March ii, 1905.]! 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
195 
for actual services. A license of $1 is required for all 
hunters who hunt outside of their own counties, and a 
i!on-re_sident license of $15 is also provided for. : The 
sale of game is absolutely prohibited. The wardens will 
have power to arrest without warrant, and also have 
authority to search for illegal game. Netting for fish in 
the interior waters of the State is prohibited, and a size 
limit is placed upon fish which may be taken or sold. 
Missouri now takes her proper place among her sister 
States in the protection of the wild life of her fields, 
forests and streams. In the State Senate the bill was 
ably handled by Senator Ely, and to Representative 
Walmsley and Senator Ely the thanks of the Audubon 
Society of this State are due, as well as members of 
Audubon Societies throughout the United States. I think 
it is safe to assert that Missouri now has the most com- 
plete game law of any State in the Union. 
P. H. Felker, 
Vice-President Audubon Society of Missouri. 
St. Louis, March 4. 
All communications for Forest and Stream, must he 
directed to Forest and Stream Pub. Co., New York, to 
receive attention. We have no other office. 
Hawk and QuaiL 
^_New York, March 4.— Editor Forest and Stream: 
Smce writing you last week about foxes killing quail, 
we have found another enemy which is as bad as the fox, 
if not worse. That is the hawk. We had put out six 
quail in the scrub oaks' next to an old corn lot near the 
house, where we knew the foxes seldom came, as our 
kennel is near and there are always a few dogs about. 
Some of the corn still stood in the shock. 
We had given these birds very little attention, as we 
knew they had plenty of food, and so gave our attention 
more to the care of the quail further away. Last week 
we thought we would look them up. What was our sur- 
prise to find only two birds left. We hunted high and 
low for the other four, but could not trace them, until 
our friend Will got near the shock of corn nearest the 
feeding place of the quail ; there he found a few feathers. 
"In searching further we traced the feathers to the top of 
the shock of corn, then we found bunches of them, and 
saw where a hawk or some bird had eaten them. We at 
once sent the boy home for an ax and small steel trap, 
and cut a pole about ten feet long and four inches wide 
on top. We then drove the pole down through the center 
of the corn shock, and fastened and set the trap on top. 
The next morning we went back to the lot to 'see what 
was doing, and found a large hawk in the trap with both 
feet. A charge of shot soon put him where he would 
harm no more quail. We now intend to erect poles and 
traps all over our preserves, and I am confident we will 
save a good percentage of our birds, as we are sure this 
hawk killed four out of that covey in a few weeks. 
This all goes to show how many enemies this little 
game bird has to contend with. But I consider our club 
quite fortunate in this, that with all the hard winter and 
everything combined we have saved 80 per cent, of our 
birds. We must give great thanks to the farmers from 
whom we lease the grounds. Every one of them has been 
feeding and doing their best for the quail. It seems they 
all want quail on their fields, although most of them never 
shoot a gun. They claim they are a great help to their 
crops, as they kill off the bugs and other insects, and most 
of them say they are lonesome unless they hear Bob 
White whistle during the summer. A few farmers would 
not let out their fields to us unless we promised to stock 
them with quail. 
It is hard for one or two men to take care of many 
birds during winter, and unless they can get help from 
the farmers they cannot make much of a success of it. 
As I said before, we owe them great thanks, as they used 
their own time and food, never asking anything in return, 
just for love of the dear little gamy quail. G. E J. 
The Anglers' Casting Tournament. 
Held in Madison Square Garden, New York City, in 
Ginaection with the Motorfaoat and Sportsmen's 
Show, Febuacy 21 to March 9, Inclusive. 
{Continued from page 178.) 
The tournament still holds the attention of a large 
number of fly and bait-casters and anglers, and promises 
to be one long to be remembered, as there is a daily 
increase in interest. This is particularly true of the 
bait-casting events, which have been hotly contested 
and closely watched. The most notable performance 
so far was that of R. C. Leonard, on Wednesday night, 
when he cast a half-ounce rubber frog 143 feet 7 inches 
and won event No. 44, breaking the Garden record. 
The results up to and including Monday night of this 
week follow, the figures having been taken from the 
official records: 
Event II, Tuesday Afternoon, Feb. 28. 
An open contest without limit on weight of rod or 
length of leader, but cast with fly rods and trout flies. 
Thirty feet down the tank from the platform a bar was 
placed 6 feet above the water level, on posts 10 feet 
apart, and all casts had to be made under this obstacle 
to count. E. J. Mills won the gold medal with a cast 
6 inches longer than his nearest competitor, L. S. 
Darling, while W. H. Hammett got the bronze medal 
for third place. The judges were H. B. Leckler and C. 
G. Levison, while R. H. Klotz was the referee. Dis- 
tance alone counting, the scores made were as follows: 
Ft. In. Ft. In. 
E. J. Mills 65 06 H. G. Henderson, Sr 52 00 
L. S. Darling 65 00 Harold De Raasloff 49 00 
W. H. Hammett 59 10 
Event 12, Tuesday Night. 
Black bass fly-casting, distance only, open to all save 
those who had records of 85 feet or further in similar 
events. No. 4 hooks were used, but there were no re- 
strictions on weight of rod or length of leader. J. D. 
Smith and Arthur C. Mills were the judges, while 
Milton H. Smith was referee. The scores: 
Ft. In. Ft. In. 
King Smith 82 00 W. H. Hammett 76 06 
D. T. Abercrombie 77 00 Harold De Raasloff 58 00 
Evgnt 13, Wednesday Afternoon, March I. 
An open contest with half-ounce rubber frog, dis- 
tance only to count, with no limit on method of casting 
save that casts could not be made from the reel, and 
that the frog must touch the water on the back cast 
and must be raised therefrom for each forward cast; 
in other words. Greenwood Lake style. After the con- 
testant announced his readiness to begin, he was allowed 
five minutes to score. For the benefit of readers un- 
familiar with this style of casting a frog it should be 
explained that it is totally unlike any other style of bait- 
casting, for heavy bass or salmon fly rods were used, 
and only one contestant had a reel on his rod, the rest 
using large wood salt-water reels placed at one side 
of the platform after some 40 yards of line had first 
been coiled at their feet. These lines were all heavy 
enameled ones, and the rods were quite stiff and very 
powerful in lifting them from the water at the rear 
before the forward cast was made. Instead of casting 
the bait in the same manner as with bass flies, in 
which the fly (or spinner) is permitted to strike the 
water as far to the rear as possible, in order to gain 
force in shooting the line forward after it is raised from 
the water at the rear, .the line was pulled in with the 
left hand, leaving only 10 or 12 yards off the rod. The 
frog was then dropped some 30 feet to the rear, in the 
tank, then shot forward with a powerful swing of the 
rod, and so on throughout each inning. Mr. Marsh, 
who was first to cast, lost several feet on one cast by 
his line snarling. It being a heavy enameled one and 
having been on a reel a long time, it was almost as un- 
wieldy as so many feet of copper wire off the spool, 
and the frog, which was high up and moving fast, 
stopped in mid-air and dropped to the water some 40 
feet away, whereas it seemed good for 100 feet until 
the unfortunate accident that stopped it short. Mr. 
Brandreth, using a two-piece 12-foot split bamboo 
salmon fly-rod, faced half-round to the left and swung 
his_ frog overhead with beautiful accuracy, the frog 
striking squarely in the center of the tank at the far 
end on his longest cast, which would have been good 
for 2 or 3 feet further had it not landed on the end of 
the tank and fell back an inch, giving him first place 
with 99 feet 9 inches. Mr. Darling won the silver medal 
with 96 feet 6 inches, while Mr. Marsh was third. G. 
M. L. LaBranche and W. D. Cloyes were the judges, 
R. H. Klotz, referee. The score: 
T> J , Ft. In. Ft. In. 
p. Brandreth 99 09 A. J. Marsh 69 06 
L. S. Darling 96 06 D. T. Abercrombie 60 06 
Event 14, Wednesday Night, March I. 
During the afternoon Reuben Leonard, the famous 
split bamboo rodmaker, of Central Valley, N. Y., to- 
gether with his fellow-townsman, Hiram Hawes, was 
watching the game and practicing bait-casting now and 
then in company with a number of others who stood in 
need of practice at this uncertain game. He was using 
a rod which, in view of the seeming faith in abnormally 
large ring guides placed 2 to 3 feet apart, and equally 
large agate tops, seemed wofully old-fashioned. The 
writer, who had listened to so many theories relative 
to immense and few guides that he had begun to feel 
uncertain about the position he was in on the subject, 
asked Mr. Leonard what his theories were on the sub- 
ject, and got some information which, in the light of 
subsequent events, had without doubt been arrived at 
only after long experience with rods, guides and lines 
of every sort. This rod is a six-strip split bamboo 
bait-casting rod, weighing about 5^ or 6 ounces, in 
three joints, with a solid metal reel-seat about §^-inch 
in diameter. It is 5 feet 6 inches in length, and almost 
as stiff as a whole cane walking stick. The most re- 
markable thing is that it has six agate guides and an 
agate top placed at an angle to the plane of the tip. 
The first three of these guides have openings almost, 
if not quite, J^-inch in diameter, but the three near 
the top have openings not more than 1-16 inch, or barely 
large enough for the thin line to run through them. 
All the guide centers are at least y^-'mch. above the rod. 
Mr. Leonard asserted that a wet line would stick less 
to the six agate guides and agate top than it would in 
dragging across the windings on the tip of the rod, and 
that the numerous guides were therefore an advantage, 
as they held the line out of contact with the rod but 
guided it straight through the guides, which were amply 
large for the purpose. One thing more. Mr. Leonard 
is unusually tall and very powerful, with a wrist which, 
through constant practice, is as hard as iron. He casts 
the bait with high velocity and an unusually flat tra- 
jectory, and in .this differs from many other casters, who 
depend on a high curve and a comparatively slow-mov- 
ing frog to attain distance. In this, two casters sent 
their frogs over the decorations far up in the dome of 
the garden, a thing which seemed utterly impossible 
until one saw the frog hanging from the wires; and 
another one knocked a light out of the great chandelier. 
As a matter of fact, it was not possible for one to locate 
his frog after some 50 feet of line was out, and back- 
lashing was not uncommon in consequence during the 
evening. Mr. Leonard used a very small reel and a 
fine line. The event was open, distance only to count, 
with half-ounce rubber frogs, which must be cast from 
the reel. Each man was allowed three preliminary and 
five record casts, the longest one to count. The judges 
were H. G. Henderson, Sr., and Robert Lefferts, while 
the referee was Milton H. Smith. Several ladies were 
present, and among others noticed were Robert B 
Lawrence, Harold Henderson, Jr., Charles Stepathi 
Lody Smith, Thomas B. and Arthur C. Mills, and 
numerous other anglers. If some of the other events 
had been rather tame, this one furnished enough excite- 
ment to make up for them, for Garden records went 
kiting when Reuben Leonard extended his long right 
arm and longer silk line. C; G. Levison led off with 
103 feet. _ He used the rod rnentioned heretofore and a 
fine special Kingfisher line. He was followed by G. M 
L. LaBranche with a 6-foot bethabara rod made by 
Perry D. Frazer. This rod has an agate and two two- 
ring German silver guides and an agate top, all with 
J4-inch openings. The reel was a metal take-apart, one 
of 60-yard capacity. His line was a No. 53 Natchaug, 
very fine. His best cast was 90 feet 6 inches, followed 
with 83 feet 4 inches. Hiram W. Hawes was third to 
cast. His best was 114 feet 3 inches, and another cast 
measured iii feet 6 inches. Eddie Mills, using a 
Leonard rod with large agate guides, cast 114 and 124 
feet 3 inches. L. S. Darling followed with 90 feet 
4 inches, 98 feet 4 inches, and 99 feet 9 inches. Then 
Mr. Leonard took the platform and limbered up with 
114 feet 2 inches, and as that would only tie third man, 
tried again and was given 131 feet 9 inches. Sensation. 
The Garden record was something like 125 feet, made 
by Mr. Levison another year. Everybody was growing 
excited, but the next cast was made before the loca- 
tion of the frog could be determined, and by that time 
Mr. Leonard had taken up some three or four feet of 
line. The measurement gave him 138 feet for the cast. 
Then followed his fifth and last trial, the frog going 
far over the end of the tank, which is 130 feet long, and 
on to the stairs of the bridge over the lake at that end 
of the Garden. The first measurement gave him 152 
feet 6 inches, but this was amended by the committee, 
which finally announced that the figures should be 143 
feet 7 inches, and this is the Garden record — not with 
a weight, but with a soft rubber frog weighing one-half 
ounce, and a much more difficult thing to cast than is 
so much solid rubber. But if the successful contestant 
was elated over his wonderful work, it did not show 
in his face or speech, and no one was more serene than 
Reuben Leonard. The other contestants were almost 
forgotten, although C. M. Lucky made a good showing 
and C. R. Woodward, using a steel rod and a rubber 
reel, gave promise of greater things in the future, he 
being somewhat new at the game. The score: 
Ft. In. Ft In 
R- Leonard .143 07 C. G. Levison lOs' OO' 
E. J. Mills...... 124 03 L. S. Darling 99 09 
Hiram W. Hawes 114 02 G. M. L. La Branche.. 90 06 
^- ^N,?'"^}'^^- ; '^'^ ^ T. Abercrombie... Withdrew 
C. R. Woodward 106 00 
Event 15, Thursday Afternoon, March 2. 
This event was open to all without any restrictions, 
but was for trout fly-casting for accuracy only. Thirty 
feet from the casting platform and at the side of the 
tank there was a target with marks counting 10. 9, 8, 
etc., out to 5. Over it hung a bush, and the contestant 
had to use nice judgment in order to score on the tar- 
get without fouling the obstacle. A contestant was 
allowed five trial casts unless he signified his readiness 
to score, after which his next five casts were scored, 
10 being perfect, and so on. There were ties for both 
first and third place, and these were afterward cast off, 
D. Brandreth taking the gold medal; L. S. Darling, the 
f^J/ei; one, and G. M. L. LaBranche, the bronze medal. 
W. H Cruickshank and R. H. Klotz judged the event, 
with F. L. Metcalfe as referee. The score: 
D. Brandreth 5 6 6 7 5 ^°29'- 
La Branche 8 3 9 7 0 29 
h °- f'P/th 3 3 6 9 6 27 
i- I; Mills., 5 5 3 0 7 20 
D. T. Abercrombie 0 7 3 3 3 16 
H. G. Henderson, Sr...... 3 3 3 3 3 15 
Cast-off, first: 
Brandreth 5 6 6 7 5 33 
Darling 6 5 7 0 5 23 
Second : 
La Branche 3 g 4 g 4 35 
Smith 3 3 3 0 3 12 
Event 16, Thursday Night, March 2. 
An open event to all who had never cast further than' 
80 feet under like conditions, with four-ounce fly-rod 
There were no restrictions on length of leaders and 
distance alone counted. Rods with solid reel-seats 
were given the allowance named in rule 16, as mentioned 
before. L. S. Darling won with 84 feet. The iudg-es 
were Milton H. and J. D. Smith, R. H. Klotz agtin 
acting as referee. The score: 
L. S., Darling ....,,.,,..84 00 King Smith to 7l5^ 
w. D. Cloyes,,,,,,,,..,,,.^ 06 D. f. AbScrombk:::::;:?! 0§ 
Messrs. Parhtjg and Abercrombie used 4%. and the oth«.r« assl,^, 
rods, with solid metal reel-seats. ' 
