were made a matter of importance by the Customs authorities that 

 this certificate must accompany importations, the seller would be 

 compelled to give full pedigrees before a purchase was made, aud thus 

 a great deal of trouble would be saved the importers. The duties that 

 are now collected must be very little, as all dogs are valued by the 

 Customs officials, who have no more idea of the value of the animal 

 than they have of "cheese brought from the moon." I would suggest 

 that in the new tariff all dogs shall he free that are accompanied with 

 a pedigree that can be registered in the C. K. C. Stud Book. I shall be 

 much obliged if you will give this subject your consideration, as it 

 would not only be good for the country at large, but for the individual 

 importer. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, 



J. S. Nivjsn, President C. K. C. 



Ottawa, Jan. 22. — Dr. J. S. Niven, k%3 Colborne street, Londont, (hit.: 

 My Dear Sir— I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 

 17th inst. on the subject of the tariff status of dogs (thoroughbred), 

 and carefully note the suggestion you make and the representations 

 in behalf of "such request, in effect that free admission thereof should 

 be allowed. I am glad to have this matter brought before me at this 

 time, as it can now receive full consideration in connection with the 

 revision of the tariff. If you have any further facts that, would have 

 a bearing on your view of the question, I shall be glad to have them as 

 soon as possible. I am, faithfully yours, N. Clabke Wallace. 



A paragraph f rom the Toronto Mail of J an. 19 was read, 

 when it was voted that Dr. Wesley Mills and Mr. Nichols, of 

 Chicago, be asked to give this club an explanation of the 

 case. 



It was decided to permit the registration of dogs the pro- 

 duct of dogs already registered, but not eligible under the 

 present rules. 



Heavy Mastiffs. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



An enthusiast in any line of useful work or investigation, 

 particularly one whose efforts are wisely directed and un- 

 selfish to a degree, deserves well of his fellows. Assuming 

 this to be true, no man in this country is deserving of higher 

 praise in mastiff circles, than Charles E. Buun. 



For years he has been an ardent admirer, a painstaking 

 student and consequently, a successful breeder of the best 

 type of English mastiff. With possibly one exception, no 

 man in America has done more than he to advance the 

 interests of the breed, and no one has been more willing to 

 give all mastiff lovers the benefit of his investigations. He 

 has invested largely both in this country and in England, 

 and has met defeat, successes and losses alike with the 

 courage and courtesy of a generous and high-minded gentle- 

 man. I am sure lie will receive universed sympathy in his 

 recent heavy looses. Within a year he has lost Edric, Ilford 

 Cameo, Miss Caution, Caution's Own Daughter and now 



Ormonde, five of the best specimens of the breed in this 

 country. Every one a superb individual, and every one a 

 loss not only to the owner but to mastiff breeding. Such 

 reverses would dishearten most men, but fortunately he 

 seems to be. of the kind who are in the work to stay. 



Speaking of "large mastiffs" — are we not in danger of 

 sacrificing too much for mere size? Understand me, I favor 

 the largest mastiff that can be produced, provided that noth- 

 ing of massiveness, activity and true character, by which 

 I mean to include not only appearance but utility, is lost. 

 A mastiff unable to jump a fence, to accompany an owner 

 on his walks— yes, and drives— without the disposition and 

 ability to guard his person and property, if necessary, 

 against all comers, is not worth feeding. 



Only a few years ago the craze was all for head. Any- 

 thing with a head was all right. Many judges never saw 

 anything behind the ears. Thanks to many a severe drub- 

 bing, judges are now requiring that to a good head shall be 

 united a strong symmetrical body, with sound legs and fe_et. 

 Some of our winning mastiffs even of to-day are weak in 

 hocks, generally deficient in hindquarters and feet; but the 

 signs of the times are hopeful, the trend of breeders is 

 mainly right. Now let us not replace the former type of 

 mastiff — an animal of magnificent head on a cripple body— 

 with an overgrown hulk, with no virtue but avoirdupois. 

 Mastiff dogs weighing from 150 to 1751bs. , and bitches from 

 125 to 150 are very large animals, larger than the average of 

 good all-around mastiffs. If we can breed them of that 

 weight with good heads, good bodies and good legs and feet, 

 we shall do well. And let no one grow excited over stories 

 of 200 to 2301b. mastiffs, such phenomena is rare. One or 

 two well authenticated cases may have been known, but the 

 conditions which produced them seldom exist. At no time 

 has the outlook for breeding sound, active, symmetrical 

 mastiffs of good size been more encouraging than at present; 

 but don't let us lose our heads and try to breed elephants 



The mastiff's rightful place is in the front rank of the 

 canine race, a position to which it is easily entitled by its 

 unequaled strength, courage, fidelity and intelligence^ 



We should strive to produce animals worthy of this dis- 

 tinction, but we shall have to develop an entirely new 

 animal before many of them will be 200-pounders. 



Clinton N. Powell. 



Omaha, Neb., Feb. 3. 



Specialty Club Secretaries. 



IT has always been a subject for remark among dogmen 

 who are also members of different specialty clubs that the 

 majority of the secretaries do not sufficiently interest them- 

 selves in the welfare of their club and the breed the club is 

 organized to push forward. It does not seem to occur to them 

 that their position is the most important one in the list of 

 officers. On the work of the secretary depends in a great 

 measure the welfare of the club and advance of the breed the 

 club is supposed to foster. Our attention was first drawn to 

 this subject owing to a motion that was made by a member 

 of the executive committee at the annual meeting of the 

 National Beagle Club, that the secretary be instructed not to 

 furnish the kennel press with a report of meetings held by 

 the club. Of course, the motion was lost, and it is due to Mr. 

 Laick, the secretary, to say that he has always furnished the 

 papers with reports, and is always willing to do so. Such 

 hide-bound policy as that suggested had a good deal to do 

 with the lack of interest taken in the old American-English 

 Beagle Club. Very few, if any, secretaries of these clubs go 

 to the trouble of advising all the members of the club as to 

 what transpires at their meetings. The Spaniel Club, when 

 Mr. Wilmerding was secretary, generally had the minutes 

 printed on a circular, andthiswas mailed to all the members. 

 This is expensive in a sense and is not necessary when the 

 kennel papers are willing to print the reports. Every mem- 

 ber of a club has a right to know what is going on in that 

 club. The secretaries for their own benefit and according to 

 rules are compelled to write out the minutes of every meet- 

 ing, and while doing so, by the aid of manifold copying paper 

 they could at the same time make three or four extra copies, 

 and these can then be forwarded to the principal kennel 

 papers with little extra trouble or expense. By this means 

 every member of a club will know what has transpired at 

 the meeting. 



There is another consideration which such a procedure 

 would cover. When a reader of these papers, not necessarily 

 a dog man as we understand the term, sees an account of the 

 meetings and reads the names of the men interested in what- 

 ever breed the club represents, would he not be more likely 

 to think about joining that club than if he just had some 

 undefined idea that such aclub existed ? The more publicity 

 there is given to the doings of these clubs the more likely is 

 it that the membership list will be extended. 



There are several specialty clubs in existence about whose 

 meetings nothing is heard, unless it be the annual one at the 

 New York show. Such are the St. Bernard, the Collie and the 

 American Mastiff clubs, and in a lesser degree other clubs we 

 could mention. It is impossible for the papers to cover these 

 meetings, for unless some one connected with the paper is a 

 member of the different clubs, they are seldom advised as to 

 when such meetings will take place, and it is not known if 

 reporters would be welcome if they did. The remarks above 

 also apply to secretaries of kennel clubs, for upon the energy 

 and ambition of the secretary often depend the financial 

 prosperity and influence of their organizations and the suc- 

 cess of their shows. We do not think that this apparent 

 lack of energy results from anything more than thoughtless- 

 ness and an unfamiliarity with what we have distinctly 

 pointed out as the duties of such a secretary. These remarks 

 are made entirely in a friendly spirit, and are suggested 

 merelv from the dictates of our experience with dog men 

 and what is required. The specialty clubs in England have 

 done a great deal of good for the breeds they represent, and 

 the secretaries of these clubs, we should say, without excep- 

 tion recognize the value of publicity from the fact that in 

 the principal kennel papers a certain part of their columns 

 is set apart for "club notices," and full reports of all meet- 

 ings are sent in by the secretaries. 



Holding the Crowner's Quest. 



Johnstown, N. Y., Feb. 5.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 The statement appearing in the FOREST AND Stream of Feb. 

 3 relating to the decrease of the circulation and suspension 

 of the Fancier's Journal does a grave injustice to C. H. 

 Mason. I was business manager during the first three 

 months of Mr. Mason's editorial connection with the above- 

 mentioned paper. In that time the kennel advertisements 

 more than trebled in number and there was an increase in 

 subscriptions, the latter coming from dog fanciers. These 

 are the facts. J. H. Dreve>;stedt. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The falling off of subscriptions to the Fanciers' Journal 

 during the three months' regime of Messrs. Mason and 

 Drevenstedt was exactly 200. This statement can readily be 

 proven by the subscription book, now in the hands of the 

 Poultry Keeper Company, Parkesburg, Pa. 



Victor M. Haldeman. 



[From Mr. Haldeman' s note it appears that we erred in 

 saying that the 200 subscribers fell off in two months; we 

 should have said that the decrease took place in three months. 

 We also erred in putting the subscription list at the beginning 

 at 784, for Mr. Haldeman tells us "it was more like 950 

 we had in June. The subscribers continued to fall off all 

 summer," he adds, "so that there were less than 500 when we 

 sold."] 



