Aug. 13, 1898.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
129 
The Vermont League Meet. 
The third annual midsummer meeting of the Vermont 
Fish and Game League was held at the grounds of 
Lieut.- Gov. N. W. Fisk, at Isle La Mptte, Aug. 3, with 
an attendance of about 300 members of the League, their 
ladies and invited guests. The meeting was in every 
way successful. While it was impossible to entertain 
so distinguished guests as those who honored the meet- 
ing in 1897, the gathering was not lacking in entertain- 
ment of a social nature. It was the. intention to omit 
everything of a post prandial character, but at the close 
of the business meeting there was so emphatic a call for 
two or three speakers that they were forced to respond. 
The trip to Isle La Motte was made upon the steamer 
Reindeer, leaving this city at 12:25 and reaching the. 
island about 2:30. The day was exceptionally fine, with 
a brisk, cooling breeze from the south; and all found 
the ride northward pleasant in the extreme. 
After having gained appetite from the two hours' sail 
the dinner was the event of the day to everyone, and in 
this part of the itinerary nothing was wanting. The meal 
was served in a great tent in which had been placed long 
and commodious tables. Under the deft hands of the 
Ladies' Aid Society the tables had been trimmed with 
wild flowers and flags, presenting a very neat appear- 
ance. 
As host and hostess Lieut.- Gov. and Mrs. Fisk left 
nothing to be desired. They were everywhere, looking 
after the pleasure of the guests in a thorough and gratify- 
ing manner, and even threw open their pleasant home to 
still further extend the welcome. 
When the dinner had been accorded the attention which 
its quality merited, cigars were passed and President J. 
W. Titcomb outlined the work of the League, and said 
in substance: 
"Without detailing to you what the League has been 
doing in the past, or what has been accomplished, I 
wish to explain some of the issues which present them- 
selves and which should be of interest to all Vermonters, 
whether members of the League or not. 
''First, in regard to game. Notwithstanding the 
slaughter of about 150 deer last October, the reports 
indicate that these animals are increasing rapidly. Many 
farmers report seeing them, and does with fawns 
are very tame, often entering gardens adjacent to farm 
houses. The League has expressed its disapproval of 
the open season in October, and the general sentiment 
of the State indicates that the law will be changed at 
the next session. One important feature to be con- 
sidered in connection with deer legislation is a provision 
to protect deer against pursuit bV dogs. At present any 
dog which has been licensed and wears a collar can pur- 
sue deer with impunity, and its owner is not liable. 
Not a week passes without^complainty coming to me of 
deer pursued by dogs, and at all seasons of the year. In 
summer, when does are heavy with young, they are 
pursued as relentlessly as during the natural hunting- 
season. Many deer have thus been killed. In early 
winter, after the ice' has formed on the ponds, the dogs 
drive the deer on to them, where they either bVeak 
ihrough and drown or flounder about at the mercy of 
the dogs. There are men in this State who let their deer 
hounds out. and where a deer has been thus killed or 
crippled will sneak out in the night and get the venisrm. 
"When the bill providing an open season was pre- 
sented in the Legislature, it was argued that it would 
create a sentiment in favor of protecting deer during the 
close season. The commissioners now have cases pend- 
ing where deer were shot over salt licks, trapped and 
snared in warm weather, and fed out to the help in saw 
mill boarding houses, with no attempt at concealment 
except the silent code of honor among thieves. 
"No other game needs especial legislation or change 
in laws unless to provide an open season on upland 
plover. 
"The fish in Lake Champlain, the chief attraction to 
summer, tourists, are being ruthlessly slaughtered during 
the spawning season by the use of seines. I refer to the 
practice of seine fishing in March and April in the con- 
tiguous waters of Vermont and Canada, when the wall- 
eyed pike are following along the shores and entering the 
tributaries of the lake to spawn. The catch of pike dur- 
ing one spawning season from reports of Vermont fish- 
ermen indicate a destruction not only of tons of these 
valuable food and game fish, but by practical computa- 
tions of over 300,000,000 to 500,000,000 eggs each season. 
This is a question of legislation which can be controlled 
by the representatives of the towns most directly inter- 
ested. So long as the representatives of Grand Isle and 
Franklin counties consider the revenue of 25 or 30 seines, 
netting the fishermen from $6,000 to $12,000 annually, to 
be worth more than the larger sum of would-be summer 
visitors, so long will the present law exist. While it 
would be a seeming injustice to prohibit seine fishing in 
Vermont while Canada continues the practice, it is our 
fault that the Canadian law now exists. Canada stopped 
this practice four years ago upon agreement with your 
commissioners, and only resumed after legislation was 
obtained in Vermont compelling the commissioners to 
issue seine permits to all applicants. 
"Through the instrumentality of the League the con- 
stitutionality of one of the game laws has been tested and 
upheld. I refer to the law authorizing the commission- 
ers to stock and close waters for a period of years. 
When its constitutionality was questioned it tended to 
weaken all other game laws. The opinion of the Su- 
preme Court, recently rendered, strengthens the entire 
chapter of game laws. The particular law affected was 
not in itself important, but can now be made so. At 
present a stream is stocked and closed for a period of two 
or three years, At the expiration of the closed period 
the stream is overcrowded with fishermen, and the work 
of restocking the waters is undone in one season. It 
would be better to permanently close the small tributaries 
throughout the State, and keep them as breeding pre- 
serves for all time, thus assuring us a stock of trout 
which could work into the larger streams. Of course 
such a law as this could nat be enforced except in com- 
munities where public sentiment would sanction it, and 
it might be best to have towns vote as to the ad- 
visability of the method 
"The 6in. law on trout is observed in some sections 
and disregarded in others, is. gaining ground as people 
come to know the real reason for such legislation. 
Trout do not generally spawn until they have attained 
a growth of six inches in length, and if the smaller trout 
are caught out, natural reproduction ceases. It is im- 
possible to attempt to keep up the waste entirely by arti- 
ficial stocking without a larger expenditure than we 
would feel warranted in calling upon our Legislature to 
appropriate. 
"I will mention one other subject in which all the 
ladies should be interested. Many of our streams, which 
were formerly the habitat of the brook trout, have be- 
come depleted by the changes in natural conditions sur- 
rounding them. I refer to the destruction of our forests. 
The forests subserve two purposes — supply of a most 
necessary raw material, and amelioration of the con- 
ditions of climate and water flow. Experts on the sub- 
ject can produce figures to show that by proper regu- 
lation, restricting the size of trees to be cut, etc., the for- 
ests can be made more remunerative to the lumberman 
than when entirely stripped at one time, as is the pre- 
valent custom. One lady has suggested that the sub- 
ject of protecting our highways from disfigurement by 
proper pruning of shade trees instead of cutting them 
down entirely have the attention of the League. This 
forestry question properly belongs to a forestry commis- 
sion, and many States now have an efficient forestry 
board and are legislating in this direction. The subject 
affects the objects of the League only as it affects the 
water supply in our streams. The sawdust question is 
akin to the forestry question, but I will not take up your 
time with this subject excepting to say that the pollu- 
tion of our streams with mill refuse and sawdust does 
more injury than any work of our hatchery can repair." 
The call for the meeting was read by Secretary Thomas 
Deal, of St. Albans, and twenty-seven names were pro- 
posed for membership, and their election made by an 
authorized vote of the secretary. 
Lieut.-Gov. Fisk proposed the name of John H. Flagg, 
of New York, as an honorary member, and he was 
elected. Ex-Gov. Woodbury suggested the name of 
Admiral George Dewey as an honorary member, and he 
was elected by a rising vote in which the ladies were al- 
lowed to join. Henry L. Dodge, of San Francisco, who 
was present, was also made an honorary member of the 
League. Senator Proctor, ex-Gov. Woodbury, Con- 
gressman Grout, and Judge Powers spoke briefly. Our 
report is taken from the Burlington Free Press. 
St. Lawrence Anglers. 
Editor l'orcst and Stream: 
The fifteenth annual meeting of the Anglers' Asso- 
ciation of the St. Lawrence River was held at the 
Thousand Island House, Alexandria Bay, on Wednes- 
day, Aug. 3, and great interest was manifested in the 
proceedings. The Association is an earnest, active and 
influential organization, consisting for the most part 
of representative citizens of the northern counties, and 
prominent professional and business men from various 
parts of the country, who have summer homes in the 
island region. Among those in attendance at the annual 
session were: W. C. Browning, Royal E. Deane, New 
York city; Henry R. Heath, Brooklyn: General J. B. 
Van Petten, Claverack; Frank P. Denison, Syracuse; 
Col. O. G. Staples, A. C. Cornwall, W. H. Thompson, 
Walter Fox, Alexandria Bay: G. M. Skinner, R. P. 
Grant, Clayton; C. E. Britton, Gananoque; Col. W. M. 
Griffith, Utica, and others. Considerable attention was 
devoted to the subject of the State park on the St. 
Lawrence River, and the desirability of having the bal- 
ance of the $30,000 appropriated by the State to purchase 
land there expended for that purpose without unneces- 
sary delay. It was 11 A. M. when President Browning 
called the assemblage to order. W. E. Wolcott, of Uti- 
'ca, was elected secretary of the meeting. The minutes 
of the last annual session and of three special meetings 
of the executive committee were read and approved. 
Appropriate resolutions on the death of Hon. C. W. 
Hackett, of Utica, chairman of the Republican State 
committee, who was a valued member of the Associa- 
tion, were adopted. 
W. H. Thompson, secretary of the Association, in his 
annual report said: In pursuance of a resolution adopted 
by the executive committee, I wrote several captions and 
sent them to parties at the foot of the lake, asking the 
Legislature to close the waters, and we have not had 
a single response. The only thing that was done was 
by personal efforts at Albany. We got our members of 
Assembly, Hon. E. R. Brown and Hon. O. J. Clark, in- 
terested, and Section 132a of the laws of 1898, prohibit- 
ing netting from April 30 to Oct. 1, was passed. It 
was that or nothing, and we accepted the compromise. 
Last year the Association, by resolution, asked the Com- 
missioners of Fish, Game and Forests to purchase the 
following named points and islands for the use of the 
public: (1) Cedar Point, with right of way from same 
to State road, about twenty acres in all, situated about 
seven miles above Clayton on "the American mainland, 
and owned by A. D. Percy. (2) Delaney's Point, sixty 
acres or more, situated at the foot of Grindstone Island, 
owned by the heirs of J. J. Delaney. (3) Cement Point, 
about three acres, at the head of Grindstone Island, 
owned by Moses Herse. (4) Dp Wolf's Point, about 
ten acres, on the north shore of the Lake of the Isles, 
owned by Frank de Wolf. (5) Island Mary, at the foot 
of Wells' Island,- owned by the Westminster Park Asso- 
ciation. (6) Kring's Point, about thirty acres, in Goose 
Bay, owned by George Kring. (7) Day's Point, about 
ten acres, near Chippewa Bay, owned by S. W. Day. 
(8) The inside Chippewa Point, owned by S. Allen. 
The commisison has purchased Kring Point, the foot of 
Cedar Island, De Wolf's Point, Mary Island, Delaney 
Point and Cement Point. At a meeting of the executive- 
committee of the Amglers' Association Messrs. Corn- 
wall, Grant and Thompson were selected to look after the 
Legislature in the interests of the St. Lawrence Park, and 
with the aid of our members of Assembly, Messrs. 
Clark and Browm we secured an appropriation of $10,000 
for improvements, building docks and making skiff land- 
ings on the property purchased for park purposes. We 
find it has been a very laborious task to get the commis- 
sioners to invest the $30,000 appropriated. The Anglers' 
Association has a membership of about 250, about 200 
being fair paying members. During the past year the 
Association lost these members, deceased: George M. 
Pullman, C. W. Hackett, J. Y. Walch. The report of 
the secretary was adopted. 
Three or four resignations were accepted, and six new 
members were admitted. 
President Browning inquired how much of the $30,000 
appropriation for purchasing lands for the St. Lawrence 
Park had been expended, 
Mr. Cornwall thought about $14,700 had been ex- 
pended thus far. 
President Browning, in his annual address, paid a 
handsome tribute to the memory of Hon. C. W. Hackett. 
In regard to the fishing in the St. Lawrence River, Mr. 
Browning said: "Earlier in the season I heard some 
complaints concerning the bass fishing, but lately it has 
improved greatly. Some of the catches are now pheno- 
menally large in the upper part of. the river and the 
lakes. The fishing is wonderfully good. One gentleman 
told me he caught seventy-four bass, and never saw 
anything like it before. Another gentleman said he 
hacl never before seen the fishing so good for five miles 
above Clayton. We had no fishing earlier in the season, 
when it is usually expected. Whether the cold weather 
had anything to do with it or not I do not know, but the 
fishing is good now, whereas it is usually good in early 
June." 
President Browning — In previous years large quantities 
of black bass have been sold in New York markets in 
cold weather, but during the past season I haven't 
been able to find any. 
Col. Griffith — Don't you think that was due to the re- 
peal of Section 230 of the game laws? 
President Browning — I wouldn't wonder if it was. 
There used to be barrels of them in the markets, and 
dealers said they bought them for two cents a pound. 
Col. Griffith — Reports are received which lead us to 
believe that the repeal of the cold storage section is 
having a good effect. 
Treasurer Grant submitted his annual report, which 
showed that the amount of cash on hand last year at this 
time was $266.26; on hand at present, $359 22. He ex- 
plained that the increase was mainly due to the hand- 
some donations made by individual members last year. 
The report was adopted. 
Mr. Cornwall, chairman of the executive committee, 
reported that several meetings of that body had been 
held during the year, and things had been looked after 
as closely as possible. 
Mr. Thompson said that while he was in Albany he 
was asked what he thought about allowing the setting of 
lines in the river from Ogdensburg to Chippewa Bay 
He replied that ke thought it would be very objection- 
able. 
Mr. Heath— There does not seem to be much progress 
in the land business, and I think the Association ought 
to appoint a committee to push the matter along. I 
suggest that we have a committee with the president at 
the head to endeavor to have the balance of the money 
appropriated by the State to buy land expended for the 
benefit of the river. Delays are dangerous. A com- 
mittee should be appointed to co-operate with the State 
officials and bring this matter to a consummation. 
Mr. Grant — We recommended the purchase of certain 
places along the river, and they virtually ignored us. 
This $30,000, whatever is not expended in two years, 
reverts back to the State. We should have had a local 
commission. 
Mr. Heath thought it would have been as well if the 
recommendation of the Association in regard to the 
places it desired to have purchased had not been pub- 
lished. 
Col. Griffith— There are always two sides to a question. 
The comptroller is particular, and he has to be. He 
will not turn the money over to the commission until the 
papers are correct. You have taken months to perfect 
titles. The commissioners are not all to blame for the 
delay. In regard to Mary Island, I urged its purchase, 
and other places where the title was correct. Some- 
thing ought to be done before Oct. 1. The money lapses 
at the close of the fiscal year, which is one year from 
October. The second appropriation was put in for im- 
provements only, and can hardly be used for purchasing 
land. Some of the commissioners are exceedingly 
anxious to finish up this matter. I agree with Mr. Heath 
regarding the advisability of appointing a committee. 
We have lost a hard worker by the death of Mr. 
Hackett, and the rest of us will have to work harder. 
Mr. Heath— We should try and get this money ex- 
pended for the benefit of the river. 
Col. Griffith — The commissioners said they would try 
and get up to the river while I am here, and if the Asso- 
ciation desires me to do so I will write them to come 
soon. 
There was some talk about the St. Lawrence county- 
people wanting a point below Ogdensburg purchased, 
and Messrs. Browning, Griffith and others thought it 
would be wise to acquiesce. 
Mr. Thompson said the Association obtained the low 
est prices that parties would take for the places it 
wanted purchased. "That was the reason," said he, 
"why we mentioned a price." 
Col. Griffith, who is private secretary of Governor 
Black, was elected an honorary member of the Asso- 
ciation. 
Mr. Grant offered the following resolutions, which 
were adopted: 
Resolved, that a committee be appointed by the presi- 
dent to co-operate with the Commissioners of Fisheries, 
Game and Forest in the further purchase of land, in ac- 
cordance with the law of 1897, appropriating $30,000 for 
the establishment of a State park. 
Resolved, that it is the desire of the Association, with- 
out in any sense wishing to advise this commission, that 
the completion of the proposed purchase be made be- 
fore Aug. 1, 1899. 
Messrs. Heath, Griffith a*d Grant were appointed as 
the committee called for in the above resolution. 
Officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows: 
President. Wm. C Browning, New York city; First 
Vice-President, Henry R. Heath, Brooklyn; Second 
