FOREST AND STREAM 
is a full bibliography. That portion of the work devoted to the 
Ashes has been entirely rewritten and will be especially fu 1. 
A synopsis of the North American Balmonida i has been in- 
serted. Another new feature of the work will be a full series 
of definitions of specific, as well as generic names. We shall 
look forward to receiving this work with great interest. 
m “ 
CRIMES OF THE CROW. 
PomriLU, Pa., April 18, 18TS, 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
In a recent talk with a suburhan farmer on the habits of the crow, 
the following is the opinion delivered by him, which may be of Interest 
to the reade'8 of the Forkst and Strkam at this season of the year : 
o-u not the crow a friend of the farmer ? 
A Think I am reasonably well acquainted with the habits of the 
crow, and I haven't the flrst word to say in his favor, and candidly ex- 
pre*a my opinion that he Is a nn'aauce to the farmer, 
o— Why do yon denounce him? 
A-Because he will destroy the various products of the farm, He 
will carry of all the eggs of poultry that he can Ond, also the eggB 
and young of the InsecUvorons birds. If he does not, why do bluls 
light or chase him away when they are rearing their young, and at no 
other time? That la sumclent proof that he Is an enemy lo them. 
Q-Does he not destroy the grub-worm and other Insect* that Injure 
1 *a— HeVoea no such thing. I admit that he will eat grubs (aa they 
are called) In the spring of the year, because he is compelled by hunger 
owing to the scarc-ty of food. He will not destroy the cut-worms that 
oat the corn off about the time It la coming through the ground, be- 
cause he cm Ond other food that ho prefers, such as eggs and yonng 
birds I have seen him time after time light down behind the mowing 
machine on which I was sitting and pick up a young bird and carry It 
off to feed his yonng, and reiurn In n few minutes In search for more. 
Nearly uvy whole life has been devoted to farming, and I have the flrst 
time yet to Ond the crow taking the w»rms out of the hills of corn. 
But I have seen h'm taking the corn out, perhaps Intending, when he 
starts, to get a worm, bat whether he does or not, he always makes It 
a rule to get the corn. 
q Is the crow-blackbird (os It la commonly called) of similar nature ? 
A— lie should have the same reputation as the crow, for he Is a dea- 
trover of the smaller birds, going to their nests and taking out the 
eggs or young, whichever It happens to be, and eating them. They 
have become so numerous that It Is almost Impossible to get any of the 
early cherries, because, from the flrst time the cherry begins to turn 
red on one side, they begla to eat them, biting the rod side only. They 
also destroy a great amount of corn In the fall before It Is cut up 
Into shocks. It Is not what they eat, but they pick the husk loose from 
the end of the ear, so that tho ear takes water during a storm, and the 
consequenco Is, when yon go to husklQg, yon Ond that tho ears which 
have been picked by these Wrds are blaok at the end, and tho ear Is 
generally mouldy all the way down. Dom Pbdro. 
SALMO FONTIN ALIS IN TEXAS. 
Houston, April 2?, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
Some time since you wrote me, asking If talma } oniinalU was found 
In Texas. I replied that I had never seen It, bat had little doubt of Its 
existence In the Pan Handle region of Texas. Since I wrote you I 
have been perlgrlnaUng considerably, and am still doing so. At Pales- 
tine I met with Dr. H. I. Hunter, a scholarly and accomplished gentle- 
man, who was a Confederate sargeon daring the war, and for some 
time established at Fort Davis. Ue told me that he found aflsh that he 
took lo be !<aJmo /ontinalis quite numerous In the Limpia, and In the 
■ireams north of that they were abundant He had never seen tills 
Ash before, but entertained no doubt at all that it was the trne speckled 
trout. The Limpia flows through a region about 5,000 feet above the 
sea, whose mercury rarely rises sbive seventy-flve, and the creek Itself 
Is as clear as sunlight. I have no doubt the officers at Fort Davis 
would give you information of this 0th. A buffalo hufiter, Just from 
the Pan Handle, told me that he could catch the-speckled trout by the 
wagon load In all the streams of that region— the head waters of the 
Canadian and Red Rivers. *‘ The Qbly difference, ” said he, “ between 
this trout and the tronVVff the North Is that the spots on this one are 
WgRCf-W. bluer.” MaJ. D W. Hinkle, who was with Emory’s Boun- 
dary Commission, and whose acqualmaoce I formed here, sayB the 
buffalo hunter Is abont right. He has been all over the Pan Handle. I 
nm convinced that you are right In your Gazetteer. N . A . T. 
r oadkitul, e^artn wd (garden. 
THIS DEPARTMENT IS EDITED BY V. J. DAVIDSON, SEO. N. Y. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
SYNOPSIS OF A LTCWHE ON PRUNING 
AND TRAINING FRUIT 1 REES. 
Animals Received at Central Park Menagerie for Week End- 
ing April 20.— One ycllow-faced amazon, Chrysolis xanthops, present- 
ed by Mrs. Richard P. Dana, N. Y. City ; one horned owl. Bubo Virgi- 
nian, u, presented by Mr. William A. Day, N. Y. City ; two wild geese, 
Bernicla canadensis, presented by Mr. John Sutherland, N. Y. City ; one 
giraffe, Camciopardaht girojTa ; two angora gouts, Capra hircus. 
W. A. Conklin, Director, 
f arrivals at tub Pdiladelphia Zoological Garden for Week 
Ending April 24,-One gray fox, Vxdpes virginianus. presented; three 
alligators, A . mitsissippiensit, presented ; two horned toads, V cornuta, 
presented; one catbird, Mimxis tarolinensU, presented; one robin, 
Turdu* migrator,, u,, presented ; one opossum, D. virginianus, present- 
ed ; one kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon, presented ; one pted-bllled grebe, 
Podtiymbus poiicop», purchased. Arthur E. Brown, Gen’l Bnp't. 
—Anglers will notice that Moosehead Lake Is now available for 
troutlng.— [Adp. 
—Why Increase yonr sporting expenses by using paper shells when 
the objections to the use of metal sheila Is entirely removed by the use 
of Ronun's Metal Shell Cleaner ?— adv. 
McBRIDE FLIES. 
Every fly that was loft for eale with W. Holberton, of the Sportsmen's 
Emporium, 1 removed frem his store. He has no McBride flies as ha 
wlccrtises. S one art sold to the trade, S. J. McBriDB. 
169 Broad, cay, Y. City. 
To* Boston Boats.— The Fall River Line of Boston steam- 
ers have issued a very pretty little vignette, on which is an 
excellent likeness in colors of one of their world-renowned 
palatial steamers, and announcing the reappearance of the 
Bristol and Providence upon the route for the summer sea- 
son. The rates of fare will remain at the extremely low 
figures of the past, $3 either way and $5 for an excursion 
trip, music by Hall's famous band thrown in. 
Given by Mr. A. Boilkau at the March Meeting of the 
New York Horticultural Sooibty. 
W E believe the following will be instructive and useful 
to those interested in the cultivation of fruit trees, 
as Mr. Boileati says the art of training them is but little 
known in this country, and certainly one would have to go 
far to find such trees as he has in his city garden, and 
we doubt much if there is another garden in tho States 
where there is so much taste displayed in the training 
of the different forms of apple and pear trees, showing 
fully the advantage of such treatment for ornament, as 
well as for the abundant production of choice fruits, be- 
cause trees treated as he manages them cannot fail to pro- 
duce liberally every season. For the formation of the pyra- 
midal pear tree, he said every year the leader must never be 
pruned longer nor shorter than from fourteen to fifteen inches, 
with care that it should be so pruned that the cut of this year 
should leave the eye opposed to that of the previous season; 
fur instance, if last year it was pruned with the eye facing the 
south, it should be left facing the north this year. This is to 
keep the stem straight, and each year never to have more nor 
less than five branches on the leader of the tree. If more grow 
they should be cut off, and if there are less an incision should 
be made above the eyes that are wished to be developed, l ms 
operation will stop the flow of the sap at that point an< J 
the eyes to start and grow vigorously, care being taken to have 
the five new branches interposed between the five branches ol 
of the previous year. This is done so as to give space between 
the branches, to allow the air to circulate freely into tbe in- 
terior of the tree. This is very easy to understand, as any 
one can see on the few specimens he has on his place. i ou 
can see where the leader was pruned every year, one year on 
one side, the following on the other, and so on to the top or 
the stem, which is about ten feet high, with about eight series 
of branches, five in each, and all interposed between each 
other. The effect is beautiful and ought to be seen by every one 
who has a few fruit trees on his place, so that he might acquire 
the knowledge to treat them for the advantages of ornament 
and choice production as above. These stem branches (if we 
may so call them) he terms “ frame branches, and they are 
trained obliquely from- the stem of the tree so that they should 
not he s i near each other. The branches growing on these 
are named laterals, and on the good treatment of these de- 
pends the success of the crop of fruit. To cause the forma- 
tion of fruit buds they should receive the following treatment: 
In June, when the young laterals are about 9even or eight 
inches long, they should all be pinched back to the fifth or 
sixth leap from their base, aDd at the end of August or begin- 
ning of September again pinched about an inch above.the first, 
the result of this second stopping being that at that season o£ 
the year when the flow of the sap has nearly stopped, the dor- 
mant eyes between the first and second pinching do not re- 
ceive sap enough to develop themselves into branches, but 
swell and form spurs, which are the formation of fruit buds; 
and further, tho sap that would flow into the useless branches 
should they not be removed goes into the fruit, causing them 
to grow much larger, at the same time allowing the air to circu- 
late more freely through the tree, and the sun to shine on the 
fruit, giving them more flavor and color; whereas if there was no 
pinching done in summer, the fruit would be less in number, 
smaller ; and, being constantly shaded, would have no color 
and but little flavor, and at pruning time much redundant 
wood would have to be cut away, and in consequence there 
would he very few fruit buds on the laterals. For the forma- 
tion of espaliers, he said that when the tree has been planted 
one year and has well-established roots, as with the pyramidal 
or any other form, the young tree can he pruned back with 
certain success of fine and vigorous development. It ought 
to he cut about eight or ten inches from the ground, on the 
one eye which faces you, and which will of course form the 
leader ; and just below select two eyes opposed to each other, 
one on the right and the other on the left ; these two branches 
are to form the base, and should be trained obliquely so as to 
allow them to grow vigorously, and in July, when the leader 
is strong enough, cut it back always on the eye facing you, at 
about one foot from its base, cate beiDg taken to select two 
eyes for the formation of the second series of branches that 
should correspond with the two of the base. For instance, if, 
on the first year of pruning, the branch you obtained on the 
right side of the tree is obove that on the left side, it must 
always follow in the same manner afterward to establish regu- 
larity, and when the trees are vigorous two series of branches 
can be had every season, one at pruning time and one in sum- 
mer, as can be seen on the specimen trees in his place. 
Mr. Boileau has promised us to say something further as to 
his methods of training the more fancy forms, such as his 
fountain vase and crinoline shapes, and also about grape vines, 
which he recommends not to he pruned long, as most people 
do, and also never to be trained vertically, but to prune the 
youDg shoots when about thirty inches long, and train them 
horizontally so that all the eyes on the young shoots may be 
developed. The cultivation of the grape vine is so interesting 
to most people that he has promised us a special article on his 
method of pruning and training it. 
We have much pleasure in stating further that Mr, Boileau 
has also distinguished himself iu the de. oration of halls and 
churches, in grouping plants with trees, etc., as he did last 
year at Neilsou Hall on the occasion of the Martha Washing- 
ton reception, where the different nations were represented 
with plants of their respective climates; and only those who 
have r<en his grouping at Trinity Church on festival occa- 
sions can judge of his taste in this particular. The planting 
of Trinity, 8t. Paul's and other church yards on Broadway is 
also under his supervision, and for the good and advancement 
of the beautiful in nature, as well os in art, we trust be will 
beep i t up to the high standard he has already obtained. 
— Ml. - B ?«“bX«ho 7um3o 
Edt£"£i TdLLS in 
their species. But this is conjecture 
were not quite a year old. in my little book, 
sand Miles on Horseback in Texas,” I stated that I had never 
seen a cross between the buffalo and domestic cow. In this i 
was mistaken, hut had forgotten the fact. In the county of 
Sin Saba, in 1858, I saw a cross of this kind that was between 
two and three years old. It was indeed an ugly beast ; long 
j.„n lank and 6loucliy ; the ugliest of tho cow kind I ever 
„ W it certainly was a great improvement in hone and 
frame and i f°itw ould take on fat I cannot see why it would 
nnM e an improvement in beef. I consider the question still 
«n onen one with the chances decidedly against the improve- 
nnr cattle bv putting a (lash of buffalo in the blood. 
Would mate improved by a mixture tvuh theblg, 
wild Comauches ? Greatly improbable. N. A. I. 
ro C0RRE8F0NDBNW.-TU08e desiring ns to prescribe for their dogs 
will pieaeo take note of and describe tbe following point* In each anl- 
° 1 ? 1 Ace 2 Food and medicine given. 3. Appearance of the eye ; 
of the coat ;' of the tongue and lips. 4. Any changes In the appearance 
of the body, as bloating, drawing in of tho flanke, etc. 6. Dreathl ft 
the number of respirations per minute, and whether labored or not. 
6. Condition of the bowels and secretions of the kidneys, color, etc. 7. 
Appetite ; regnlar, variable, etc. 6. Temperature of tho body as Indi- 
cted by the bulb of the thermometer when placed between tho body 
and the foreleg. 9. Give position of kennel and surroundings, outlook, 
contiguity to other buildings, ond the uses of tho latter. Also give any 
peculiarities of temperament, movements, etc., that may be noticed, 
ijne of suffering, etc. 
FIXTURES FOR 1878— BENCH SHOWS. 
The -Westminster Kennel Club (New York) Bench Sliow. Gil- 
more's Garden, May 14, 15, 16 and 17. Dr. W. Seward Webb, 
Secretary. t 
BALTIMORE KENNEL CLUB. 
Buffalo Cross Breeds .—Houston, Texas , April 22.— Maj. 
D . W. Hinkle, of the Emory Boundary Commission, has told 
me that a wealthy 6tock-raiscr in Coleman County, Texas, 
named Merchant, has a number of calves, the product of 
THE BENCH SHOW. 
Baltimore, April 25, 1878. 
With a very full attendance both on Tuesday and Wednes- 
day, to-day Masonic Temple has been fairly crowded, and 
many Baltimore ladies were present. Baltimore journals pay 
but a very limited attention to field sports, and though within 
a few miles of the city many a fox huut has its meet, such 
matters are hardly noted. Baltimore ladies have inherited 
from their mothers and grandmothers a love for fox hunting, 
and many of them are cool and daring fox hunters, and when 
the brush is in view are regardless of their necks. All these , 
fair women have their pets amODg the kennels, and when avV 
the last Bench Show all their favorite fox hounds unfortunate- 
lv were not the recipients of prizes, their ire was immense. 
No man ever could reason with a woman as to her dog, and 
the expression, ‘'Love me love my dog” (providing Darwin 
will allow that there was a cur in Paradise), must have origi- 
nated with Eve. 
It was with the native English setter-dogs that we must con- 
fess we had the greatest interest. Taken all together they 
were a fairly good lot, hut they did not compare as a whole 
with the same class exhibited in Boston. The discrimination 
exercised by Mr. Davidson was excellent, and in some twenty- 
eight dogs, Dr. E. R. Baer's Don, a fine orange and white, was 
clearly the winner. Mr. E. P. Welsh’s St. Cloud, of the Rob 
Roy and Sherwood’s Nellie stock, ran Don very closely. 
Among the best dogs were Jeff, belonging to the Chicago Ken- 
nel Club, and Mr. Hiner’s Zac with Spot, owned by Mr. T. 
Denmead. Dick and Chance were also worthy of particular 
mention, all these dogs comingin for a V. H- C. Of the set- 
ter bitches, Mr. Frank W. Thomas’ Fanny won the blue, 
being a very perfect and thoroughbred creature. Mr. B. E. 
McClenahan's Fleet, an orange and white, was a close second. 
In the puppy class, there were numerous likely animals. Bru- 
tus, owned by Mr. J. O. Higgins, was flret. In the bitches, 
Aribel, bred by Mr. T. C. Higgins, of Delaware Cily, was a 
perfect beauty. In class 7, imported Irish setter dogs, Mr. 
Ogilvie’s Ben had it by loDg odds, and Mr.Brown’s Grinsa was 
second. In the Irish setter bitches, though Mr. C. Z. Miley’s 
Floss was a pretty one, Mr. Cause's Fire Fly, which wiis a 
V. H. C. in the champion class, was the winner. In native 
Irish setters the whole collection was fairly good, Mr. Ogil- 
vie’s Ben, the winner of the champion class, taking it easily. 
In bitches, Mr. Weighell’s Breeze, an H. C. before, took the 
blue. In Gordon setter dogs, Mr. R. N. Elder’s Rapp was 
flrst, and Mr. Millier’s King was second. In thisclasB, to show 
how good these were, in 12 dogs entered, three of them not 
competing as belonging to the Baltimore Kennel Club, 8 dogs 
had merit awarded to them. In the bitches, Mr. Weighell's 
Belle was first, and Queen, of the Goldsmith Kennel Club, 
second. Among the very choice dogs we may cite Mr. Tilley ’s 
fine Whip, which bitch also had an honorable mention in 
class 3. Almost without an exception the entire olasses of Gor- 
don setter puppies were good. In class 10, pointer doge, Mr. 
J. N. B. Latrobe, Jr.’s, Bounce was a wonderfully well made 
dog, and took the blue. Mr. S. C. Magraw's Major Elliott was 
a tine second. The V. H. C’s were well merited, among 
them was Mr. J. K. Bramble’s fine pointer, the No. 210. Mr. 
Bramble, of East Newmarket, Dorchester County, Maryland, 
is a thorough, practical sportsman, and his dogs and method 
of training them are well knowu to us. In pointer bitches, 
Mr. Orgill's Romp, a one-year-old lemon and white, was win- 
ner. In class 11 (pointers under 55 lbs.), Mr. A. P. Bauer’s 
Captain took the blue, and Mr. J. Lynch’s Rapp, with the 
Sensation blood in him shining all over, was the winner of the 
red. In bitches, Mr. Orgill’B Btock carried off first and second 
with Ruby and Belle. In pointer-dog puppies, Mr. A. V. 
Canfield’s Tuck was a fine winner. Tuck getting also the spe- 
cial in class 64. In Chesapeake Bay dogs" a great deal of in- 
terest is placed. If it is not in Baltimore that these tiuly 
American dogs are to be discovered, it is a question where they 
are to be found. We find that in Bal timorc a great diver- 
sity of opinion still exists. The question of what is the.true 
