102 
FOREST AND STREAM 
GIANT TREES IN CALIFORNIA. 
I T lias been supposed that the Sierra sequoias, or big trees 
of California, were confined ton few small and isolated 
groves like I hose known to tourists by the names of C'ulu- 
veras, Toulumme, Merced, and Mariposa, scattered at con- 
siderable Intervals along t lie Western slope of the moun- 
tains for a distance of sixty miles. It was known that a 
collection of big trees larger than any of those in the Mari- 
posa and Calaveras regions exists in Fresno County, where 
Thomas’ Mill has for several years been sawing ibis red- 
wood of the Sierra to supply the market of Visalia, but it 
was discovered last Summer that this body of big-tree tim- 
ber is not properly a grove, but a forest extending for not 
less than seventy miles in a northwest and southeastward 
direction, with a width in some places of ten miles, and in- 
terrupted only by the deep cafions which cut across the 
general course of the forest, and reduce the level to an ele- 
valtou below that at which the tree is found in a wild con- 
dition, although when cultivated it thrives in all our val- 
leys. 
Different persons have traced the forest from the basin of 
the lule Ill vc r, in latitude 36' 20’, across those of the Ku- 
weali and Kings to that of IheSnn Joaquin. The elevuliou 
has not been carefully measured, but is supposed to vary 
from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. At one point, and one only, this 
forest is accessible by a wagon road, and that is at Thomas' 
Mill, forty-eight miles from Visalia. Unlike the groves 
further north, this forest consists mainly and in some 
places almost exclusively of the big trees, and there are also 
a multitude of small ones in all the ages of growth, some 
just sprouting, and others saplings only two or three feet 
through. The largest standing tree us yet measured is for- 
ty foe i in diameter; a chai red stump— the tree itself having 
disappeared— measures forty-one feet across. A tree twen- 
ty-four feet in diameter, four loot above the ground, is pre- 
cisely the same thickness sixty feel higher. A fallen trunk 
is hollow throughout its length, and the hole is large 
enough to drive a horse and buggy seventy-two feet in it 
as in a tunnel. 
This forest is so extensive, the timber is so abundant and 
excellent in quality, and the demand for it -is so great in the 
bare valley ut the foot of the mountain, that it cannot be 
withheld from the axe and the saw mill. The wood is simi- 
lar in general character to the Coast sequoia, or common 
red-wood, straight iu grain, splitting freely, even enough 
111 grain for furniture, and farsu; erior to oak in its keeping 
qualities in positions exposed to alterations of moisture. 
1 lie Sierra sequoia does not throw up sprout! from its stump 
as does the redwood, and can therefore be felled out more 
readily. It was wise in Congress to make a reservation for 
pleasure purposes of the Mariposa Grove, which is near 
l oseinite, small and conveniently accessible to tourists by 
the present routes of travel ; but the Tulare-Fresno forest— 
it is all iu those two counties — cannot be converted into a 
public reservation. Numerous saw mills will be built on its 
line, and flumes will carry the lumber down to the consum- 
ers. \y agon-roads will ascend from the railroad turns to 
bill I'lti’itiK A .1 . i * ■ 
PEDIGREE OF KIRBY. 
KIRBY 1* a handsome black, white and tau hitch, wa« tired by the Re?. J. Camming Macdona, Hllbro House, West Kirh? rhenhim v... ■ . 
and was Imported In April, 1874, by "Mohawk,'' who owns her, as also her full brother Milo. This strain of setter lias u clear' Dedi^n-p '..v!* i nd ' 
back for more than eighty yeura through the Laverack blood. l'cuigree, extending 
KIRBY. 
Ban. 
Venus, sister to Judy, dam of Ranger. 
Pllklngton'sDash. 
Downes’ Duchess. 
HacketFe Ruke. 
Calvcr’e Countess. 
Lavei uck's Dash U. 
O 
1’ilklni.ton’e LIU. 
Grouse. 
Caller's Nell. 
a a 
Ben 
Hackott’e Bess. 
£ U 
B 
3a 
f| 
c= Li 
B = 
SS 
a ^ 
9 K 
8 2. 
K ~ 
a w s a j. a "a 
e g. g. £ S s £ 
o IT ■ o M If 
C03 
p r 1 
3 P 
a* cu 
•Ponto and Old Mol). 
the California Alps, passing through the forest and recciv- 
mg great attractions from it . — From the Sun Francisco Alta, 
GROWING RAILWAY TIES. 
Rochester, N. Y., March 8, 1878. 
Editor Forest and Stream— 
As one of the purposes to which your excellent paper Is devoted Is the 
preservation of our forests from wanton destruction. I submit a sugges- 
tion on i hut subject that I believe is origiual and lias not, lo my knowl- 
edge, been before promulgated. Everybody knows that railroads re- 
■pilre on Immense amount of wood annually for fuel and ties. The sub- 
stitution of coul us fuel may dlmlnslt the demand in that direction, but 
wood appears to be the only thing that will bo used for ties. These latter 
require lo i.e renewed every eight or ten years, aud luceusequcncet.hu 
nreu of lund necessary to supply tlio demand is so great that It has be- 
come an object of solicitude to civilized governments all over the world 
As ratlrund. are subject to law, 1 think no apprehension need be fell if 
the people will but maintain iboir rights. In this country, at least, the 
railroad companies have possession of from one hundred to one hundred 
and lifty feet In width of laud along their lines. If each company would 
either voluntarily, or by compulsion, plant trees on this land, now bar- 
ren, they would benefit themselves and ihe public. Certain trees set 
out when ilrsi a railroad Is started would be nearly large enough for ties 
When those fir-t laid were rotten, and by C Jiitinulng the system ouch 
railroad would lmvo its own never fulling supply of ties. Tho great piles 
of old, useless lies that are now burned ns a nuisance, or allowed to 
slowly decay, would make excellent manure for the growing trees, and 
through nature’s process renew themselves forever. It might be ob- 
jected to the proposed plan that the trees groivlug near the track w ould 
be liable to be blown down and cause accidents. All danger from this 
source can bo obviated by planting deep rooted trees and cutting oil 
those branches running toward the track; moreover tbe potential dan- 
ger mentioned would nut be a Utile of what actually exlsu from other 
causes, I say nothing of the Incidental benefits that w ould result from a 
general adoption of tile system, such hs breaking heavy winds giving 
shelter to gurne, Ac. I have little confidence In compulsory laws but 
If an enlightened self-interest would not Induce the railroad companies 
to try the Idea, self-preservation would justify the Slates in doing a little 
evil to accomplish great good . jj g 
£/fc fennel. 
TRANSPORTATI ON OF SPORTING DOGS. 
t From long experience we cun concur with tho remarks 
of our correspondent as to the baggage masters, aud the 
treatment of dogs iu the section he mentions. 
„ „ Indianapolis, Ind., March, 1875. 
Editor Forest and Stream : — 
I have been considerably astonished at tho tone of several letters pub- 
lished in recent numbers of your paper upon tbe subject of fares charged 
on ladroads for tbe transportation of homing dogs, and the want of 
courtesy and attention of the employees to sporting parties and th.-ir 
d"gs. The authors of the articles must have been unfortunate In the *e- 
Uctlon of their routes, or blundered upon some unworthy and surly em- 
ployee. or tb.y certainly could have never reached the coikIusIous they 
express. In this section of the broad West tbe fares for hunting dogs 
are conceded by ell-even the officers of railroads -to the baggage mas 
ter-, and as a rule they arc among the most courteous and aceommodu- 
ttng men e.t gaged In the railroad service. A sportsman has only to make 
terms with them, and this U not a difficult task. During an exp, rienco 
of a dozen years that ho, taken me over most of the railroads in Indiana, 
and many In Ohio and II .Inula, on hunting excursions, I have always 
found that my dogs were among the most welcome guests of the train 
men. A few cordial word, ami fifty cent, or otu dolllr gi v'n ,,| 
baggage master alw ays secured for them « comfortable transport a* far 
Who went. No charge Is demanded by the baggage master, but (hr 
compensation Is left to tlni sportsman, and is generally determined by tbe 
distance to be traversed, and If there Is a good warm spot In the car near 
the stove on a cool day, or u cool place on a warm day, "Mase" and "Ned" 
always get them. These attentions, so grateful to the dogs after a bard 
day’s hunt, can only be secured by personal compensation. 
For one, I do not want my dogs to be put on the schedule for which I 
am lo pay before entering the cars. When even this Is the case, they 
w ill be cuffed and kicked about as eo much extra baggage, and this might 
endanger the personal safety of some one, by bringing Into vigorous ac- 
tion the flexor aud extensor muscleo of my arm or leg, if practiced upon 
tny dogs. Let the matter rest Just where It is, for tbe comfort and safety 
of the dogs, as these will best be secured by compensating tbe baggage 
ma8lur - H. O. Caret. 

CHOOSING A DOG. 
La Grange, Mo., March 8, 1875. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
What kind of setter or pointer is best salted to my shooting? is a 
question well worth the consideration of every sportsman iu purchasing. 
Importing or breeding a dog for his own use. Many of the renders of 
the Forest and Stream commence ana end their shooting each year on 
woodcock, with an occasional crack at ruffed grouse. Others live in a 
prairie country, and prairie chickens are tbe main skootin" Others 
ugain take It out in qnull. Each of these kinds of shooting requires « 
different style of dog. if not a difference in bis breeding, if the owner 
would have hint a star in bis profession. And I nm strongly of the 
opinion that, w ith tho exception of chicken shooting, we require a differ- 
ent character of work from u dog to that which is found to answer best 
in England to-day. A crack dog on the moors of England und Scotland 
would be very upt to make his mark among pinnated grouse, for the 
same w Ide range is absolutely uecessary in both cases; but he certainly 
would not bo n very satisfactory dog to shoot quail or woodcock over 
ui.nl he had hod months, if uot years, of work. The pointer is certainly 
not to be found os frequently in Eugland as of yore, Improvements in 
agricultural machinery by shortening the stubble having turned him out 
of many a field, where once he was of all importance, aud the setter on 
account of his rougher coat and better protected feet, is more suited to 
the heather covered moors; and I would rather risk my chance of pro- 
curing a pointer in the United States to-day than iu England, though I 
have Imported two. Should my miscellaneous shooting be cut down to 
simply quail and woodcock -which is pretty sure to happen within the 
next ten years-1 firmly believe that I would take more than ordinary 
pains to procure the old fashioned Spanish pointer, or ado" with a large 
preponderance of Spanish blood. It is tr-e that the covey has -ot to be 
found first, and that requires some freedom of range, but not nearly to 
the extent that is required on an Buglish stubble, fur in nine cases out 
of ten you can decide what portions of the enclosure are worth trying 
ow ing to the temperature, the time of year, time of day. crop Ac and 
In standing corn a wide ranging dog is to me an abomination! as about 
the time he finds the quail you lose tli.i dog, and have to hunt a ten acre 
field over to find him. It is after the birds are marked down however 
thul the cream of tho shooting commences, and here 1 think the old 
fluhloued dog. discarded In England for want of pace-us the true Soutn 
ern bound gave place to that noble mongrel, the English foxhouutL- 
would show himself. Oue bird is in a corn shuck. Lther fn a brn^ 
pi e. one under an old fence, two or three under a log, and tbe balance 
lying like rocks deep In some tangled grass and weeds; his slow -ait and 
his powerful nose find them oue by one, while you might be cursing and 
swearing At the best dog that ever left England, because he wouhAml 
too I«8t and get too far away from you. The sportsman of eighty years 
ago in England walke-diMlth hi. dogs Iu shooting, and shot overmuch 
this descrip , on of dog. The sportsman of to-day walks to bis do's 
after the point. \\ e are not eighty years behind England, but a good 
quail ground is an exaggerated edition of the English firms of auld W 
syne, and we will, I think, make larger bags and eDjoy ourselves mnrf 
with tbe deep Hewed, heavier dog who never breaks liis trot. 
E. VV. Hope. 
CURE F£)R CA NKER. 
_ _ Bekoen Point, March 13. i«7s 
Editor Forest and Stream:— ' 
1 write to tell yon that the prescription to cure canker, which you so 
kindly gave me through the columns of your valuable paper, has pro , S 
a wonderful success. It has cured my setter w ith only three applications 
I noticed the suggestion of Harlem oil, but did not use it L 1 found 
the twenty grains of sulphate of copper, dissolved in eight ounces of 
water, applied by aid of a small syringe, had the desired effect. Thank 
nrtTr , r U n kU,d,,l,S5 - “' ,d w,lh » hesf, >' recommendation of your 
prescription to all sportsmen Interested, believe me, sincerely yours 
- ^ Sancho. 
THE EDMOND CASTLE KENNEL. 
Rivbrhead, La Grunge counly, Mo., March 18 1875 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
In my letter which, through your kindness, appeared In Forest and 
Stream of the 25th of February, I expressed a strong opinion in favor 
of Cumberland setters. In reading the history of Pride of the Border 
which accompanied his portrait in your lust issue, I sec it elated that he 
strains back to the celebrated breed of setters at Edmond Castle, near 
Carlisle I will now state that my favorite dog, Grouse, the father of 
Dash and Bang, I purchased out of the Edmond Castle Kennel 
where lie was born, raised and broken, never leaving that estate until I 
brought him to America. Yours truly, Edward Hope. 
Plucky Dog.— A fox hunter in the Western part of 
Crawford county set Ins hounds on the trail of a fox last 
week and a few days after was notified from Titusville 
that both dog and fox were safe in thatcilv, Ihe 1-tter dead 
and the other pretty well tuckered out. They were found 
m a field just outside of Titusville, the fox lying dead on 
the snow and the dog beside it unable to walk' The owner 
said the hound stal led on the trail on the Friday before he 
was found— Monday— -and it was his opinion that the do»- 
f^?» C !i aSed , t li e f °? , fally two bundred miles, until Reynard 
fell exhausted and his enemy lay down beside him That 
hound is some dog, no doubt; hut the fox was also a steady 
Don BnEKiNo. Mr. Edward Hope, of La Grange Mo 
washes lo recommend to the sporting fraternity the services 
of \\ ilhum Lawrenceaon, as a capital breaker of sellers 
poiuters, retrievers, and field spanicls-a most thorough 
painstaking, and honorable man. Address William Law 
reuccson, La Grange, Missouri, 
IP? %jjorsq mid Hoarse. 
Fast Time.— The b. g. Pilot trolled a mile at the Hip- 
podrome on Monday evening in 2 min. 35* sec., f lie best 
nmc yet made here and equal to 2:20 on a mile track Mr 
Isixon s benefit on the same evening was an ovation which 
than oue Ve ^ gral,fjriIJg t0 lbftl gentleman iu more ways 
-The Spring meetings for the Eastern Trotting Circuit 
have been agreed upon iu accordance with the follow 
^programme, which calls for $12,000 from each assoc ia- 
Point Breeze Park AssociATion-May 25, 26 27 and 
28. -Entries to close May 17. ’ ’ ana 
Prospect Park Fair Ground Association— J une 1 2 
3 und 4.— Entries close May 17 A ' "» 
a tosyss Assoc, * tion - j ““> «. 
l££££5£ w. 10, 17a n a 
June 7 C0 “ Pi,U£ - Ju,le 22 ’ 23 > 24 “Ud 85—Enlrle. close 
'£?Z F r K - Jm ' C 20 “ d 80 .J“>yla„d3.-Emrle s 
FIRST DAY. 
No. 1. -Purse of $1,000 for 2:15 class-, $600 to first *inn 
to second, $100 to third. 9 u 10 nrst » 
, N °' 2 T??sn e ° f * 1>500 for 2: 26 class; $900 to first *410 
to second, $lo0 to third. ’ T 
SECOND DAY. 
No. 3. — Purse of $1,500 for 2-31 class- *onn 
> second, $150 lo third. ’ * 900 to flrst « * 450 
No. 4. -Purse of $2,500 for 2:22 class- *1 'inn. « . 
$.50 to second, $250 lo third. " ' lo fi rst . 
THIRD DAY. 
to^KLH 01 ' f “ r2 ^'»»; $000 lo first, $300 
W’ f »00 to Unit, *4.50 
FOUnTH DAT. 
to ?”cood7 IlMto'Jiri 00, f0r 2:84 Class; *0°0 <° «™t, $450 
No. 8.— Purse of $1,500, for 2:29 class- *onn 
to second, $150 to third. ’ * J0 ° to flrst > $ 4 ^0 
All these purses are for trotting, mile heals hoc ,t 
five in harness, and will be conducted tmdpr.t 1 'i 60 ln , 
the National Association. Entrance ten l J*e rules of 
In heats, when eight or more horses sian P n, r ° f purs . < ?; 
be 150 yards. Heats in emch d^ dts at.ee will 
alternately. ys r, ‘ ces “my be trolled 
—The entires for the various stakes i 
first meeting of the Louisville in«i ,0 b e n i» for at the 
being a large exceas ovi?a£v nrJ« Ckey Cl - ub nu '»»>er 227, 
i»g commences May I? and lasts si^yT"* 1, T,,e mcet ' 
to 
