August, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM! 
409 
killed commercial fish in a private pond which drew 
its water from the stream. The courts are reported 
to have stopped this. 
Is it not really time for the public to manifest 
some interest in this matter of stream pollution, and 
really to take hold of it? Not merely to take hold 
of it and then to let go again ; but to take hold of it 
and keep its hold. 
ROOSEVELT EXPERIMENT STATION 
^HE establishment at Syracuse University of the 
^ Roosevelt Wild Life Forest Experiment Station 
marks the first active step in a movement much- 
talked about recently, and likely to go far in the 
United States. 
Three years ago the authorities of the New York 
State College of Forestry submitted to Colonel 
Theodore Roosevelt plans for an inquiry into the 
wild life of the New York forests and received the 
promise of Mr. Roosevelt’s hearty support and that 
of a number of his friends and associates. 
The area of forest land and fresh water in New 
York State almost equals that of the areable land, 
and it may readily be conceived that the life of these 
forests and of this water is of great value and that 
its conservation and care offer problems of economic 
importance. Moreover, this wild life furnishes one 
of the main sources of income which pays for con- 
servation* in the state. The work of the Roosevelt 
Experiment Station will thus consist of experiment, 
investigation and general research into the wild life 
which occupies millions of acres of land and water. 
The law provides that it shall have laboratories and 
a library open to the public and shall issue publi- 
cations. 
Besides the work of investigating, caring for and 
propagating the fish, birds and mammals of this 
great area, the station will train those students in- 
terested in any of these subjects who may wish to 
become technical forest naturalists or foresters in- 
terested in the development and management of fish 
and game under wild conditions. The work that 
such an experiment station may do is almost limit- 
less and its possibilities are as yet quite beyond the 
range of our imagination. 
For some years work of this character has been 
urged upon the Interior Department and in a ten- 
tative way has even been undertaken by the Na- 
tional Parks Service. The recently organized Na- 
tional Park Association — a private organization — 
purposes to do work of this general character. 
The establishment of the Roosevelt station is due 
largely to the enthusiasm of Dr. Charles C. Adams, 
who has been greatly helped by Dr. Lewis Ruther- 
furd Morris, whose admirable work in connection 
with the establishment of the New York State Police 
is so well known. 
VICTORIA FISHERIES ASSOCIATION 
"THE good work of the Victoria Fisheries Protec- 
tive Association was noted last year in FOREST 
AND Stream. The year 1918 was mainly devoted 
to an attempt to increase, by natural and artificial 
propagation, the number of trout and salmon in the 
streams of Cape Breton. 
Mr. George Kennan, the Secretary of the Associa- 
tion, has again reported on the work. 
In the fall of last year it was suggested to Inspec- 
tor McLeod that one brook on every large river in 
the Island be set ap,art as a spawning place, fish 
refuge, and natural hatchery for trout and salmon. 
and that such reserved brooks be closed to anglers 
all the year round under the provisions of Section 
59 of the Fisheries Act of 1914. This suggestion 
met the approval of the Inspector, who joined the 
Association in a report to the Department, recom- 
mending that this action be taken. The Deputy 
Minister approved the scheme and directed that 
sketch maps of the selected brooks be made and sub- 
mitted to him, together with further information 
concerning their suitability. Such information has 
since been gathered and transmitted, and it is hoped 
that the plan will be put in operation this year. 
The Association is convinced that the distribution 
of trout and salmon fry from the Margaree hatchery 
has not produced results commensurate with their 
cost. Thirty million fry or more have been put into 
the streams in the last ten years, but nearly all of 
them, apparently, have perished before reaching 
maturity. Artificial culture, so far as can be judged, 
has played little part in the increase of the stock. 
It is believed that the excessive mortality of fry 
in these waters is mainly the result of faulty methods 
of distribution. Attention enough has not been paid 
to the important work of planting. Fry have been 
put into the water in too large lots — 25,000 or more 
in one place at one time — and have been distributed 
in localities where food is comparatively scarce while 
enemies are very numerous. If only three or four 
fry out of every thousand survive to maturity and 
return to their parent rivers to spawn, the stock will 
be steadily increased, year by year, and it ought to be 
possible to save that small number by scattering 
them in places where the conditions of life will favor 
them during the early stages of their existence. If 
they live to become fingerlings their chances of sur- 
vival to maturity are increased ten-fold. 
CONNECTICUT PROTECTS HER GROUSE 
^ ONNECTICUT breaks a lance in the cause of 
real game Conservation by an act establishing a 
close season for Partridges or Ruffed Grouse which 
reads : 
“No person shall hunt, take, kill, or attempt to kill 
any partridge, ruffed grouse or female pheasant 
prior to October 8, 1920.” 
While this is somewhat in the way of a com- 
promise, still it means two undisturbed breeding 
seasons, which will go a long way toward restocking 
Connecticut covers with this fast disappearing bird. 
THE GULF RANGERS VINDICATED 
jWI R. LARNED’S interesting story of “The Gulf 
Rangers” ends in this number. He has faith- 
fully recorded the explorations and adventures of 
the King party in the little known Everglade region 
of Florida. Their tireless endeavor to trace and to 
gain information concerning the illicit and nefarious 
practices of the egret hunters has been highly suc- 
cessful and they have brought to light and exposed 
to the authorities much valuable data. It so stim- 
ulated the actions of the Florida game wardens 
that many culprits have since been apprehended and 
a number of important arrests made. This in itself 
is a most creditable achievement. For years these 
beautiful and helpless birds have been preyed unon 
and slaughtered, as Mr. Lamed has so well described 
in his story, and it is a great source of satisfaction 
to Forest and Stream to know that the publicity 
given in its pages to this outlawry has in so large a 
measure contributed towards its ultimate extinction. 
