188 
April, 1920 
FOREST AND STREAM 
POCKET HOOK PROTECTOR 
I HAVE had trouble in carrying extra 
hooks on my fishing trips. They seem 
to take special joy in sticking into me 
rather than into the cork, where they be- 
long. Last time I cut a small birch 
branch as shown in the drawing. The 
size should be chosen to go with the size 
of the hook. I was using No. 6 hooks 
and the stick was % inch at the base 
C. Cut the branch off from the young 
tree at D longer than the gut of the 
hook. Next cut at X and Y, then put the 
loop of the gut over Y and into the 
crotch. Cut the branch off at C even 
with the barb of the hook. By pulling 
the gut tight the hook may be pushed 
into the end of the stick. This will keep 
the gut straight and protect the point 
and yourself. 
F. T. C., Jr. 
THE FRYING PAN BAKER 
I NITIAL efforts to bake bread, by cov- 
ering the bottom of a well greased 
frying pan with a thin layer of dough, 
holding it over the fire until the bottom 
is browned, and placing the frying pan 
at an angle of forty-fire degrees, close 
to the fire, in order to brown over the 
top by radiant heat, are usually so dis- 
couraging that a second attempt is not 
made. And since the invention of por- 
table camp stoves, this method of mak- 
E are depending upon the 
friends and admirers of our 
old correspondent Nessmuk to make 
this department worthy of his 
name. No man knew the woods 
better than Nessmuk or wrote of 
them with quainter charm. Many 
of his practical ideas on camping 
and “ going light” have been 
adopted by the United States 
Army; his canoe has been pre- 
served in the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion; and we hope that all good 
woodsmen will contribute to this 
department their Hints and Kinks 
and trail-t e s t e d contrivances . — 
[Editors.] 
ing bread — still practised in some sec- 
tions of Idaho and Montana — has become 
almost a lost art. 
The dough should not be mixed in a 
pan. Open the flour sack, and with a 
spoon, make a firm bottomed nest about 
the size of a teacup, and fill it with 
water. Mix a little salt and a suitable 
quantity of baking powder into the 
water. Then carefully stir in flour 
from the edges, not allowing the dough 
to become lumpy or too thick. Most of 
the failures are from having the dough 
too thick. Do not knead the dough. 
Place it in a frying pan which is well 
covered with melted grease, and press it 
down firmly to a thickness of about one 
inch. In holding it over the fire, shake 
it frequently with a gentle rotary mo- 
tion, to prevent it from burning to the 
bottom. Do not turn it over. It is not 
going to be a pancake or even a ban- 
nock, but real bread. As soon as it is 
sufficiently rigid to stand at an angle, 
set it up to the fire, in as near an up- 
right position as the plasticity of the 
dough will permit. The lower edge, near- 
est the fire, will be browned first, and 
the position of the dough should be re- 
versed once or twice to insure uniform- 
ity. Much depends on the nature of the 
fire. Hardwood is preferable to pine or 
spruce, and dry quaking ash is best, 
because it burns rapidly giving out an 
intense radiant heat. 
J. H. Hull, California. 
CLEANING FISHING RODS 
W HILE going over my fishing rod 
and cleaning same for a fishing 
trip, I contemplated using sand paper to 
clean the cork hand grip. Finding that 
we had no sand paper on hand at home, 
Mrs. D. suggested that I try some 
American Steel Wool. The result was 
surprisingly satisfactory. 
I used the grade “O,” as we had it on 
hand for ordinary polishing purposes. 
Not only was the steel wool found ex- 
tremely suitable for polishing the cork 
grip but was all that could be desired 
for brightening and cleaning the sockets, 
or joints of the rod. It was found much 
more satisfactory than sand paper or 
emery paper, which are commonly used 
for such purposes. E. C. D. 
A NATURAL NET HANDLE 
I T is unnecessary to carry a long heavy 
handle to the landing net. Simply 
carry the net and cut the handle wher- 
ever you are fishing. Find a straight 
sapling, an ash is best, as its Hmhs grow 
opposite, not alternate, as with most 
trees. Cut off all but two opposite 
branches of requisite size and strength, 
soaking them if they bend tod hard. Tie 
the tips together making a ring to which 
the net is attached by a piece of fish line 
threaded through the mesh and the rim. 
