470 
FOREBT AND STREAM, 
[June 12, 1897. 
for dogs, a small portion of vegetable diet now and then may 
1)6 given, but it is not needed regulaily. The great evil in 
feeding dogs in the city is not so much in tlie evil effects of meat 
as in the effects of over feeding. It is from the abuse of food, 
combined with insufHcient exercise. The dog is fed every 
time the family has a meal, and on improper food such as 
cake, pie, highly spiced dishes, and between times the chil- 
dren delight in feeding the dog sugar or candy. Hence such 
dogs are always too fat, some of them disgustingly so, besides 
being wheezy, awkward and indolent in consequence, and 
also predisposed to many diseases. Any food will thus have 
harmful effects if its use is abused. Violent bowel disorders 
are frequently cured by a cbange from a vegetable to a meat 
diet. 
A common argument is that the oivner requires three 
meals a day, and that, therefore, the dog requires the same 
number. It is as much as to say that one's stomach is the 
measure of all other stomachs. 
The meat eaters require much less food and less often than 
do the vegetable eaters. The ox eats by the hour; the meat 
eater satisfies his stomach needs in a few moments. The 
wolf may not have a square meal in several days, yet he is 
strong and enduring, though he be gaunt and hungry -look- 
ing. It is claimed that domestication has changed the nature 
of the dog in this respect. Such is mere assertion with 
nothing to support it. The teeth, digestive organs and 
nature of the dog are the same, whether he be wild or tame. 
When he reverts to a wild state he does not «eek potato 
or cabbage patches for food; he kills whatever ani- 
mals he can to secure the needed supply, and even 
the domestic dog, in spite of Ihe alleged change of 
nature coming from domesticity, is known to kill 
sheep on occasion, besides always showing a natural 
inchnation to pursue rabbits, deer, squirrels, game birds, 
etc , not for the delight of man, but for his own delight and 
profit. When the game is captured the unschooled dog 
shows a purpose of eating it immediately. If it is light and 
portable, as squirrels, birds, etc., he may take possession and 
run away with it. Nothing is commoner than to see the 
amateur and half-trained dog scrambling furiously for a dead 
or wounded bird, each endeavoring to secure it first — if the 
dog is most successful the bird is either bolted outright or 
badly mutilated before the amateur can force him to sur- 
render it — and yet there are many who think that the dog 
hunts solely for the gratification of his master. 
UP A TREE WITH A COON. 
A Mr. Clabkb, who lives in the Willamette Valley, Ore- 
gon, recently told me this experience with a coon. 
"One day I was looking through the woods for some stray 
cattle, my only companion being my big dog Sam. I 
chanced to pass under the wide-spreading boughs of a j^oung 
fir tree. About 25 or 30ft above the ground was a large 
nest built by a wood-rat. The nest was about as large as a 
barrel, and was made of large and small leaves, grass, etc. 
I glanced at the nest and was about to pass on when, to my 
surprise, I saw a very large coon lying on top of the nest ap- 
parently fast asleep. I had no weapon save a large and 
strong-bladed knife. However, 1 resolved to make an as- 
sault despite the disadvantage under which I labored. I de- 
termined to climb the tree and, if possible, dislodge the 
animal. Sam was a large, powerful dog and a most expert 
coon fighter, and I had every confidence that he would make 
very short work of the coon if the creature could be dis- 
lodged and brought to earth. Stripping off shoes, coat and 
vest, and casting hat aside, I started to shin up the fir. My 
idea was to climb past the place where the coon was perched, 
and, when once above, I could easily drive the animal down 
the trunk, or if it took refuge in the branches I could easily 
shake it out. But I had reckoned without my host. No 
sooner did th'e coon see me start up the tree than it ran to 
the trunk and began to climb for dear life. As. I had started 
after it I proposed to capture it if possible. 'Never mind, 
my fine fellow,' I thought, 'just climb away, but I'll get you 
yet, see if I don't.' 
"Well, on the coon nimbly climbed, and I followed slowly 
and awkwardly. Up, up, the animal ascended, and after it 
I came. Smaller and smaller grew the trunk of the tree, and 
at the height of about 75ft. from the ground the coon reached 
a point as far as it dared to go. It had got so far up that 
the slender trunk was not larger than a man's wrist, and was 
swaying to and fro. Seeing that the coon could go no fur- 
ther, and as I could ascend no higher, I endeavored to shake 
the animal out. But that was all in vain. I shook the tree 
violently until I was completely out of breath, but the coon 
hung on with the tenacity of a leech. 
"Finally I gave that up as a bad job. 'I'll get him yet,' I 
murmured between my clenched teeth. Next, I cut off a 
branch about 10ft long, and trimmed it up. With this I 
could readily reach the coon; and would you believe it, I 
could not punch it out to save my life. Every time 1 reached 
upward, the coon would grasp the end of the branch in an 
instant and twist it in my hands. I consider myself a strong 
man, but, laboring under the disadvantage, I was no match 
for the cunning little animal Maddened and chagrined by 
repeated defeat and failure, 1 made several desperate efforts, 
and finally cast the stick aside in disgust. All this time the 
coon kept up a continual snarling and growling, and I could 
see that, like myself, it was getting pretty mad. Several 
times it looked as if it was ready to leap down on me, and 1 
have often wondered since that it did not, 
"At last a happy idea struck me. The tree was only a 
few inches in diameter; and why could I not sever it and 
pitch the creature oft*'? No sooner thought than done. 
With the sharp knife I rapidly cut into the soft fir wood, 
and by pushing with all my might succeeded in breaking 
off the now nearly detached treetop. When ihe coon dis- 
covered that the jig was up and it had to go, it gave a jump 
and caught on the ends of some branches below. These it 
clutched desperately, but its momentum was too great. It 
fell from limb to limb, and found no resting place until the 
ground was reached. 
"Sam saw the coon start, saw ihe leap and the frantic 
efforts made in vain to grasp the branches. He measured 
the distance promptly and with precision and the coon had 
scarcely touched the ground before the dog was on it like a 
panther. 
It was a short, but very desperate fight Sam came out 
victor, but not without many a scratch and painful bite. 
As soon as the coon started to fall I began descending, and, 
being pretty well exhausted, I came down leisurely. While 
comiog down I could hear the savage fight below in full 
progress. By the time I reached the grouad the conflict was 
ended. I shouldered the coon, and, reaching the house, my 
first care was to dress Sam's many painful wounds and make 
the old fellow comfortable. It was a week or more before 
he recovered from the effects of his sanguinary tussle. The 
coon was, without exception, the largest one I have ever 
seen. 
After the excitement had subsided, I began to realize how 
rash and foolhardy I had been in following the animal up the 
tree. Had the coon attacked me, it would have compelled me 
lo loosen my hold on the branches to defend myself; I should 
have undoubtedly been killed outright by the fall, or else 
very seriously injured. 1 will never follow another coon 
up a tree. J. M, Baltimore. 
Spokane, Wash. 
E. F. T. Club Derby Entries. 
Entries for the nineteenth annual Derby of 1897 have a 
total of forty-two, of which thirty are setters and twelve are 
pointers: 
Winnie Gi^adstone— K, C. Cornell's w. and b. setter bitch 
(Tory aiadstone— Molly). 
Zbb— Victor Humphery's b. pointer dog (Kemp B. — 
. ). * 
Risque— George Batten's b., w. and t. setter dog (Glad- 
stone — Roderigo Queen) 
Racco— T. E, Batten's b. and w. .setter dog (Mecca— 
Coutjtess Jennie). 
Minnie's Girl— Del Monte Kennels' o. and w. setter bitch 
(Antonio— Minnie T.). 
Liberty — Del Monte Kennels' w. and b. setter bitch (Sam 
T.— Gath's Dora). 
LiGHTFOOT— Del Monte Kennel's w. and b. setter bitch 
(Sam T.— Gath's Dora) 
Tick Bot, ,1r — Del Monte Kennels' b. and w. pointer 
dog (Tick Boy— Jill). 
Lem Gladstone— G. M. T. Cantrell's I. and w. setter 
bitch (Antonio — Cossette Gladstone). 
Tory Silas - F. R Hitchcock's b , w. and t. setter dog 
(Count Gladstone — Tory Luna), 
Tory Novel— F. R. Hitchcock's b , w. and t. setter bitch 
(Topsey Rod — Novelist). 
St. Clair— Tyro Kennels' liv. and w. pointer dog (Rob— 
Ripsay). 
Trackti— Tyro Kennels' 1. and w. pointer bitch (Rob — 
Ripsay). 
Sepoy — Charlottesville Kennels' liv. and w. pointer dog 
(Rip Rap — Queen III.). 
Beguin — Charlottesville Kennels' b. and w. pointer bitch 
(Rip Rap — Queen III.). 
Ghoorka — Charlottesville Kennels' liv. and w. pointer 
dog (Delhi— Selah), 
jPiN Feather— Charlottesville Kennels' b. b. setter bitch 
(Harold Skimpole — Daisy Croft), 
Lady Earl— J. H. .Johnson's (agt.) o. and w. setter bitch 
(Dave Earl— Toney's Lady). 
Doctor Tassie- Wm. Elliot's liv. and w. pointer dog 
(Hal— Kent's Star). 
Pearl R. — Dr. M. F. Rogers's b., w. and t. setter bitch 
Jessie C. — Dr. G. Chisholm's b., w, and t. setter bitch 
(Hal-Kenl's Siar). 
J. J Odom's b., w. and t. setter dog (Toney Boy 
—Blue). 
Jelda — W. B. Meares' b. and w. pointer bitch (Tick Boy 
— Abdallah Romy). 
FiTzsiMMONS— W. B. Meares' b. and w. pointer bitch 
(Tick Boy— Abdallah Romp). 
Fairview Belle — W. G. Brokaw's 1. and w. setter bitch 
(Edymark ). 
HuRSTEOURNE JoE— Tobasco Kennels' b,, w. and t. setter 
bitch (Toney Boy — Bonnie Belle). 
Lady op Hessen— Tobasco Kennels' b., w. and t. pointer 
bitch (Hessen Boy— Lady of Rush. 
Romancer— Avent, Thayer & Duryea's Kennpls' b., w. 
and t. setter dog (Topsey Rod — Novelist). 
Orlando's Girl— Avent, Thayer & Duryea's Kennels' b., 
w. and t. setter bitch (Orlando — Dolly Wilson). 
Sam T. II.— Richard Bros' b., w. and t. setter dog (Sam 
T.— Belle Gladstone). 
Why Not— Pierre Lorillard, Jr.'s b., w. and t. setter dog 
(Eugene T.— Miss Ruby) 
Wise Child Pierre Lorillard, Jr.'s b., w. and t. setter 
dog (Eugene T. — Maiden Mine). 
Maiden Modesty— Pierre Lorillard, Jr.'s b., w. and t. 
setter bitch (Eugene T. — Maiden Mine). 
Loretta — Pierre Lorillard, Jr.'s, b. and w. setter bitch 
(Loris— Kosalie). 
Lena Bell — Pierre Lorillard, Jr.'s, b , w. and t. setter bitch 
(Sam — Minnie B ). 
Will B.— Dr. J. Spencer Brown's 1. and w. pointer dog 
(Rip Rap— Cropie Kent). 
King Victor— Geo. E. Gray's (ag'l) b., w. and t. setter 
dog (Victor— Pelral). 
Spot's Girl— Dr. McLeod's 1. and w. setter bitch (Spot's 
Cash— Minnie B ), 
Spot's Laddie— Dr. McLeod's b. ,w. and t. setter dog 
(Spot's Cash— Mmnie B.). 
Spot's Bell— Dr. W. Q. Moore's b., w. and t. setter bitch 
(Marie's Sport— West Wind). 
Miss Mischief — Richard Bingham's b., w. and t. setter 
bitch (Dash Antonio— Petty), 
Hope— Joe. E. Mears's lem. a,nd w. setter bitch (Joyful- 
Thompson's Nora). S. C. Bradley, Sec'y. 
Dog Owners and Others. 
New York — Editor Forest and Stn-emi: I read in the daily 
press not long since of a number bf dogs being poisoned 
in apartment houses in this city. I have read the keep-your- 
eye-on- business indignation published by some of the kennel 
journals over the matter. Of course their grief and indig- 
nation are not the result of fair investigation of the matter, 
they are from trade policy to please readers. Some common 
sense advice to owners of dogs in apartment houses would 
be better than the indignation of the Uriah Heep sort. 
I do not write this to you, Mr. Editor, with any desire or 
intention to make light of the interests of dog owners, nor to 
approve of the poisoning of the poor dogs. What I do 
write this for is to point out that people in apartment houses 
who do not own dogs have some rights too. This is often 
lost sight of. More than that, it is often treated with con- 
tempt, Jf a man or woman owns a dog and keeps him in 
his or her own apartment, and the dog is not permitted to 
disturb the neighbors, no one has a right to object. But the 
dog owner loves his dog, and gives him every freedom of 
the premises. In every large apartment house there are 
numbers of dogs as there are numbers of families. Some of 
the dogs are nervous and wakeful from confinement. They 
bark when they hear any unusual noise night or day, and 
their endless yap, yap, and bow, wow, d^y and night, does 
not make them beloved of the people. One noisy dog may 
disturb a dozen families. Lgt anyone protest to the owner 
against the nuisance, and in place of being politely received 
and the protest considered, the complainant will have a 
bitter quarrel on his hand?, and will receive insult and 
foment malicious gossip.. The owners will hold indignation 
meetings and the nuisance will be augmented Sleepless 
nights caused by the exasperating barking of a pampered, 
indolent dog, are made light of. 
Worst of all, the health of the residents is menaced. 
From the second floor upward, the difficulty of taking 
a dog to the street for exercise and natural relief grows 
more difficult. Many of the tenants are pressed for time, , 
or are too lazy or careless to take their dogs to the street 
for the necessary purposes, so they turn them into the 
hallways, with the result that the janitors have a never- 
ending task to keep the buildings clean. Do their best 
they cannot keep them clean. After a time there is a most 
disgusting stench, and the carpets become so fouled that 
nothing the janitors can do will suppress the stench. To 
warn the offending tenants brings forth the indignant denial 
from each that it is his or her dog. It is always the dog of 
some one else. The ones who do not own dogs protest 
against the unsanitary condition and refuse to pay rent, or 
threaten to move, or berate the janitors, so that the revenues 
of the houses are impaired and the property depreciated in 
consequence. The janitor is scolded, blamed, or discharged 
for matters he cannot control so readily as one might think. 
If he allows the nuisance to continue, the house becomes 
unsanitary and a menace to health. If he tries to abate it, 
there is ill-temper and ill-will, and the tenants threaten to 
leave if the dogs are not suppressed, and other tenants 
threaten to leave if they are. The janitors, being intelligent, 
think that if tlie dogs were removed the cause would dis- 
appear. 
Janitors have valuable property to look after, and they 
have to look after a living for themselves and families. 
Tenants who do not own dogs do not care to suffer from 
foul smells and noisy nuisances. Where people are ill the 
nuisance is still more intolerable. 
What I wish to do is to point out that there are two sides 
to this question. When dogs are poisoned, as were the dogs 
recently on Amsterdam ave., the owners of the dogs may 
not be without blame. I make a claim that the dog owners 
have their rights, and that others have rights too. 
Janitor. 
Dogs and Gold Digpgings. 
Dogs have suddenly become more valuable than horses in 
this section of the Northwest. This state of affairs results 
from the great and growing demand for dogs to be used in 
hauling sledges in the Yukon country, Alaska. While 
thousands of horses for which their owners cannot get $3 a 
head are roaming over the plains of eastern Washington and 
Oregon, good-sized dogs are bringing from $15 to $30 each 
in the local market. At Juneau their value is double what 
it is here, and on the Yukon River a good dog brings from 
$100 to 1.50. To the Yukon miner the dog has become what 
the reindeer is to the Laplander and the pony to the cow- 
boys of Texas and Mexico — a beast of service and a most 
valuable one. 
Every steamer sailing for Alaska for three months past 
has borne northward several dozen dogs destined for service 
in front of heavily laden sledges. They are taken by boat 
to Dyea, at the head of salt water navigation, and there put 
into harness to assist in hauling outfits and supplies over the 
Chilkoot Pass and down the further slope to the series of 
fresh water lakes forming the headwaters of the Yukon's 
tributaries. Up to May, when the ice breaks up, dog teams 
slide over the smooth surface of the lakes with surprising 
rapidity, considering the loads they haul. There are port ■ 
ages to be made around dangerous rapids, and here again 
their services are invaluable. Arriving at the central posts, 
such as Forty Mile or Cu'cle City, both men and dogs take a 
rest. In most cases the dogs are put into' harness again for 
the trip to the diggings. 
The sledge dogs are too valuable not to be well taken care 
of where that is possible. There owners' first thought in 
this respect is to obtain plenty of food for them. Their 
food consist principally of fish, usually salmon, caught in the 
Yukon River by the natives. An ordinary dog will eat daily 
21bs. of dried salmon, which equals 71bs. of fresh fish. At 
Forty Mile last winter dried salmon sold at from 20 to 50 
cents a pound, and bacon that was fit only for dogs to eat, 
sold for 37i cents a pound. In some of the larger camps on 
the Yukon "dog boarding houses have been established, where 
the animals are properly cared *for at from $6 to $15 a 
month, according to the season and the price of dog food. 
The native Yukon dog is much more valuable than the im- 
portations from Puget Sound. The doga must be acclimated 
in order to stand the severities of the winter. It is found that 
dogs taken from Montana and Dakota endure the Yukon 
winters with less suffering than those bred in the milder 
climate of Puget Sound. Two splendid specimens of native 
Alaska dogs were brought here a few days ago, their owner 
finding it cheaper to pay their passage on the steamer than 
to have them boarded at Dyea during his trip here for sup- 
plies. The animals vi eigh, one 821bs. and the other 881bs. 
The large one cost its owner $117 at Circle City. _ It is a 
cross between a dog belonging to a family of missionaries 
that went to the Yukon years ago and one that hailed from 
the shores of the Mackenzie River. Both animals are stout, 
well proportioned and muscled, and have exceptionally short 
and heavy necks. Their ears are short and lifted like those 
of the Eskimo dog. Their coats are dark, and the hair, 
while not close, is smooth and heavy enough to form a 
comfortable protection against the Arctic winters and the 
Yukon mosquitoes, by the side of which the ferocity of the 
New Jersey variety pales into insignificance. A specially 
prepared dog food made out of meal and coarse meat from 
the packing houses is now being manufactured in the form 
of a cracker and seems likely to come into general use. 
Buckskin moccasms are provided by many owners to keep 
the feet of the animals frocn being worn raw on the ice and 
snow. "They are about 9in. long and made much after the 
pattern of a child's stocking. Pack saddles are also coming 
into use this spring. These are so arranged that dogs can 
carry a weight of from 10 to SOlbs. besides drawing a sled. 
"The saddlebags fall on either side, and straps are arranged to 
prevent the pack from sliding forward or backward. 
A Tacoma dealer has built up a large business in the manu- 
facture of dog harness. A suit of harness usually weighs 
S^lbs. The collar is made to slip over the dog's head, obviat- 
ing the necessity of buckling it about the animal's neck when 
the driver's hands are cold and numb. The collar is made 
of leather faced with sheepskin and stuffed with deer hair. 
