S68 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 30, 1899. 
a Goui^fiie by his compass which should bring him out. 
He slept on the ground, without fire, and protected by the 
hide of a deer he had killed. On the meat of this deer he 
subsisted, his rations only varied by the raw breast of a 
partridge he had Icilled. He traveled on by daylight, 
camping at night, till his shoes were soleless and his 
clothing in tatters. He was in the woods alone for seven 
daj'S, suffering the most kTi-il)lc suspense, till at last, 
i^hen about ready to die, he. came to a oleai-ing in the 
Ancinity of Wesley, and was saved, 
Protests are heard from every direction wh^^'e .tlleire arc 
timber lands of any value. A report from Bangor and 
Aroostook lumbermen says that the Fish and Game Com- 
missioners will be asked by the united lumber dealers 
not to issue any licenses to hunt deer in September next 
year, since the Legislature does not convene till the winter 
of 1900, and hence there will not be a chance to ask that 
body to repeal the law till after another season of danger 
from forest fires. 
A few good bags of partridges are being' taken by Bos- 
ton gunners in Maine. S. J. Jones, Fred Wilson and A. 
T. Butler were doAvn in York count}' the other day. and 
brought back six partridges. They found no woodcock, 
though having good dogs for them, Androscoggin 
county gunners ai'e still finding few birds. From the 
Rangeley region come reports of some good bird shoot- 
ing. The Megantic region is also reported as panning 
out well for the partridge gunners. Club members are 
pleased with the better shooting than last year. Boston 
local gunners are getting a few partridges in Reading and 
an Essex county, but they say that it requires the best of 
dogs and great skill to bag them. At almost every point 
they appear very wild and as though they had been 
hunted for a month at least. Special. 
Wild Rice Planting. 
We would be glad to ha^-e reports of experience with 
planting wild rice, for the information of others who con- 
template engaging in tbe enterprise for attracting wild- 
fowl. 
Mr. R. C. Haarse, of Wisconsin, writes: "Abont four 
years ago several hunters, with myself, bought five bush- 
els of wild rice and planted it in Beaver Dam Lake, in 
this State; but the water receded during the year, so that 
most of the places planted were dry by fall, and we sup- 
posed that none of the seed- took roof; but this summer 
we found quite a lot in bloom and seed where the water 
did not get too low, so it seems to take about three to 
four years before results show. A year ago we plantdl 
about fiity bushels in the same lake in 2 to 4ft. of water 
and expect good results in about two years. I. will be 
thankful to learn what experience others have had." 
Another correspondent — Mr. Jolm H. Tennent, of Mis- 
souri — writes: "1 regret to say that the wild rice which 
we sowed in our lakes was not a success. I believe the 
trouble was that we got it in too late. Our lakes froze 
Tip in November, and we did not get the rice in until Jan- 
uary, as jt was frozen up from November to January. It 
was very fine rice, and certainly should have grown; but 
we do not see any sign of it in the lakes at all." 
G. A. L. is informed that wild rice mav be purchased 
from Mr. Chas. A. Gilchrist, Port Hope, Ont. 
Game in Orange County, N. Y. 
MiDDLETGWN, N. Y., Sept. 22.— The outlook tor sports- 
men in this section is very good. Woodcock shooting 
was better than it has been in several years. Partridges 
and quail are plenty. The unusual dry weather during the 
laying and incubating season was exremely favorable for 
hatching and rearing the young birds. It is generally 
believed that game is growing scarcer and scarcer in 
this section, but thejre is still enough left to furnish good 
sport for the gunners who visit this section. There are 
always plenty of rabbits, and it is said that the killing 
off of the foxes by the fox hunters and dogs is causing 
a considerable increase in the number of rabbits, and of 
course it saves some quail, woodcock and partridges. 
H. G. 
Dog. 
Beneath this turf, that forinerly he pi-essed 
With agile feet, a Dog is laid to rest. 
Him, as he sleeps, no well-known sound shall stir. 
The rabbit's patter or the pheasant's whirr; 
The keeper's "Over!" — ^far, but well defined, ,' 
That speeds the startled partridge down the wind;' 
The whistled warning, as the winged ones rise J 
Large and more large upon our straining eyes, 
Till with a swoop, while evei^y nerve is tense, £\ 
The chattering covey hurtles o'er the fence; 
The double crack of every lifted gun; 
The dinting thud of birds whose course is done. 
These sounds, that to his listening ear were dear, / 
He heeds no longer, for he cannot hear. 
None stancher, till the drive was done, defied 
Temptation, rooted to his master's side. , ; 
None swifter, when his master gave the Vi^ord, ^ 
Leapt forth to track theVounded running bird, 
And bore it back — ah, many a time and oft!-- 
His nose as faultless as his mouth was soft. 
How consciously, how proudly, unconcerned, 
Straight to his master's side he then returned. 
Wagged a glad tail and deemed himself repaid, 
As in that master's hand the bird he laid, 
Tf, while a word, of praise was duly said, 
The hand should stroke his smooth and hone.st bead. 
Through spring and summer, in the sportless days. 
Cheerful he lived a life of simpler ways; 
Chose, since official dogs at times unbend, 
[ The household cat for confidante and friend; 
. With children, friendly but untaught to fawn. 
■Romped through the walks and rollicked on the lawn; 
Rejoiced, if one the frequent ball should throw. 
To fetch it, scampering gayly to and fro. 
Content through every change of sportive mood 
If one dear voice, one onlj--, called him good. 
Such was my Dog. who now without my aid 
Himts through the shadowland, himself a shade:; 
Or, couched intent before some ghof^tly gate. 
Waits for m.v step, as here he used to wait. 
' - , . —Punch, 
New York Leagtiefandi National|Paffc. 
Mr. C. W. Smith, of Syracuse, President of the New- 
York State League, has taken a lively interest in the 
Minnesota national park project. "We "are all interested 
in such things," he writes, "because they give the people 
outing places in the wilderness for hunting and fishing. 
Qpon tbe impulse given me last month on reading the 
first article in the Forkst and Stream, I wrote to Col. 
John S. Cooper, of Chicago, Secretary of the Association 
cndeavtiring to create the park, stating my official position, 
my per.sonal sympathy with them, my individual desire 
and willingness to aid them in any way in my power, and 
asking that I, individually, be elected a member of their 
Association, and that the New York State League be 
recognized as in full accord with them. To-day I have 
received official notice that each and every member of 
each and every club composing the New York State 
League has been duly elected a member of said Associa- 
tion, without dues. 
"This makes it binding upon us individually to do all we 
can in our power to obtain the aid and assistance of our 
members of Congress to put the thing through Congress 
this winter." 
President Smith has been invited to go as one of the 
committee's guests on the excursion to inspect the coun- 
trj', but has been compelled by his business in the courts 
to decline, 
North Carolina Fish and Game. 
^ New iTffLET. N. C, Sept. 21. — Editor Forest and 
Stream : The finest salt-water fishing I evejr had in all my 
thirty years of fishing was with Capt. J, H. Wescott, 
of New Inlet Life Saving Station, to-day. All one has to 
do is to walk 90yds. from the house and capture large 
trout and blucfish as fast as they can be reeled in. 
The recent storm of Aug. 16 has played havoc with the 
coast here. The New Inlet Hunting Club's .property is 
almost a total wreck. • 
Plover and bay bird shoqting I find excellent all the way 
from Nag's Plead to Hatteras, where I had fine sport 
last week. I stopped while at Platteras with W. H. 
Gaskins, who can take good care of a few sportsmen at 
any season, and is an excellent guide. The brant shooting 
is good there in December, January and February, and 
there is also good redhead shooting to be had in batteries. 
Non-resident shooting is allowed afloat by paying a 
license tax t)f $25. More Anon. 
Virginia Quail. 
Sooth Boston, Va., Sept. -22.— Editor forest and 
Stream: On the J 5th of next month our quail season 
will open in all of its glory. For never in years has the 
bird crop been so plentiful as it 'is this year. And if 
we can keep out the market-hunters we bid fair to have 
a-plenty in the future. If Mr. Chas. J. Mean wishes to 
have some good sport this fall let him drop in here and 
I will guarantee him all the sport he is looking for, and 
we might even stir up a deer hunt in his honor. Turkey 
are comparatively scarce, as also are squirrel, as the 
negro and his dog make it rather warm for him.- 
H. P, Wilder. 
Birds in Arkansas. 
Alma, Ark. — ^The people of this vicinity, as if by 
common consent, obey to the letter the game law, 
and never in the history of the country have quail been 
as plentiful as now, and when the open season be- 
gins, Oct. I, there Avill be grand sport. I am informed 
that along the line of the Kansas & Arkansas Valley 
Railroad, between Vian and McKee, a distance of five 
jniles, the roadmaster and a friend riding on an engine 
counted thirteen coveys of quail, and this is in the In- 
dian Territory, where the birds are not protected by 
law. J. E. L. 
ANGLING NOTES. 
Trout fof Planting. 
Last year I was ijt the bag^gage car of an express 
train with several cans of yearling trout on -my way to 
plant them in an Adirondack lake, when a gentleman 
came into the car to make' some inquiries about his 
baggage, and noticing the fish cans he asked, "Are you 
taking another lot of minnow trout to feed bigger fish 
up in, the lakes?" The phraseology of his question 
showed that he was not particularly familiar with the 
subject of fish planting; but I replied that they were year- 
ling trout, and while some might be eaten by large fish 
I thought most of them, would survive their enemies in 
the water. I would not like to quote all that he said, but 
he denounced the whole system of fish planting, saying 
it was a waste of time and money. He remained in the 
car until the cans reached their destination and were 
taken from the car, and then he got down on the ground 
and looked into one of the cans, and when he saw that 
the trout were from 7 to over gin. long — a lot of selected 
fish — he expressed a desire to go out to the water where 
they were to be planted and fish for them at once; so 
if there are objections to planting trout fry there are also 
objections to planting trout that are above the legal 
size for catching. 
A State official obtained and planted a lot of yearling 
trout in the streams near his home, and the next year I 
asked him if he wished to plant more of the same kind 
of trout, and he replied, very abruptly: "No; last year 
men followed the wagons to the streams, and were fishing 
for the trout before the water was clear after turning in 
tbe contents of the cans." 
I have measured yearling trout reared bv the Fisheries 
Game and Forest Commission of New York that were 
to^^in. long, and trout that were Sin. long that were 
seven and a half months old, but of course these were 
exceptional fish There is a vast difference in the size 
of 3 lot of fish of same age reared under similar condi- 
tions, for some grow faster than others, as the most 
vigorous fish get the most food and grow more rapidly. 
A catalogue and price list from a Scotch fishery, just re- 
ceived, gives the average of yearlings from the establish- 
ment as from 2j4 to Sin. long, and worth $50 per i,oao. 
If selected, from 4 to sin., $62.50 per 1,000, and if from 
4 to 6in., $75 per 1,000, and in Scotland this price is at 
the hatchery, as it is a private establishment, furnishing 
fish for private waters. 
It is doubtful if New York anglers fully appreciate 
the benefits the waters of the State derive from the 
annual plants now made by the Fisheries, Game and 
Forest Commission of 'upward of one and one-half mil- 
lion of fingerling and yearling trout, and about seven or 
eight millions of fry, and all the fish are delivered by the 
State free of expense at the railroad station nearest to 
the home of the person making the application. If the 
State of New York was permitted to sell trout, and 
could obtain Scotch prices, the yearlings would bring 
nearly twice as much as is expended annually by the 
Fisheries, Game and Forest Commission for fish propa- 
gation and distribution, salaries, labor and clerk hire, 
and the 200,000,000 of other fishes hatched by the Com- 
mission would be clear profit. Naturally fingerling and 
yearling trout are more desirable for planting than fry 
just after they have commenced to feed through the 
mouth; but unfortunately all the trout hatched by. the 
Fish Commission cannot be reared to the fingerling 
stage, for lack of room, water, and often the expense is 
so considerable that it becomes an important factor 
in the rearing of trout. People who have had the good 
fortunate to obtain fingerling or older fish for planting are 
given to looking with disfavor upon trout fry for' 
the same purpose, but trout fry properly planted 
will give good results; but properly planted means 
a lot of work and trouble. However, if any-' 
thing is worth doing it is worth doing well, and here 
is a case in point: A friend had applied for trout to plant 
some streams in the neighborhood where he lived and 
had been assigned a reasonable number of fingerlings 
and a much greater number of trout fry. The former 
pleased him and the latter did not, but I explained to 
him that it was utterly impossible for the State Com- 
mission to rear all of the trout it hatched to fingerlings, 
and the fry would stock the streams if planted as they 
should be. He asked me to assist him when the fry were 
sent, and to direct the planting, and this I did, but 
a sbort time previous to the shipment I went to the 
streams and examined them to their very sources. When 
the fry came the team was driven as near the sources, 
of the streams as any road would permit, and then 
fences were taken down and the horses were driven 
through fields until they cottld go no further, and then 
the cans were carried one at a time to small tributary, 
streams, with threads of water flowing from living 
springs, and the fry were planted a few in a place, so that 
bunching would not exhaust the food supply, and they 
were so far from the main stream that none of the fish 
that it contained could prey upon the fry, and there 
they were left to work out their own salvation. That 
they did this a period of three years proved, but not 
once in a hundred times is so much trouble taken to 
properly plant trout fry, for as a rule they are turned 
into a stream where other and larger fish prey upon 
ihcm instead of placing them at the fountain head, away 
from other fish, and distributing them so that they will all 
"et a fair supply of the food supplied by the stream, 
fhe fry that were planted as I have described stocked 
the streams quite as well as the fingerling fish, a less 
number, to be sure, stocked another stream, as time 
proved. Even fingerling or yearling trout should not be 
turned into a stream where larger fish abound. It may be 
more trouble to haul the fish to headwaters of a stream, 
where the volume of water is suited to their size, but if 
applicants are not willing to go to some trouble in plant- 
ing the fish whch the State assigns to them they should 
not expect good results from fish planted at hazard. A 
British fish breeder of long experience adheres to the 
belief that the most economical method of stocking 
waters with trout is by putting down eyed eggs in arti- 
ficial spawning beds, but that is more work and more 
trouble than to properly plant fry, and ecoiiomical in 
the sense that is used abroad means that it is cheaper 
than to buy fry or order fish, and therefore the system 
does not come into competition with fish furnished 
free by a State or National fish cominission. 
Trout Perch. 
Late one evening this week my physician came in tp 
see me socially and talk about fish and fishing. Inci- 
dentally he mentioned that he had sent his man that day 
to get minnows for black bass bait, and upon his return 
he had found in the bait bucket a mmnow, the like ot 
which he had never seen before. As he was leaving he 
said: "I will send one of those minnows to you m the 
morning to have you see what it is." The next morn- 
ing his man left a bottle with water containing a liv£, 
fish, and at a glance I saw that it was a trout perch, 
the first that I had ever seen in this part of the State;, 
in fact, I have not seen to exceed three or four in any 
part of New York. At one of the State hatcheries a 
trout perch was kept in alcohol for a long time as 
curiosity, and when the State began the work of de 
stroying the lake lamprey in Cayuga Lake by netting 
them as they ran up stream in the spring to spawn a 
single trout perch was taken one morning while I Avas 
there Dr. Henning. in describing the fish to me, said 
it looked as though it might be a cross between a yel- 
low perch and a sunfish. It has a head not unlike a 
pike-perch, except that it is a trifle more blunt. It has 
a silvery stripe along the lateral Ime, with round dusky 
spots above it. The tail is forked, and all the fins are 
transparent; but the one fin which will separate it from 
other "minnows" is an adipose fin. the same as the trout 
has, but smaller and transparent like the other fin,"^. 
Jordan says it is a relic of some earlier fauna. It is a 
small fish, growing to a maximum length of 6in., and 
its distribution is given: "Kansas and northward: very 
abundant in the Great Lakes: in all streams tributary to 
Hudson Bay, Red River of the North and found by Dr. 
Eigenmann in the Saskatchewan as far as .Medicin-- 
Hat; rare in stream_s south of Lake Erie." Dr. Bean 
does' not mention the trout oetch m bis "Fishes of Ne.v' 
