Jan. i6, 1904.] 
FOREST*' AND STREAM, 
47 
Maine Sportsmen's Assbciation. 
Bangor, Me., Jan. 9. — Editor Forest and Stream: The 
sportsmen from all over Maine particularly interested in 
the work of the Maine Sportsmen's Fish and Game Asso- 
ciation, met in annual meeting Tuesday,_ the fifth, and 
passed a delightful evening congratulating themselves 
and each other on the success of the laws advocated by 
this association in the past, and considering the pro- 
nounced danger from the recently announced attitude of 
the State Grange, which has started out to wipe all fish 
and game legislation from the statute books. 
Previous to the business session the visitors participated 
in a dinner at the Bangor House, and the dining room 
was then given over to speeches and elections. 
Chairman L. T. Carleton of the Fish and Game Com- 
mission was the first speaker of the evening, and was an- 
nounced by President C. A. Judkins to speak on the 
work of the Commission for the past year, and of the re- 
sults of the first year of the new hunters' license law. 
Space forbids a report of his speech, which was largely 
devoted to a laudatory resume of the work of the asso- 
ciation in advocating and passing the important features 
of fish and game legislation, and a scoring of those who 
have opposed any or all of the measures advocated. He 
felt that the top notch of wisdom had been reached in the 
enactment of the law requiring all non-resident hunters 
to pay a license for entering the woods to hunt, although 
he was very frank in disavowing any credit for it per- 
sonally, since there were several features which he ad- 
vocated and which were eliminated from the original 
bill. Among these was the graduating scale of license, 
which would include game birds as well as big game, and 
one would pay only according to the kind of gime he was 
going to shoot; the permitting of marketmen to handle 
partridges and woodcock, and permitting hunters (resi- 
dents) to sell not more than ten of these birds in a 
season to the markets ; and the clause permitting a non- 
resident who had paid for a license to hunt to take a 
limited number of game birds home with him, whereas 
the present law forbids the taking of any game birdii 
from the State. These were some of the features of the 
law which, omitted, made it weaker than he would like 
to see it, but he unhesitatingly declared it "an unqualified 
success," even in this its first year of operation. He felt 
that all the "legitimate, desirable sportsmen" the game 
supply would stand had been here this past season. 
Other speakers in favor of the workings of the law 
ind-uded Hon. I. K. Stetson, of Bangor ; Hon. V. \V. 
Macfarlane, of Greenville ; J. F. Sprague, of Monson ; 
while Secretary Farrington's report reviewed with much 
satisfaction the important addition to the treasury of the 
fish and game department of the State, the result of this 
law's workings in its first year. 
Hon. Wm. Engel, of Bangor, who had been aroused by 
the reports that the agriculturists of the State, in ses- 
sion at the convention of the State Grange, at Waterville 
recently, had decided to sweep the obnoxious fish and 
game laws from the statute books entirely, presented 
what was beyond question the most important speech of 
the evening. Mr. Engel is a business man, never goes 
hunting or fishing, but looks at the question purely from 
a commercial point of view, and as chairman of the legis- 
lative committee on fish and game a few years ago, 
learned much that surprised him in regard to these im- 
portant interests. He brought figures, taken from the 
books .of the State assessors,- to show just where this 
money ($25,000) appropriated for fish propagation comes 
from, and he showed that the average farm in Maine 
was assessed, last year, only three cents and a few. mills 
as its proportionate share of this amount. On the other 
hand, nO' class receives so much immediate and direct 
benefit as the farmer from the incoming of sportsmen, 
who buy his produce at his own door at the highest mar - 
ket prices — and, he might have added, even higher than 
that at times. 
Hon. Wm. T. Haines, of Waterville, spoke of the im- 
portance of uniting with the landowners and lumbermen 
in a crusade of education to bring the people up to a 
i-ealizatiqn of the need of preserving the forests, and so 
maintaining the water powers that are dwindling because 
of the loss of the forests. 
Hon. Charles E. Oak was called upon,- and he wanted, 
to correct one statement made by Mr. Carleton, that the 
license law had proven itself "an unqualified success." 
He preferred to view it as a financial success, but he was 
willing to give it a reasonable time in which to prove its 
real right to exist. If at the end of two years it is not 
deserving of a place on the statute books, he will be 
found ready to fight for its repeal. He has from the first 
been the chief opponent of the law, although he was 
unwilling to. longer 'fight when he saw that the Legisla- 
ture was bound to pass it, and, as a former member of 
the Fish and Game Commission, and a loyal member of 
the association, he has stood to one side to let the law 
have a trial. 
Quite a ripple of interest was created by a letter from 
Hon. H. M. Heath, of Augusta, who has been for many 
years, if not from its inception, the attorney and counsel 
for the organization, and who has been the past year the 
only officer, thereof not in accord with the license idea. 
He suggested that he was still of the same mind, and 
that the license is wrong in principle. But he suggested 
further that he_ wanted them to know just where he stood, 
and if, after his declaration of principles, the asspciaton 
wishe(i him to stay in his office, he would serve it as well 
as he could. He reviewed briefly the dangers that con- 
front the game and 'fish laws from the attitude of the 
Grange, pointed out its unreaspnableness and lack of wis- 
dom in the reported attitude ' of the agriculturists, and 
urged that all friends of fish and game stand firmly and 
unitedly, forgetting, or at least burying, personal differ- 
ences of opinion for the next three years, giving the new 
law a chance to prove itself worthy or ' unworthy, and 
preventing every attempt to change in' the least degree 
any of the laws on the State books affecting fishing and 
hunting. He believed that fiilly as "much unrest and 
dissatisfaction comes from the frequent "tinkering" 
\yhich these laws receive every two years, and he be- 
lieved in letting them stand as they are for at least one 
whole session of the law-makers. 
.The election of officers resulted in the choice of the 
following : President, C. * A. Judkins, Kineo ; * Vice- 
Presidents, I. K. Stetson, Bangor; C. A. Marston, Skow- 
hegan; F. C. Barker, Bemis; J. W. Brackett, Phil- 
lips; W. T. Haines, Waterville; A. H. Shaw, Bath; 
W. H. Newell, Lewiston; Secretary and Treasurer, E. 
C. Farrington, Augusta. Directors, C. A. Judkins, J. F. 
Sprague, of Monson ; W. H. Gannett, of Augusta ; V. W. 
Macfarlane, of Greenville; E. C. Farrington, A. B. Farn- 
ham,_ of Bangor; G. G. Weld, of Oldtown; Harry R. 
"Virgin, of Portland ; appointed by Governor and Council, 
W. T. Haines, of Waterville. Attorney and General 
Counsel, H. M. Heath, Augusta. 
Herbert W. Rowe. 
High Game. 
Whence originated the theory and practice of allowing 
pronounced decomposition to set in before game is 
thought fit for the table? 
Sonie give the credit to the English and explain as 
follows : In the days of the stage coach the grouse and 
pheasants shipped from the north were days en route, 
packed in hampers, and when unpacked in London were 
invariably found to be of high odor and flavor; in other 
words, tainted. As game reached the market in no other 
condition it was accepted as the proper form in which 
game should be eaten. 
Brillat-Savarin, perhaps the greatest gastronomic 
authority the world has known, in writing of the proper 
condition of food, says: "* * * Others when' they 
begin to decompose, such as snipe, woodcock, and pheas- 
ant." 
Decomposition as related to food, I presume, must be 
accepted as a matter of degree. Decomposition may be 
broadly defined as a change from one condition to 
another. 
Presumably with the cessation of life decomposition or 
change at once begins; this applying to vegetable and 
animal food. 
The .Englishman has his mutton "hung" until it "ten- 
ders.'' They tell a story of Frank Forrester, who was ?.n 
Englishman,_ when living in New Jersey, how he secured 
mutton to his liking and at a low price. He would order 
a. leg of mutton "hung" one side for him and kept until 
called for. Days would go by and the mutton would 're- 
main uncalled for. To the butcher's ordinary trade it was 
unsalable, but about the time the butcher in despair would 
decide on throwing it in the scrap barrel someone wanting 
some cheap meat and not over particular would come in, 
and of course the butcher would be glad to sell it at a re- 
duced price. The customer was said to be an obliging 
friend of Forrester's. If this story were true, Forrester 
must have either eaten mutton sparingly, or he must have 
had a large circle of butchers to draw from. 
Dickens speaks of the ceiling of a butcher's shop hung 
with mutton "like a grove." 
When first married and living in London, my wife and 
self attended a dinner at an English barrister's. There 
were but four of us at the table, the host and his wife 
besides ourselves. When the game course was served a 
roasted pheasant was placed in front of the host and a 
roasted teal duck was set before me. 
The duck was nicely cooked and tastefully garnished, 
and withal_ was a tempting morsel. Before carving the 
bird, I noticed a decided greenish hue of the skin cover- 
ing the umbilical region of the duck. But I went bravely 
to the task, and as I carved an odor went up that not 
only cried to my nostrils, but also, I thought, to the very 
heavens. It was a nauseating and trying ordeal. I 
served my wife a portion and myself in turn, and only by 
dexterous playing with our knives and forks, and, as soon 
as decency would permit, a paralleling of our knives and 
forks upon our plates (which notice the servant under- 
stood), did removal bring relief. Yet the pheasant was 
just as gamy as the teal, and was freely partaken of by 
our host and hostess. - ' 
We might go a step or two further and refer to the 
cheeses. There are those who stop at a fresh American 
cheese; others who enjoy Roquefort, and then draw the 
line, and so on down the line until Limburger is reached. 
Now, I have no love for Limburger, for I remember, how 
it nearly spoiled a day's duck shooting for me because 
some of the party would eat it for lunch, and were foolish 
enough to throw the emptied tin (it was imported Lim- 
burger in a tin— the genuine article "made in Germany") 
—on the ground beyond our blind.' The ducks coming 
up wind scented it and veered hundreds of yards to the 
right and left and- rocketed over our heads. The burial 
of the tin alone restored the atmosphere to normal con- 
ditions, and good shooting was had once more. 
But as to game, high or low, mutton, cheese, and other 
things, it is a matter of taste and de gtistibus non dis- 
putandum. Charles Cristadoro. 
New Yoffc Legfislation, 
special Correspondence Forest and Stream. 
Albany, Jan. 9.— There is promise this winter of con- 
siderable legislation relating to fish and game interests. 
Although but one day of the session has yet been held, 
a number of game bills have already been introduced and 
others are looked for as soon as the Legislature recon- 
venes. Those thus far offered emanate from Senator 
Townsend, of Oneida, and in, brief provide as follows: 
Prohibiting the killing of black bear in June, July, 
August, and September. 
Providing that a person who violates the game law 
relative to non-resident hunters shall forfeit his license, 
and in addition thereto shall be fined fifty dollars. 
Providing for the licensing of non-resident hunters to 
hunt , deer in this State. , 
Making the close season for wild deer from November 
I to. August 31. 
The Senate Committee, on Forest, Fish, and Game will 
probably be continued as it was a year ago — Senators E. 
R. Brown, Of JefJerson ; Armstrong of Monroe,. Allds of 
Chenango, Lefevre of Ulster, W. L. Brown of OtsegO, 
Townsend of Oneida, and Keenan of Queens. 
The_ composition of the Assembly Committee on For- 
est,. Fish, and Game, which , is not a. hold-over body like 
the .Senate committee, has^ yet to be madeL public' by 
Speaker Nixon. " . , " ' ' ' ' 
New York's Forests. 
From Governor OdelVs Message. . . 
Cornell School of Forestry. 
By chapter 122 of the laws of 1898 the State purchased 
townships 23 and 26 in the county of Franklin, and 
Cornell University thereupon took title and undertook 
practical demonstration and instruction in the School of 
Forestry. Its operations had for their object the substi- 
tution for so-called worthless timber valuable growths', 
but this has resulted in the practical destruction of all 
trees upon the lands where the experiment was in prc^ 
gress. No compensating benefit seems possible to the 
present generation. The preservation of the forests i? 
primarily for the protection of the water supply, and this 
is not possible through the denudation of the lands. 
Therefore, this school failed of its object, as under- 
stood by its founders, a failure which was not due, how- 
ever, to the work of the university, which followe.l <^'.!t 
the letter and spirit of the law. The report of th .- -c.;:- 
mittee of the Assembly at the last session of the . ■^■^^^>- 
•lature, and the knowledge of the disapproval of many 
of our citizens, led me to veto the item for its support in 
the appropriation bill of 1903. The question, therefore, is 
before you, and to the Legislature we must accordingly 
look for such action as will properly protect all inter- 
ests. Cornell University undertook this work at 
the request of the State, and as such was its 
agent. Jn so doing it has made contracts for which 
is is primarily responsible, but which responsibility as 
the agent of the commonwealth it should not be 
called upon to assume. Neither should the school it 
founded be discontinued, because with the lapse of years 
a proper understanding of scientific forestry will become 
m.ore and more a necessity. This is particularly true of 
farm forestry, which will form an important part in the 
future of agriculture within the State. That our people 
do not desire, however, that public lands shall be denuded 
is beyond question. It would seem, therefore, desirable 
that immediate legislation be had" to recover to the State 
this property, of which there is about 30,000 acres, and 
for the payment into the treasury of the unexpended por- 
tion of the capital fund advanced by the State. Permis- 
sion should be given to clear up and remove all cut tim- 
ber and wood by the university, so that the danger of fire 
may be lessened. The contracts made between Cornell 
and the Brooklyn Cooperage Company might be left with 
the executive for adjustment, and failing in this, either 
to the Court of Claims, if the State is to be the party de- 
fendant, or to the Supreme Court if Cornell should be 
the responsible defendant. In neither case, however, 
should any burden be placed upon the university. 
Forest Preserve, 
The purchase of land in the Adirondacks and Catskills 
by the State was discontinued two years ago, because of 
the belief that some comprehensive plan should be formu- 
lated for the continued acquirement of property and for 
avoiding the constant increased price of land which fol- 
lowed each appropriation. A committee appointed in ac- 
cordance: with the recommendation made in my last an- 
nual message has investigated this subject, and will doubt- 
less report some method of arriving at. the. desired re- 
sults. It would seem to me that in every private camp, 
since it is the object of the State "to protect the water 
supply, that at least the timber rights should be secured 
either tlirough purchase or condemnation, and that all 
other lands should be acquired in full. There are in 
private reserves 705,914 acres, and in other holdings 
1,356,816 acres. Much of this land has been lumbered 
over. Much has been burned and destroyed. In both 
cases replanting and protection should begin at once. The 
i.umerous forest fires, causing great destruction, call for 
greater vigilance upon the part of the State. Restrictive 
laws and additional means for properly patrolling those 
points where danger exists should be provided. The 
many disputes, with consequent litigation as to ownership, 
it seems to me, call for a comprehensive plan to prevent 
the acquirement of lands by people who rely upon vague 
titles for possession. It is of the greatest importance that 
the State should eventually own every acre of land within 
the preserve. Some action, therefore, should be imme- 
diately taken to acquire quasi possession at least, and thu.=? 
prevent speculation in that which it is the policy of the 
State to own. The recent fires have left dangerous debris 
which should be removed. To. sell it is beyond the power 
of the State, but to clear up burned over tracts is neces- 
sary for replanting. If a constitutional amendment is re- 
quired to accomplish this end, it should be undertaken at 
once. 
Nova Scotia Moose. 
South Brookfield, Nova Scotia, January 4. — Editor 
Forest and Stream: Our successful hunter, trapper, and 
guide, James B. McLeod, has spent a large portion of his 
time in the woods for the last ten winters. He has been 
very successful in getting game with all who have called 
on him to act as their guide, also on his o-wn account. 
His record for the past four years is : For 1900, 100 wild- 
cats and 75 foxes; 1901, 85 wildcats, 38 foxes, and. ^9 
bears; 1902, 36 wildcats, 16 foxes, and 2 bears ; 196;^ I •? 
wildcats, 2 foxes,_and 13 mink to date, January- i. iQai 
He has also got his quota of two moose each year fc r. I'ift 
last ten years. 
Since writing you last on November 4 I have to report 
a great many moose killed,- and some of them very large. 
About twenty killed near here in the past . two vveeks. 
Some of the parties were only a few hours from home 
before they got their game, and. I am pretty sure hardly 
anyone was more than one day gone. Bears took the hint 
that it was better to leave this section, and there have 
been few trapped or shot. Our American friends have 
had very good luck in general. Mr. Wm. G. Miller, of 
West Medway, Mass., takes home a fine head and antlers. 
Moose have been very plentiful this season, and it is quite 
evident that they are increasing in number. 
' .'.' George Seaman. 
All communications for Forest and- Stireau must. , be 
directed to Forest and Stream., Pub. Co., New - York, tq 
receive attention. We.hmje no other, office,; , " 
