162 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Feb. 19, 1898. 
the pleasures and good fellowship of the woods and 
streams. The Rev. J. C. Jaynes, of Newton, was next 
introduced, and the company soon found that here was 
a member of the cloth who knew the forests and the 
lakes, and how to get into close touch with his fellow- 
sportsmen; for wit and story and sentiment and sound 
practical sense it ^¥as a speech to be remembered, and 
when he said that from his own experience he had found 
that when a clergyman went into the woods he should 
take a layman along with him to do the talking (on par- 
ticular and special occasions), not one of his hearers 
failed to catch his meaning. Representative Stevenson, 
of Pittsfield, a member of the committee on fish and 
game, responded for the State. He believed the mem- 
bers of the Legislature were more in accord with the 
objects of the Association than was generally Sup- 
posed. To be sure, there had been difficult^r in pro- 
curing proper legislation for the better protection of fish 
and game, but it was due in a considerable measure to 
the wide divergence of views of the sportsmen them- 
selves. Col. Thomas, postmaster, and ReA'. E. A. Hor- 
ton, always welcome guests, made happy speeches, and 
Hon. L. T. Carlcton, chairman of the Maine Commis- 
sion, made a strong and earnest appeal on behalf of 
fish and game protection. He said that despite the fact 
that lO.DOO deer, 250 caribou, 250 moose, 150 bears and 
150 tons of trout and landlocked salmon were taken 
in Maine last year there will be a greater abundance 
this year than ever, with the possible excepion of moose. 
He said they were greatly hampered by the illegal ship- 
ment of fish and game to the Boston markets, and that 
it would greatlv add to the game and fish preserves of 
Alaine if it could be made illegal for citizens of Massa- 
chusetts to sell or expose for sale fish and game shipped 
from Maine. J. Russell Reed, Esq.. counsel for the 
Association, enforced the position taken by Mr. Carle- 
ton, and said further that Massachusetts by putting a 
•premium on the importation of game illegally shipped 
from other States ranked as the lowest of any State in 
the standard of game laws. Antonio Apache, a full- 
blooded Indian, educated at Harvard, briefly responded 
to a call. The chinks of the evening were filled in with 
songs by MjTon W. Whitney, music by Daggett's or- 
chestra, and more songs by a quartet led hy W. C. 
Prescott. The whole affair was voted one of the most 
enjoyable ever held by the Association. 
William B. Sm.«irt. 
Lake Efk Fish Pfotection. 
On the 15th of this month there will be an important 
conference of the Governor, the fish and game commit- 
tees of the House Jmd the Senate and the State Fish 
and Game Commission, to discuss the best measures 
for the protection of the great fishing industry of Lake 
Erie and its waters. Several Toleao citizens have been 
invited to be present at this conference, and the Com- 
mercial is again requested to give its opinion as to what 
had best be done. Gov. Bushnell has expressed a com- 
mendable determination to do what he can for this great 
interest, and he has given proof that he grasps the im- 
portance of the interests involved. After fourteen years 
of close and thoroughly practical observation of the 
workings of all the laws that liave been tried for tlie pro- 
tection of the fishing industries of Lake Erie, we may 
have somewhat profited from the knowledge obtained. 
W^e have already said that the best thing to- do Avas to 
protect the waters of Lake Erie wholly against nets 
for the next five years. This the people have the right to 
do, and this the courts will sustain them in doing, and 
this is the thing that can the most easily be done and 
the thing from which the net fishermen would the most 
greatly profit in the long rim. Afford such protection, 
and from all the waters of the upper northern lakes, 
where net fishing is permitted, the .swarms of fish would 
come to the protected waters of Ohio, so that in less 
lime than three years, we believe, the fish would be more 
abundant here than they ever were before, for it is a well- 
established fact that the fish desert the waters where 
the nets are numerous for the others free from these 
murderous devices. 
But if the Legislature cannot be convinced that this 
is the proper thing to do, then the next best policy is 
to place the waters of the State under the control of the 
Game and Fish Commission, with the power to make 
such regulations for their protection as are needed. Ohio 
has now the best game and fish commission it ever had. 
This body has shown an active and an intelligent inter- 
est in the protection of game and fish. In Lake Erie its 
powers have been so limited that it could do almost noth- 
ing, and here protection was the most needed. The pres- 
ent State fish and game warden has shown himself to be 
an able and an energetic official. Every fish that swims 
in the waters of Ohio belongs to the people of the State. 
That princiole has been thoroughly established by the 
decisions of all the courts, the Supreme Court of the 
United States included. The Legislature, as the agent 
ol the people, lias the right to do with the waters of the 
State whatever maj' seem best for the interests of the 
people. It should establish that the Commission was to 
permit no nets where the passage of the fish to their 
spawning grounds would be obstructed, the chief object 
for some years being the propagation of fish rather than 
the creation of a revenue for the State. No net should 
be permitted to be placed in the water until a license 
of at least .$50 was paid to the Commission. In this wa}' 
all the expenses of the Commission could be paid from 
the first, and in time a splendid revenue would ge raised 
for the people. No net should be set until a place was 
designated for it by the agents of the Commission. A 
salar\r should be paid to the Commission, for much of 
its time would necessarily be devoted to this work. No 
additional burden would be placed upon the people, for 
the receipts of the Commission would supply all needed 
funds. If this plan is not satisfactory, the Commercial 
will suggest some other things that must be done, if this 
interest is saved for the people. — Toledo Commercial. 
Salmon in the Hodsoft, 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I have read with much interest Mr. A. N. Cheney's 
valuable paper on the Hudson River salmon plant, which 
was read at Tampa, Fla., and appeared the same week in 
your columns. But there is an omission wliich, I sub- 
tnit, ought to be supplied as showing some credit due 
to the Forest and Strkatsi and its fotmer editor for 
putting the initial stocking movement on foot. If yon 
will refer to your files of i8/'3 you will find the letter of 
Prof. Baird which is embodied in the excerpt from the 
Brooklyn Union, which I herewith inclose for publica- 
tion, if it pleases you to give it space. 
i.HARLES Hallock. 
Salmon in the Hudson. — Through the efforts of Mr. 
Charles Hallock, the editor of the Forest and Stream, 
the Hudson River is soon to be stocked with salmon. 
The series of articles published by Mr. Hallock haA'ing 
called the attention of the United States Fishery Com- 
mission to the subject, that gentleman has received the 
following letter, to the effect, that his request will be 
attended to : 
"United States Commission Fish and Fisheries, Wash- 
ington, Nov. II. 187.3, — Charles Hallock, Esq.— Dear Sir: 
I am perfectly willing to place a good lot of Sacramento 
salmon in the Hudson River. Seth Green has 250,000, 
^ and I will request him to dispose of a portion for that 
purpose sttbject to your direction. Very truly yours, 
"Spencku F. Baird, Commissioner." 
This will be gratifying news to our New York sports- 
men of the angle, and thty owe Mr. Hallock thanks for 
his efforts to restore the game fish to the waters of the 
Hudson, where they once abounded. — Brooklyn Union. 
The Wheel and the Rod. 
MoKRiSTOWN, N. J.— Having read of fishing trips on 
a bicycle, t am prompted to tell of my experience for the 
past two years on the silent steed, Avith rod, reel and 
landing net firmly fastened in under the seat. When the 
ni,ght before a fishing day comes I begin to prepare for 
the to-morrow, get out my bike, clean and oil, strap on 
my fishing tackle, get things handy in the kitchen, so as 
to be able to prepare a breakfast without arousing the 
neighborhood, set the alarm clock at 3:30 and then turn 
in. 
Tip — bang! goes the alarm, and by 4 o'clock I am 
on mj Avay. I have fine macadam roads for the first 
three miles, and then a hill of a mile, very steep in some 
parts. I Avore out two pairs of shoe soles trying to 
keep the wheel under control on this part of the journey 
last summer. 
But what sport awaits you when the lake is reached! 
I cannot describe the feeling as you joint your rod and 
attach the reel, fix up line and leader, and fish around 
in the bait box for the largest shiner, or one that just 
suits your fancy, you Avondering all the time Avhat large 
bass is waiting to pounce upon it. You get started, and 
Avith 30 or 40ft. of line trailing behind the boat, troll 
slowly up the lake. All at once doAvn goes one of the 
corks, and the Hne begins to moA'e off sidcAvays; up 
comes the cork, jumping and bobbing around. Surely 
the bass is having a good time Avith that bait. DoAvn he 
goes again, and the old reel begins to make music. Let 
him go a little further, then we gave him the hook. Noav 
the fun has begun. Now we reel him in slowly, and 
have him within a few feet of the boat, when away he 
goes again with a rush. But finally we have him along- 
side the boat, and scoop the net in under, and he is 
flopping on the bottom— as fine a bass as any one cares 
to be seen with. And so it goes until Ave have seven or 
eight beauties. 
Looking down toward the' landing, I see old man K 
just getting ready to start up the lake. He is a regidar 
visitor to the lake, and always complaining and finding 
fault Avith the man that has the bait. You give him all 
the big shiners or sort out all the red fins for him. He 
A^ery seldom catches any bass, but can catch any number 
of small pickerel. I seldom catch any pickerel, but al- 
most always catch a nice lot of bass. He cannot see 
how it is. If he Avould stop to think he Avould see very 
soon how it is that he catches pickerel while I catch 
bass. The bottom and sides of the lake are covered 
Avith a growth of weeds. I do not know what kind they 
arc, but in some times of the year they are within 3ft. 
of the surface of the water. He neA'er uses a cork, and 
his bait goes scratching along, and Avhen he reels in you 
cannot see his bait for the Aveeds that are fastened on the 
hook. For catching pickerel your bait should be doAvn 
in the AA-eeds, but for bass you Avant the bait up near the 
surface; at least I find it so in this lake. I use a cork 
attached about 4ft. from the bait, and have a very small 
sinker about ift. from the hook. I only missed three 
trips last summer that I did not catch a mess of bass, 
and went almost every week. Very often I Avould have 
enough for two or three of my friends' wants. 
It is surprising Avhat an amount of luggage one can 
carr3r on a bicycle. I have had strapped on ni}' wheel 
two fishing rods, a box with tA\'o reels, lines and a lot of 
artificial bait, nine bass that weighed l6y2lbs., a light 
overcoat, landing net and a big bunch of water lilies. 
Talk about your floral parades — they were not in it 
with that wheel. It could be tracked from the lake right 
to our back gate — a regular trail of lilies. 
A Fisher aa^th a Cork. 
Fixttir^s* 
BfeNCH SHOWS. 
Feb. 21.— Westminster Kennel Club's twenty-secpnd annual show, 
New York. G. de F. Grant, Sec'y. 
March 1. — Baltimore Kennel Assoeiation's third annual shO*f- 
Baltimore. W. P. Riggs, Sec'y- 
March 8. — Northwestern Kennel Club's dog show, St. £^n|, 
Minn. C. E. N. Howard, Sec'y, St. Paul, Minn. " - ' 
March 15. — Kansas City Kennel Club's second annual show, 
Kansas City, Mo. A. E. Ashbrook, Sec'y. 
The Forest and Stream is put to press each week on 
Tuesday. Corresponderice Intended for pulMeaiion 
should reach us at the latest hy Monday, and a-t n^ueh 
mrller as pra'ctic'aMe. 
Take inventory of the good things in this issue of 
Forest and Stream. Recall what a fund was given 
last week. Count on what is to come next week. 
Was there ever in all the world a more abundant 
weekly store of sportsmen's reading? 
A Raccoon Hunt in Maryland. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
Along in the middle of November, when the leaves 
have all fallen from the trees, and the landscape is all 
bedecked by a feathery bed of the same, the bare trees 
making the forest look bare and desolate, the sport of 
raccoon hunting is in its height in Maryland. 
The sport of coon hunting, as it is commonly known 
in Maryland, dates back to colonial times, and the cus- 
tom, or the art (for certainly it has been bfottght to 
an ai-t by those who indulge in it), lias been handed 
down from generation to generation Avith a persistency 
that, if it were not for the fact that many parts of the 
State offer such good refuge to the animal, it Avould 
long ago have become exterminated. 
The raccoon hunt is nearly ahvays carried on with a 
campaign of frolic and hard cider, and here, as in poli- 
tics, all men meet on common ground. 
In the first place, it is necessary to haA^e dogs Avhich 
are trained in this particular line. Without them the 
attempt to discoA^er a raccoon Avould turn out to be a 
fruitless piece of business. 
The night is the time in Avhich this sport is carried on, 
and many a mile is tramped over, through timber, brush, 
cA'-ergreen, and across creeks and rivers, in following the 
lead of the dogs, until the raccoon is finally treed. 
A few 3^ears ago John Dickson, Fred Rainer, William 
Cross and myself, Avith two colored men by the names of 
John Jackson and Scott Johnson, indulged in one of 
those delightful frolics in the southeastern part of Hoav- 
ard county, along the Patuxent River. On a cloudless 
Saturday evening, having laid aside our cares and labor 
for the Aveek, and the Aveather being superb and bracing, 
Ave arranged all the preliminaries, and when the shadoAv 
of night commenced to appear on the eastern horizon 
Ave, Avith four good trained dogs and a goodly supply 
of refreshments, Avhich included a jug of cider, started 
for the forest near the cornfields along the river hills. 
Of course we had preoared for a delightful time, and 
possibly for some raccoon. The colored men each car- 
ried an axe, the main instrument and Aveapon in a suc^ 
ccssful campaign against the raccoon. 
We tramped several miles along the hills, crossing 
scA'eral small patches of cornfields, Avhen at once Ave 
heard the familiar yep, yep, yep, and we kncAV that the 
dogs had struck a trail. 
Now the real fun in a hunt of this kind actually com- 
mences. All discipline is lost or laid aside. Away we 
went, in a full trot, every man for himself the best he 
could, and in such a manner as is only knoAvn to rac- 
coon hunters, John Jackson leading, Scott Johnson next, 
and then the rest of us bringing up the rear. 
Whatever may be said regarding darkies' inactivitj'- 
and sluggishness in the performance of labor, this re- 
proach all very suddenly is forceless Avhen that "yep" 
of the raccoon ferrier is heard by them, and they scent 
the flaA'or of fresh raccoon broth. It may be said Avith 
absolute truth that there is only one thing in the whole 
Avide Avorld which can aAvaken a darky's latent physical 
energy and ambition quicker than the possibility of get- 
ting a fresh raccoon stcAV, and that is a good, big, fat 
opossum; and no theme or subject is gone over by 
them at their rallies and gatherings with the same zest 
and spirit as the relating of the stories of the coon hunts. 
Well, the dogs were getting hot on the trail of the 
raccoon; this we could tell by their yelps, and the two 
darkies were not far behind in the race, and every little 
Avhile could be heard these ejaculations: "They am gAAdne 
to tree him, sho'!" And sure enough they did. 
This Avas some three and a half miles from Avhere Ave 
finst started, and in a dense oak forest the raccoon had 
found a holloAV oak, and Avhen the dogs were pressing 
him he took refuge in this hollow tree. 
Soon the yells of the two darkies informed us that 
they Avere there and had commenced operations to bring 
down the tree. That is AA'hat the two axes were for, arid 
Avithout them this raccoon Avould have been perfectly 
safe. When Ave arrived at the tree Jackson and Johnson 
had about half of it cut, and Ave relieved them Avhile they 
took a pull at the jug. 
I corralled the dogs and took them to a safe distance 
from the tree, Avhile the darkies continued the labor of 
chopping it doAvn. When it finally fell I turned the dogs 
loose, and of course, as is ahvays the case if the rac- 
coon is not mortally wovmded by the falling of the tree, 
he comes out and tries to escape. This time he came 
out and undertook to get away, but one of the dogs 
nabbed him, and soon the other dogs Avere there to 
assist; and then the tussle began. In such cases a 
shotgun is of no A'alue, for just as likely as not one of 
the dogs might be hit instead of the raccoon. Rainer, 
however, had had experience in the business, and he 
Avatched the fight until an opportune time presented 
itself, and with a club dealt the animal a blow on the 
head Avhich laid it out. The finishing work Avas then 
accomplished with a hunting knife. After all these ex- 
citing scenes the ubiquitous jug A\'as passed around, as 
each told his story hoAV the fight appeared to him; how" 
Spike grabbed him by the neck; hoAv Count got hirit 
in the flank, and hoAv Major thrcAv him, and so on. The 
dogs Avere also petted for their brave work. 
After partaking d more refreshments Ave again started 
the dogs off. Jackson took possession of the game, and 
Ave trudged along about three-fourths of a mile on the 
edge of a cornfield, Avhen the dogs Avere again successful 
in striking a trail, and aAvay they went, darkies and 
dogs, helter skelter, through woods, across plowed land, 
over rocks and boulders, in hot pursuit of the game. 
Tackson was encmtibered someAvhat with the game hs 
