17 ^ 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[March 4, 1899. 
Inverr * he terms of the divisor and the rocks across the 
harbor will echo, "Here's to better luck next time." ' 
Old Muggy-way-way, "he who snored so loud," made 
the_ only pair of snowshoes that I ever owned. I£ Mr^ 
Avis will turn to my book, which he quotes, he will see, 
p. 206, that I mention being lame from my first three 
days' walk on snowshoes. Old Muggy lived near Prairie 
du Chien, Wis., and was a famous maker of these things. 
I was off on a .deer hunt and dropped in on him, oh! so 
long ago, in 1855, and as I needed snowshoes I braced 
him in this way : "Say, old Muggy, how much for a pair 
of snowshoes?" 
The old Ojibwa looked tip from his work, sized me 
Hp, and replied: "Sof o' ems'?" 
This was away bevond my schoolin', so I asked: 
"How?" • ' 
Antoine was with me and said: "He wati's fo' to know 
ef you want 'em fo' soft snow or fo' crust." 
On these points there were no opinions; snowshoes 
were merely a name for some kind of a thing to walk 
on snow with, and I looked at Antoine for inspiration. 
"I'll tole you," said he; "w'en yo' got da shoe fo' da 
sof snow he longer an' weigh mo' dan w'en yo' gat da 
short shoe fo' da crust. Now, w'en yo' go along o' me 
up da Bad-Axe Riv fo' to trap all da wint' yo' do' want 
a long heavy shoe fo' sof snow, 'cause da snow he on'y 
sof fo' a day o' two, an' he get a crus' on bimeby." 
So I ordered crust shoes for $2, and saw the old Indian 
make them. He took the hickory bows from a form 
where thej- had been bending for some time; the strips 
were J^in. square and 6ft. in length, bent into a blunt-toed 
bow 2ft. 7in. long and i3in. wide at its greatest width, 
ift. from the toe; at 4in. a strip of hickory rin. wide, but 
thin, was mortised across to keep the spread, which here 
was loj/zin.; at 2oin. another such strip went across where 
the shoe was only Sin. wide, From the toe there was 
no webbing for 8in., where the first double*strip of raw- 
hide was stretched across, sustained by three twisted 
strips from the first cross-bar. There was but I2in. of 
web, which extended to the hind bar. This was made 
by cross strips lin. apart and diagonallj- interlaced, mak- 
DIFFERENT SORTS OF SNOWSHOES. 
1. Alaska model. 2. Montreal shoe, flat. 3. New Brunswick 
Trappers. 4. Montana "bear's paw." 
ing six-sided apertures of irregular size, as rattan chair- 
backs are woven. The smallest would admit my little 
finger. The rawhide was soaked and stretched on, wind- 
ing around the frame. 
At the first cross-strip of hide the toe-clio was fas- 
tened. It was made of tanned leather, with cords to tie 
about the heel of the moccasin, .shoe-pack or rubber 
shoe, such as Mr. E. Hough tells of, for the heel of the 
snowshoe is not lifted with the foot, but always drags, 
and there must be no boot heel on the thongs. The ends 
of the wooden strips were brought together for 4in. and 
fastened with a brass screw. Evidently old Muggy knew' 
a good thing when he saw it. 
Perhaps it might be asked how a man can remember 
such details after a lapse of forty-three years, and the 
question would be a natural one; but the old "snowshoes 
are before me as I write, and so is a foot-rule, and such 
things refresh a fellow's memory wonderfully. The shoes 
were not needed after that winter, but journeyed to Kan- 
sas and back to New York. For years they hung on the 
walls of my den in innocuous desuetude, until during the 
blizzard of March, i888, when they were given a little ex- 
ercise; they were promised a few miles last month, but 
rain spoiled the game. 
The width of the sno\yshoe and the fact that only the 
toe is lifted from the ground necessitates a peculiar gait. 
The foot is raised high, moved forward and planted before 
the other is stirred; this brings new muscles into play, 
and some soreness is felt the next day, as in skating; but 
the trick is easily Acquired. 
The long Canadian pattern, with sharp, turned-up toe, 
would be best for Mr. Avis, or for any one who lives 
where snows come frequently, as they are closer woven 
and have greater bearing surface; but mine were built 
for a land where snows come seldom and soon crusted 
over. 
There is a window in New York where I see elaborate 
snowshoes, trimmed with bright red tassels, handsome- 
and artistic things, and no doubt high priced. It seems 
as if some dealer in Quebec, Toronto, or other place 
where they sell snowshoes would do well to put an ad. 
in Forest and Stream. There was a club in New Jer- 
sey called the "Oritani Snowshoe Club," and the late 
Wakeman Holberton was a member of it; he often asked 
me to come over to Hackensack and have a run; but 
snowshoeing opportunities about New York City are 
here to-day and gone to-morrow; the invitation reaches 
you after the snw has disappeared. It is good sport, and 
clubs for its pursuit could easily be formed in many cities 
where they have snow which lasts several weeks. 
Snowshoes_ are made of different sizes for people of 
different avoirdupois. A shoe sufficient for a man of 
I25lbs. would not sustain a man of iSolbs., and in order- 
ing a pair this should be borne in mind, and the weight 
of the man given. I have no idea that the New York 
dealer, or his salesmen, understand this, but an order to 
any Canadian dealer in snowshoes would fit the surface 
of the shoe to the weight of the man. 
A bucksin moccasin is the ideal thing for snowshoeing 
in dry snow, but they are abominable things when wet. 
My rig for the damp snows of Long Island is a pair of 
cloth house shoes, which I use instead of slippers in win- 
ter, and which lace up above the ankle, and over these 
a pair of rubber overshoes. The main thing which the 
beginner must guard against is stepping on the other 
shoe; if he does this he will be winking the other eye 
as his nose is plowing into the snow and he is wondering 
why he had not thought to wear a pair on his hands at 
the same time. 
The Massachusetts Hatcheries. 
Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Associa- 
tion, Boston, Fth. 23. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
send you herewith for publication an important paper on 
trout culture, prepared by Mr. C. C. Wood, of Plymouth, 
Mass., who, as you know, is an authority on such mat- 
ters. It was read at the last meeting of our Association 
and was sought for publication, but I desired to have it 
appear in your paper, and see what sportsmen and men 
in touch with this line of work would have to say on the 
salient points of the paper. 
While all might not agree as to every conclusion of 
Mr. Wood's, I believe all will consider it a valuable con- 
tribiition to a subject likely to be very proininent in the 
public thought and of vast importance in its bearing upon 
the work in hand in many of the States of the Union. 
Henry H. Kimball, Sec'y. 
TROUT CULTURE. 
I have been requested by the honorable secretary to' 
furnish a few data and offer such remarks as I may deem 
fit in relation to the fish hatcheries of Massachusetts. I 
would say at commencing that so far as my observa- 
tions go, they relate to the rearing of brook trout only, 
yet they may not go amiss; for. if I am not greatly 
mistaken, the hatcheries of this State are given almost 
entirely up to the reproduction of this variety of fish. 
All of us who are enthusiastic fishermen cannot fail 
to be interested in the inhabitant of our cold, spring- 
waters, and therefore I take for granted would be pleased 
to see all the suitable brooks of Massachusetts alive with 
trout. That I am interested in the cultivation of this 
fish for profit I fear- may cause doubt from many as to 
the sincerity of my remarks in some instances, and should 
such be the case I desire expressly to state that the 
facts which I may give will bear full inspection and 
will remain true, no matter from what standpoint they 
may be looked upon. It is not entirely for profit, by any 
means, that I am interested in this matter, and were it so, 
I should not be likely to advocate a new method or 
manner of running the hatcheries, for you will all see 
that the less the results of stocking done by the com- 
monwealth the better are the chances of the commercial 
fishculturist for selling his product and the greater prices 
he is likely to obtain. 
First, I would like to ask, for what do we want the fish 
hatcheries? and we will, no doubt, all agree that it is for 
the purpose of rearing desirable fish to replenish the ex- 
hausted and depleted waters of the State, which have been 
taxed severely by the fishermen or in many cases rendered 
unproductive, perhaps by the erection of mills or dams, 
which prevent the larger parent fish from ascending 
the streams to suitable spawning grounds. 
Some m.ay say that the hatcheries are useful to the 
student, so that he may watch the development of the 
young creature, bring himself in touch with the wonders 
of nature and possibly stimulate an ambition which may 
help to start him on a useful, successful and prosperous 
career. I would say to this that the many private 
hatcheries here in Massachusetts give the same oppor- 
tunity, as visitors are always welcome, and as a rule these 
private commercial establishments, if you will, have better, 
more successful and more modern methods than those at 
present owned and operated by the commonwealth. 
However, for this latter purpose no one is likely to pro- 
pose the continuance even for a day of the smallest 
hatchery, for such things if necessary for the scholar 
had much better be embraced in some part of our edu- 
cational system, as the study of natural history. 
In the first case, should the State be able to turn out 
a very large number of young fish, and these little 
creatures immediately perish, or do so in a very short 
time after being taken from the hatchery, the work, so 
far as resulting in any benefit to the sportsmen, is practic- 
ally lost. Should this be carried on year after year, and 
no results follow of a desirable nature, what could be 
gained? You might go on keeping tally of the lafge num- 
bers of trout and salmon liberated, and overcome per- 
haps an ignorant public (for most people are ignorant on 
this subject), with the immense quantities of these fish 
put out for their benefit each season; but what the sports- 
men and the people want are good results, and they have 
a right to expect the very best. 
What has Massachusetts done in trout culture? Has 
she succeeded in making the fished-out streams yield a 
•fair day's sport? Plas she reared anything like the num- 
bers of trout fry and yearlings possible? Have the hatch- 
eries been carried on as economically as should be ex- 
pected? And have the results been sufficient to satisfy 
any one who is at all acquainted with the possibilities of 
trout culture, and the success which has been attained 
in many cases? I do not intend to try and tell, you what 
the State has done in the past — what it has cost per thou- 
sand to rear these fish (which for the most part have 
been thrown away), or to criticise the commission in 
any way. Should any one wish to satisfy themselves 
on these points they may possibly get the desired in- 
formation from the report* which are offered by th^ 
Fish Commission ;annually. _ ^ 
Rather would I like to ask: What can she do?— and 
the reasonable possibilities in this direction are great, 
for within our boundaries are some of the most delight- 
ful streams and ponds suitable for trout that can be found 
anywhere in New England. 
I wish to present, or suggest, two methods by which 
in my opinion these waters, suited to the gamiest of 
fishes, may be restocked with the smallest cost and the 
best results. 
One of the methods which I have to offer is a selfish 
one, and I do not expect that it will receive much con- 
sideration, or think that it would be accepted by the 
State at present, if it were clearly proven to be the 
best. I have not much to say regarding this, and will 
leave what few facts I have to offer until the last. 
Massachusetts does not need many hatcheries for the 
rearing of trout; one good one should be sufficient to 
reasonably stock all the suitable public waters within her 
borders. It would be easy to hatch out at one station 
more young trout fry than could be decently used in 
twice the streams that would be proper to receive them. 
The cost of maintaining one hatchery, one establish- 
ment, must be less than of carrying on perhaps half 
a dozen of the kind, and the advantages of having the 
operations under one management, one head, and at 
one station, should be apparent. 
Some may say that the small fish or the large fish 
cannot be carried from one part of the State to another 
part most distant without loss, but such is not the case. 
Trout of any age or size at all likely to be used for 
stocking purposes, can be transported anywhere in Mas- 
sachusetts and not suffer. Live trout from the hatcherv 
at Winchester can be safely carried to the most distant 
part of Berkshire county, and arrive in first-class con- 
dition, of course an attendant being with them. Should 
they be on an express train, however, it would not be 
necessary to have any one go with them if the applicant 
be ready to receive them on arrival, for I have known 
of several cases where a lot of ^out was shipped alone 
from Boston to the western portpf New York State and 
arrived in satisfactory condition.: 
It would be best in nearly all cases for some one 
to accompany the fish that are distributed in public waters, 
for an experienced hand can often make a success of 
stocking a stream which would result in a total failure 
if left to one not accustomed — not acquainted — with, 
the work, and perhaps not earing what became of the 
fish. It would besides render the possibility less of a 
lot of fish, designed for the public streams and for the 
public sport, finding their 'way into some individual's 
jjrivate pond, there to be surrounded and most thoroughly 
protected with signs forbidding trespass, or stating "No 
Fishing" to all except the rightful (?) owner. 
And the man in charge of a lot of live trout should 
know his business, should be interested in the work; 
not afraid of a little 'extra labor if necessary for the wel- 
fare of the fish, and be one who is not willing to trust 
to ]ucl< or who would exclaim when putting out a lot 
of fry, for example, "Oh,; dump them in; T guess they will 
be all right!" 
Some of us who have realized that the efforts of the 
Fish Commission in trout stocking have been nearly futile 
strongly assert that there is no benefit to be derived 
from the use of small fry, but I believe that, if carefully 
introduced into the proper steams, good results may be 
obtained in many cases. Is it not possible that, in our 
desire to condemn an apparent useless effort, we may 
swing in our judgment too far the other way. and 
overlook the possibilities in the first instance? What 
I mean is: would it not be best for the State to put out 
some fry, some fingerlings, some yearlings, each to be 
introduced into the waters best adapted for them, and at 
the time of year when they would be rnost likely to live? 
It is an easy matter to hatch out the fry from fertilized 
spawn, and it can be accomplished by any one in most 
any water, and the young fish, during the yolk sack 
period, are usually easy to take care of, and many do 
not die. It is after they begin to feed that the trouble 
commences, and to rear them to fingerlings requires good 
water at the hatchery, patience and intelligence and 
watchfulness on the part of the person in charge. At 
our present hatcheries perhaps the commission has had 
hard luck in trying to rear fingerlings or yearling trout; 
perhaps they do not believe in putting out these fish, and 
would not consent to the attempt under any consideration; 
yet, we are supposed to have men in charge during the 
year, a general superintendent and chairman of the com- 
mission besides, who are occupied presumably^ during the 
season with their work. We will suppose that nothing 
but small fry is the put-out; these fish, I would be willing 
to wager, are all distributed by the first of June. What 
then is the work of the manager, the superintendent of 
hatcheries, and the chairman of the commission the rest 
of the season, so far as the rearing of trout fry^ or the 
care of our inland hatcheries is concerned? 
At the time of a visit, about the last of August, 1898, 
to the State hatchery at Sutton or Wilkinsonville. I found 
one pool with very little water containing about 5,000 
fingerlings; one small pool having about 600 one and 
two-year-olds, and a pond, say, of a quarter of an acre, 
containing, as I was informed, breeding fish. The water 
at the outlet of this larger pond was seventy, and the 
fish, many of them of large size, were dying in consider- 
able numbers. Besides this, I found a very good hatch- 
ing house, poorly arranged and with an insufficient spring 
water supply; a nice little cottage for the manager of the 
hatchery, and a barn and outbuildings, also a man in 
charge, who, I honestly believe, thoroughly knows his 
business, and who, if his hands are not tied, would create 
a sometliing of consequence from the present badlv ar- 
ranged, poorly managed statio» at Sutton. A competent 
man could not keep himself half-busy in caring for this 
station throughout the year all the hatcheries at present 
combined, with the present system of planting fry, would 
not keep him busy ; but a manager in charge of a 
hatchery to do only as he is told by somebody else must 
soon lose all ambition and be contented to loaf if . he has 
rhe opportunity, and so long as things are kept tidy, the 
flower bed weeded and the grounds present a park-like 
appearance, the general visitor may go away favorably 
impressed with the institution, believing perhaps that 
thptf srp millions of trout in the gond to be put oiit for h,i^ 
?pedf(J benefit next season. 
