June ii, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
469 
under the circumstances and went and informed on him- 
self, and in this way succeeded in very materially reduc- 
ing his fine. 
The Newcomb correspondent of the Essex County 
Republican, who signs herself "Kate," writes under date 
of May 2: "Fishing is excellent, ducks plenty, venison. 
Call and see us." The game constable is likely to be the 
first caller on this invitation. The lady has a good thing' 
in illegal game, but she has the feminine failing and 
can't keep her secret. J. B. B. 
Fresh- Water Pearls in the 
United States. 
\Kear! !>y Gcnrgv F. Kune before Mr 'e Fisheries Congress at TAittiict:^ Ms.^\ 
(Conchtded from ^age 454.) 
Nattiral and Artificial Replenishment of the Fresh-Water 
MtJsseisi 
The inquiry as to whether the exhausted beds recover, 
and in what time, is closely connected with the preced- 
ing one. It is unanswered in 22 of the papers, and 7 
others report no knowledge or opinion on the subject. 
Sixty-four replies are given, of which several are indefi- 
nite or conjectural. Out of about 60 papers, therefore — 
or about two-thirds of the whole — the following data are 
taken: Sixteen report the belief that the beds are re- 
plenished from year to j'car; 4 in one or two years; 3 
in two or three years; and 4 in four years; 4 name peri- 
ods between four and eight years, and 6 between six 
nnd tAvelve years, and i gives twenty years, i twenty- 
five, and 2 estimate the recovery as requiring a century 
or more; 3 papers say that many years are necessary; 5 
say "a few," or "soon;" 2 report no exhaustion as no- 
ticed; and 6 report no recovery; 4 papers are indefinite 
or uncertain; 2 of the papers that give estimated date 
for recovery do so with an expression of doubt ("if at 
all," "if ever") as to whether it really occurs. The Ten- 
nessee paper before referred to says that the shells re- 
turn each year, but in less numbers. As it is custom- 
ary, more or less, to leave the young and small shells, 
the question resolves itself largely into two, viz., how far 
have they been carefully spared, and how long does it 
take them to retain their growth? This probably differs 
in different species, as it is estimated in some of the 
answers, and it may also be influenced b}^ various ex- 
ternal conditions. The Tennessee paper estimates the 
recovery as slow from the fact, previously brought out 
very markedly, that the young shells are those that are 
most exposed to all natural enemies and accidents. The 
New York paper, which thinks that there is no recovery, 
states that few young shells are found. A Texas pearler 
says that the young shells are found in two years, but 
contain no pearls. One (mentioned under the last head) 
says that many beds are recovering by the growth of 
the young tliat were left before. On the other hand; 
in Indiana one states that when a bed has been worked 
out plenty are found the next season; and an Iowa 
pearler reports young shells abundant everywhere. Orle 
Tennessee answer gives a very fair average statement 
to the effect that the beds recover every season, and 
would perhaps recover entirely in a few years if not mo- 
lested. ^ . . _ 
National and State Protection, 
The concluding inquiry, as to whether State protec- 
tion of the beds is desirable or necessary, is answered 
with more or less definiteness in 73 papers ; and as might 
be expected on such a subject, with much diversity; 46 
nf the responses see no need or advantage from protec- 
tion, and 23 favor it; i or 2 fail to understand the pur- 
pose of the question clearly; and some hold that while 
not necessary now, it may be so in the future; 2 or 3 
say that it would be difficult or impracticable. A few 
of the answers may be referred to more particularly. Of 
those that do not favor protection, 2 (Michigan and New 
York No. i) think it not worth while or desirable to 
preserve the Unios, the latter curiously remarking that 
"the water would be purer without them;" and one 
Tennessee fisherman seems to hold a similar view, saying 
that protection is not desirable, though it is necessary 
to the preservation of the shells. Tennessee No. 74, fail- 
ing to appreciate the question involved, opposes protec- 
tion "because pearls bring in a great deal of money, and 
the mussels are of no use;" 2 or 3 think that the shells 
are inexhaustible and in no danger of extinction. One 
of those that favor the suggestion, Indiana No. 2, says 
that it would be well if no shells were taken for five years. 
The Ohio paper advocates it "if the mussels are to be pre- 
served." A Tennessee paper alludes to the value of the 
•shells for pearl buttons as a reason for protection; Ten- 
nessee Nos. 32 and 33 advocate a limitation as to not 
opening young shells. 
The whole question is curiously suggestive of the sim- 
ilar conditions in respect to forestry and lumbering- — ■ 
the apparently inexhaustible natural supply; the reck- 
less prodigality and waste of such resources by man; the 
rapid diminution and impending extinction, which it 
would require years of labor to restore; the foresight and 
remonstrance of the few, and the indifference or oppo- 
sition of the man3^ as to any limitation or protection 
designed to preserve the natural resources; and the ease 
with which they could be preserved by a few simple and 
. intelligent modes of management, once established and 
made familiar to the people; and the pressing import- 
ance of some such action in place of the post nos siluvium 
at present prevailing. 
Approximate Yield of Pearls. 
Only a few approximate figures can be given. The 
total production of pearls may be summed up as fol- 
lows: First. 1856 excitement, $50,000, worth to-day at 
least four times that amount; second, 1868 excitement, 
$50,000 worth; third, 1889 Wisconsin excitement, per- 
haps $300,000 worth; the Tennessee fisheries, $roo,ooo; 
Kentucky, $TO,ooo; Texas, $20,000; Arkansas, $35,000 
single pearls foimd in the past year, selling for over 
$1,000, many over $roo and $200. 
The great importance and value of a rural population 
obtaining ready money so easily as by pearling cannot 
be overestimated, and is a great boon to the pearlers in 
the payment of taxes, interest, and for such things as 
only money will buy; therefore the protection of the 
pearling interests is one of great importance, as it opens 
up a new, and if properly regulated an industry in which 
the product can always be sold for spot cash. 
To conclude, it is interesting to note a few of the 
Fraudulent and Accidental Intermixtores with Pearls. 
In the small lots and packages of pearls that are sent 
t6 commercial centers for purchase or valuation and sale, 
quite a vai'iety of foreign objects are found, some of 
which have evidently been introduced with fraudulent 
intent, while others have gotten among the pearls acci- 
dentally. Among the former are regular artificial 
pearls, i. e., hollow beads of thin glass, filled with wax 
or other composition; also ground pieces of pearly 
shell or attached pearls that have been cut from the 
valve and rounded and polished on the defective side. 
Frequently the round, hard lens of a fish's eye. 
In the second class may be mentioned natui-at 
growths found in the shell, resembling brown pearls 
translucent, and consksting not of nacre, but of conchio- 
line — the material of the hinge and ligament. These 
are sometimes handsome and lustrous, and occasionally 
iridescent, but of course are not pearls, and have no com- 
mercial value. 
A third class, of doubtful character, consists of metal- 
lic objects that sometimes strongly resemble pearls, and 
may have been introduced either by intention or acci- 
dent. Such are small shot and steel spheres from "ball 
bearings;" these, when bright, look much like the darker 
and lighter gray pearls respectively, and are frequently 
encountered. 
New Jersey Coast Fishitng-. 
AsBURY Park, N. j., June 4.— The developments of a 
week have been of a most pleasant nature as- regards 
coast fishing. Bass and kingfish have been taken in 
abundance at all the favorite points except Asbury Park 
pier. While usually that is a most fruitfid spot, strange 
to say not a single bass has been caught there, and but 
few kingfish have been taken. At Deal Beach, Belmar. 
Avon and Manasquan the catches have been good, and 
the fish all fine in size and condition. The largest, i81bs., 
fell to the rod of Mr. Robotham at Belmar. Weakfish 
too have come into the surf, which is a most remarkable 
fact, as it is a most unusual occurrence at this season of 
the year. The continued east winds have made the in- 
fluence of the Gulf Stream felt along the coast, and that 
fact no doubt accounts for the presence of weakfish and 
bluefish, as several of both species have been taken from 
the beach and piers the last few days. 
Barnegat has been fairly alive with bluefish, but they 
have dropped out to sea again, only temporarily it is 
to be hoped. Never have prospects for a fine season 
been more promising, and as long as the pound net busi- 
ness can be kept in abeyance the condition will continue. 
I repeat what I have often said before, that at most 
points along the coast the procuring of bait is a most un- 
certain matter. This I do in the face of a howl, whicii 
has been rai.§ed against such expressions. I think I can 
appreciate the disappointment of the angler who, having 
traveled a long distance, reaches his de'stination to find 
confronting him the situation, no bait ro be had. As a 
pointer I will repeat that at Asbury Park, Avon and Bel- 
mar bait is usually plentiful and to be had at reasonable 
prices; while the Shrewsbury, Deal Beach, Barnegat and 
Manasquan are ever sources of disappointment to the 
man who unwisely depends on procuring his bait at his 
destination. Leonard Hulit. 
Chfcagfo Fly-Casting- Clab. 
Chicago, III., June 4..— Editor Forest and Stream: This 
IS the score of our third contest for the season, held to- 
day: 
Long dis- Distance Accuracy Bait- 
ance and and acc'y? and del'cy, casting. 
^ -rt ^ fly, feet. Percent. Percent. Percent. 
I- H. Bellows 110 91 2-3 92 1-3 79 2-5 
L. I. Blackfflan .. .. 71 2-5 
C h . Brown . . . . 87 3-5 
F. B. Davidson 73 2-3 87 1-2 17 
B. W. Goodsell 103 86 88 79 3-5 
H. Greenwood . . go 
H. G. Hascal 97 79 2-3 ] '. 84 2-5 
N. C. Heston 80 1-3 89 5-6 92 
K. K. Letterman ,. 75 1-3 . 
G. A. Murrell 83 78 1-3 89 91 4-5 
H. A. Newku-k 84 2-3 86 1-2 92 
F- N. Peet Ill 88 93 1-2 82 4-5 
A. Renwick 88 83 86 1-G 70 2-5 
J. M. Rogers . . . . 77 3-5 
G. W. Salter . . . . 85 1-5 
A. C. Smith . . . . 94 3-5 
E. H. Strong .. 84 l-f; 
G. W. Strell 73 73 1-3 . . 83 
J. E. Strong 90 86 2-3 84 2-3 81 1-5 
Holders of Medals. — Long distance fly, F. N. Peet; 
distance and accuracy. F. B. Davidson; accuracy and 
delicacy, F. N. Peet; bait casting, F. B. Davidson. 
G. A. Murrell, Sec'y. 
Lake Champlain Fishing". 
Essex, N. Y., June 4. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
The perch have begun biting well in Lake Champlain. 
Yesterday Will Fisher caught eight3^-six from Mother's 
Rock in a little over half a day. According to the 
almanac sign it was a perch day, but Fisher never found 
this_ out till he had gotten home and had advice on the 
subject. If he had known beforehand that the signs 
were so propitious he woidd have taken along more bait 
and caught more fish. As it Avas his bait ran out while 
there was plenty of daylight left, and the perch were still 
hungry. 
I asked him what the almanac sign for good fishing 
was, but Fisher couldn't say. All he knew was that 
people who consulted the almanac told him that yester- 
day and to-day were marked as good fishing days. 
Either the news of Fisher's catch or the forecast of 
the almanac reached the ears of the fishermen in this 
part of the Avorld to-day, for driving over to the "Burgh" 
this afternoon I met first one double-seated wagon with 
five men in it and five long cane poles projecting behind, 
and then four more buggies with two men and two poles 
to each. The perch are in for it If they know anything 
about signs they will strike out for deep water. 
J. B. B. 
AlBig Adirondack Lake Trout. 
Johnstown, N. Y., May 28. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I inclose clipping from our local paper of yesterday, 
which reads: "Col. John J. Yost and Warren Miller 
returned last evening frohi a several days' stay at Piseco 
Lake, bringing with them something over loolbs. of 
trout. Many of the old fishermen of this vicinity, who 
were inclined to be skeptical concerning the reported 
catch of a salmon trout weighing 261bs. by Messrs. Yost 
and Miller, can now satisfy themselves of the accuracy 
of the story published to that effect in the Republican 
several days since, by visiting Quackenbush's market on 
West State street, where the big catch is now on ck- 
hibition. This is the largest salmon trout taken from 
Piseco in over fifteen years. It measures 4oin. in length, 
23in. in girth and weighs 26^!bs. The trout was caught 
by Col. Yost, assisted by Mr. Miller, both of whom had 
quite a struggle in landing the big fellow. The fishing 
season at Piseco opens very promising this year, and al- 
though it is not expected that many such catches as the 
Johnstownians made will be reported, yet all who have 
been there this year report good luck." 
The account is correct in every way. I saw the fish 
weighed and measured and will vouch for it. We get a 
good many large trout, but this is the largest for twenty 
vears. Piseco Lake is in Hamilton county, near Lake 
Pleasant. C. M. R. 
'Tishing Up and Down the Potomac." 
An imfortunatc transposition of type marred the paper 
with this title last week; and as Mr. Talbott's chapters 
will bear reading more than once, we trust that readers 
will review this one, and do the author and themselve.5 
the justice of following the paragraphs as he wrote them. 
The six paragraphs beginning "When the last fish scow 
had been towed," and ending "the largest, something 
over 2lbs.," should follow the seventh paragraph from the 
beginning, i. e., after the line "water without an in.stant's 
hitch or delay." 
Weakfish in Princess Bay. 
Weakfishing is reported good in Princess Bay, Staten 
Island, the fish running 80 and 90 to a boat. One speci- 
men taken the other day tipped the scales at 5541bs, 
'h^ Mmnet 
Fixtures. 
Sept. 8.— Manitoba Field Trials Cltib trials. William C. Lee, 
Sec'Yi Winnipeg, Man. 
Some Gordons, 
S.-VN Fr.'\ncisco, May 21. — A visit this afternoon to 
our annual dog show naturally suggests dogs; in fact, I 
am full of dog. The music of 500 or 600 dogs all going 
at once in protest, voicing their disgust at their confine- 
ment, and being objects of rivalry, becomes monotonous, 
and makes a dog show really a penance that only one's 
love of dogs can endure; but the conditions and object 
being unexplained to the dogs themselves, they can't see 
why they should be chained up for a week and decorated 
with ribbons, and they take no pride in the fact that the 
color may be blue. 
A dog show always ends in dissatisfaction with those 
owners who do not get the first prizes, and they animad- 
vert on the awards of the judges. Nine out of every ten 
go home mad, swearing that the judges are chumps. 
The office is as thankless as that of an umpire of a base- 
ball game or prize fight. The judges in the present case 
were two gentlemen imported from the East, and seemed 
conscientious and disinterested in their awards, yet every 
exhibitor who did not get a prize is bound to express 
a contempt for their decisions, especially ladies exhibit- 
ing their pet pugs, Japanese spaniels and Skye terriers. 
One lady I saw in tears, and heard her declare she would 
never again exhibit her dear little Fido. One little dog 
weighing not over a couple of pounds had suspended in 
his cage what purported to do duty as his chain, con- 
sisting of a 2in. manila rope Avith a collar about 4in. in 
circumference, and on the cage a sign marked "Danger- 
ous," while the poor little beast slept innocent of the fun 
his implied ferocity was causing. The size of the rope 
and the size of the dog were too ridiculous. The rop6 
would hold an elephant. 
As I sit here smoking my after-dinner pipe, my mind 
wanders off to my dog days, when I took pride in my 
dogs and spent money on them galore. 
Horace Smith, the dog man and sportsman, well 
known to the earlier readers of the Forest and Stream, 
supplied me my hunting dogs. He imported for me 
several brace of Gordon setters direct from the Duke of 
Gordon's kennels, and they were beauties. Their fame 
was widespread, especially in the arm}^ where most of 
their descendants were distributed among officer friends, 
where a re.ady market was found for the asking. I gave 
to Gen. Crook a pup which accompanied him through 
his campaigns in Arizona until the heat was too much 
for such heavily coated dogs, and it died, greatly to the 
General's grief. When he came out of Arizona I gave 
him another, and the General's wife declared that he ap- 
plied for a post in a cooler climate on account of the dog. 
Only one of the many I raised disgraced his noble 
blood. He was a beauty, but proved to be gun shy. and 
after repeated unsuccessful attempts to break him of it 1 
gave him to a market shooter, who declared he could 
bring him out all right. A few days later I met the 
man and asked how he got on with the dog. Pointing to 
his face, showing sundry unhealed scratches, he re- 
marked: "That dog was the very devil himself." He 
then went on to describe his experience with him; "One 
day I took him out, and the first time I fired at a ciuail 
he made a dash for home and never stopped until reach- 
ing it, and diving under the house, could not get him out 
for four days, and then only because he was nearly dead 
with starvation. The next time I took him out I fastened 
a stout cord to his collar and the other end around my 
body. Climbing a steep hill, I put up a bevy of quail and 
fired. The dog gave a yelp and sprang down the hill, up- 
