.92 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[March li, I90S- 
Peculiar Moose Antlers* 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
During the season of 1904 in New Brunswick I shot a 
moose with such a peculiar set of antlers that I write in 
hope of finding some explanation of what seems to me to 
be a curiosity, and also to place the head on record. The 
moose came quickly to call early in the New Brunswick 
season at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The antlers show a 
spread of a little over inches, and are covered with 
coarse hair over half an inch long, in three distinct colors, 
zvhite, light brown and brown-black. 
The light brown and brown-black hair is arranged in 
alternate irregular bands, from half an inch to three 
inches wide, with a tendency to curvilinear arranfrement, 
which is most oronounced u'^on the anterior aspect of the 
right blade, where the lines run more horizontally than 
they do' upon the left, upon which antler less distinctness 
of the bands and a more perpendicular arrangement is to 
be seen. 
The posterior appearance of the antlers closely resem- 
bles that of the anterior in its general arrangement of 
bands except that there is a little more irregularity seen. 
One prong of the right antler is covered with white hair. 
The upper edges of the blades, instead of bearing prongs, 
merely show a few indentations, are curved and alrnost 
smooth, and are covered with a dense leathery skin with- 
out hair upon it. 
For the spread of antler there is but a relatively small 
blade, and there appears to be an attempt at a reversion to 
and have so modified the velvet that not only a greater 
growth of hair occurred, but that the pigmentation of the 
latter was also affected? Any light upon this subject, or 
reference to a similar case, will be appreciated. 
Morris J. Lewis. 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
Wood as FueL 
From Forestry and Irrigation. 
Having watched for more than three-quarters of a 
century the burning qualities of wood in an open fire, 
I have become somewhat familiar with the peculiarities 
of many species. 
Snapping first attracts our attention. Some woods 
burn quietly, others always snap— some only occasion- 
ally. I do not know what causes snapping. It may be 
the production of an explosive gas, the result of heat 
or combustion, or the liberation of an explosive vapor 
from resinous products in the wood, but neither of these 
theories explain all cases and conditions., 
I will first name some species that I have never 
known to snap and give some of their burning qualities. 
Apple is always a quiet burner and when dry burns 
freely. It leaves an abundant and beautiful white ash, 
which tradition says was used in cooking in place of 
pearlash not many generations ago. 
Pear, quince and shad bush burn in a similar manner, 
but less freely. 
A PECULIAR MOOSE HEAD. 
a more primitive type of antler, as is shown by the d^ep 
groove which passes along the base of both blades, as- if 
there was an attempt to ehminate them. . The right; antler 
shows this peculiarity to' a greater -degree thaii the left, 
and it is more clearly seen .ip the;original. than in the acr 
companying .photograph, which otherwise shows' well the 
conditions above ' dekribed. The ' hair of . the rest of - the' - 
animal showidd no stripes, but was considerably lighter 
than usual, thai of the inside- of the ears being almost 
white, while ' the hindlegs were very light in color. - • ■ ■ 
The head has been beautifully mounted, and - shows 'the - 
peculiarities mentioned - as well as it did during life. - T 
have been unable' to' find anyone, either guide; sportsman; 
or scientist, who has seen- or read of a set of aittlerS; in 
any manner resembling these, whose strange appearance 
must be due to a modification of the ordinary moose 
"velvet," although in no way resembling thisi 
The points of interest appear to be: ' 
1. The long retention of the velvet past the ordinary 
time of shedding. . , ' 
2. The varied coloration of the hair and its unusual.. 
length. ... ,., , J 
3. The arrangement of the colors m zebra-like bands. 
4. The unusual shape of the antlers. 
It is a recognized fact that disease or injury of the 
genitalia causes a long retention of the velvet, and it is 
also the experience in zoological gardens that when the 
operation of castration has to be performed upon any of 
the deer tribe, on account of unusual viciousness of the 
animal, that as a rule the antlers are shed in about three 
weeks,' an<l that the animal the following spring usually 
grows horns, but that both the velvet and the horns are 
permanent. .... 
Unfortunately in this case no mvestigation as to injury 
or disease was made at the time the animal was skinned, 
as the intimate relationship between these two parts was 
not appreciated at the time. _ _ „ , , 
May not some injury or disease, in the direction alluded 
to, late in the animal's life, have altered the development 
of the antlers, and thus account for their strange shape, 
Cherry of , all ^ varieties, peach and plum make fair 
fuel, but are' inferior to apple. I have never known 
them to snap, except one tree of black cherry. _ It is 
reported that the peach is planted in the vicinity of 
. Buenos; Ayres .for use as fuel, as the fastest growing 
-^tree.-'-' / • 
Birch' of all varieties burrrs quietly. Black- birch is 
the best, and will burn well' green. All species of birch 
should be cut and split while green, that the wood may 
season properly. Locust . burns quietly, but slowly, 
;■ resisH-»g.:,the fire and melting away with little blaze, as 
does, also' the, mulberry. . White ash and black ash^ 
,' bu-r.n' .quietly, butUhe; former is the best fuel, especially 
^ for burn 11% green. '^Thc ^vood choppers of charcoal- 
: wood jiave, their own fuel free, per sumably from the ■ 
dead-wood, which is not suitable for charcoal, but make 
free with, any nice, white ash or hickory standing near 
their cabins. In the days of the old ovens, white ash -was : 
the favorite wood for heating them, as it split readily 
and burned freely with an abundant blaze. 
■ Elm, willow, and alder are rather soft, spongy Woods, 
that burn quietly, but are not very lasting, nor do they 
produce very much heat. Hornbeam and blue birch 
I have never known to snap, and are free burning h^d 
woods. Soft maple never snaps, and when dry makes 
a very pleasant still free-burning wood. The tulip-tree 
or white wood, is too valuable for lumber to be con- 
signed to the wood-pile, yet the refuse is easily worked 
up, and is a free-burner, making a quiet fire. 
Spruce, hemlock, fir, cedar, tamarack, and larch al- 
ways snap; if well seasoned and put in a close stove with 
a good draft, as soon as the fire is lighted, they give 
the sound of a pack of exploding fire-crackers, and a 
sensation of warmth before the cold iron is heated 
through. All kinds of pine are liable to_ snap, but the 
sparks from all these soft woods will die before they 
scorch the rug, or singe the floor. 
Chestnut and butternut are lively snappers, and when 
dry burn freely, and, being easily worked up, make 
satisfactory fuel for close stoves. Hickory, the best of 
all woods for fuel, and keeping fire in buried coals.; 
ordinarily burns quietly, but sometimes it throws live,; 
coals viciously across the room. Hard maple, beech" 
and white oak sometimes throw out hard coals from; 
the heart wood. When well seasoned they are littlef 
inferior to hickory in free and enduring burning quali- 
ties. The other oaks rarely, if ever snap, but do not 
burn as freely as the white oak, nor make as firm coals. ■ 
The common poplar, though a soft and spongy wood,' 
will snap, and when made into charcoal has the repu- 
tation of holding fire in the inside of the large pieces,; 
unseen on the outside, and later starting fire in the coal; 
bank or wagon. 
Woods to burn green, are: White ash, hickory, black: 
birch, hard maple, and white oak. They are more en- 
during than when dry and kindle almost as readily.! 
To get the best value of wood, it should be cut and 
split when green and soon housed in a shed or well, 
ventilated wood house, where it will dry without mold- 
ing. White pine allowed to lie with the bark on the: 
logs, or without splitting, will be devoured by worms.' 
during the first summer. They make such a noise in , 
their work that they can be readily heard. 
All wood that is left without working up, suffers from 
worm and incipient decay, mostly in the sap wood. 
Live wood makes better fuel than when it has died 
from fire, or other causes. When the butt cut is sound, 
it will make better charcoal, more weight than the, 
higher cuts, and has relatively the same value as fuel. 
In old timber, the butt has sometimes lost its life and 
substance, and is inferior to the rest of the trunk. In 
most trees, but especially the evergreens, the knots have 
more fuel value than the straight-grained wood. 
In the hickory and paper birch, the outer bark has 
high fuel value, prized for kindlings, otherwise the bark 
and sap would have less value than the heart. Slab 
wood, as usually treated- in the slab pile, makes poor^ 
fuel, but worked up fresh and dried under cover, the- 
bark still adhering, it makes a lively fire. 
Wood grown in the open will give more heat than 
the same variety grown in the forest, and up to ful 
maturity wood improves as a heat producer, but later, 
it diminishes as it does in strength and elasticity. The 
increase of pitch or turpentine in old trees gives them ; 
a fuel value far above that of the soft pine or immature 
growth. 
A few observations on heat may appropriately follow: 
The most vitalizing heat is that of the sun in its direct: 
rays; next is the radiant heat from buring wood or 
coal. The shepherd and the poultryman know that the 
direct rays of the sun have a vivifying effect upon the 
young lamb or chicken, surpassing that derived from 
any other source, excepting perhaps that from the body ; 
of the mother. The heat radiated from a close stove 
or steam, or hot water pipes, may warm the body, but : 
it seems to lack something that is conveyed by the sun's, 
rays. 
An open fire is company, with its brisk flame, and lively 
crackle demanding frequent attention, ungrudgingly 
bestowed by any one who accepts its companionship. 
It whiles away the idle hour between daylight and dark, 
called "candle-lighting" in the old times, when the 
blazing hearth bore the backlog and fore stick with 
high piled lighter wood; with an ample bed of red-hot 
ashes and coals, fit to receive chestnuts or potatoes, to 
season them while you wait with the peculiar flavor that 
those embers alone bestow. 
The open fire is always drawing the family together 
with an unconscious force that no radiator or furnace 
possesses. It gives a silent lesson in good behavior, 
though often enforced in words, "Don't go before the 
fire," "Don't stand before the fire" (that is, before some 
other person). This is a lesson in unselfishness that is 
-the foundation of all good manners. An old friend' 
standing with me before a blazing fire, recently said: 
"An open fire is better than a minister in a family any 
time." .... 
One of the: great; pleasures of the open fire is in 
watching the decaying -embers as the white ash encircles 
. the burning , stick,, or the decaying coal still retaining 
its size and.form to the. last. There is a great difference 
in wood: in this respect, .and. on familiar acquaintance it 
becomes companionship, so that it is hard to conceive 
of lonesomeness in the presence of a lively fire, with' 
a store of wood to replenish it. 
The weight of opinion is largely in favor of dry 
wood, and in, most varieties this is true, yet there are 
some hard facts in -favor of some kinds of green wood; 
or conditions of the fire, that cannot be disputed. 
■ ^ Men who run. engines for sawing lumber use the 
green , slabs . for fuel, and as soon as the fire is well 
started, do not hesitate to feed in the green slabs covered 
■with -snow and ice, claiming that such make the hottest 
fire. ' 
In 'the olden times, with their big fireplaces, green 
hickory brush was highly prized for fuel; piled high in 
the old fireplace, it made a roaring fire, stronger and 
more durable than dry brush. So green hickory wood 
has the preference to-day in many cases. Is there not 
a highly inflammable volatile oil in the hickory bark 
while green, which is lost in drying? So with the black 
birch. What boy would expect to find in the dry birch 
bark that delicate aroma and flavor -which he finds in 
the green bark? That volatile oil is all gone then, and 
the farmer says birch burns the best. 
Where else do we find the odor of woods and fields, 
the odor of spring in more sublimated form than when 
the bursting buds of the birch unite with the fragrance 
of the wild grape in a perfume unsurpassed by the odors 
of Araby? 
Now the old farmer who has watched on his hearth- 
stone the burning of different kinds of woods, as well 
