August 7, 187?. 
Mineola. 
Dayton, Ohio, .July 18. 
Editok Rod and Gun: 
Perhaps ihe writer i.-; not sufficiently posted iu regard 
to the peculiar privileges enjoyed by special correspond- 
ents to appreciate the report of the ilineola Bench 
Show in your issue of July 3d; or pos.sibh' a fair report 
may consist in spreading whitewash freely where it will 
do the most good (to somebody), and throwing dirt, 
even though it is necessarj- to go a long distance to find 
an object for the aim. It however strikes me that the 
comparison drawn by your reporter between 3Ir. Jen- 
kins’ Ranger and Mr. Burges’ Rufus was altogether 
uncalled for, and in extremely bad taste, since the 
spirit which prompted such a criticism could not have 
been other than most unfriendly to ^Ir. Burges. The 
intention, evidently, was to injure Mr. B. or his kennel, 
and the writer took occasion, as your cor- 
respondent, to strike ^Ir. B. a cowardly blow, which he 
was ashamed to do over his name. Had Rufus been ex- 
hibited at Mineola, and been beaten by Ranger, the re- 
])ort would possibl}’ have been proper; or had Rufus 
ever met Ranger on the show bench, it might not ap- 
pear so uncalled for; or had Mr. Burges publicly claimed 
that life dog was superior to all other representatives of 
the breed in America, he might have been ‘'fair game,” 
hut even then not to be shot at from behind a blind. 
There is simply no excuse for singling out anj- gentle- 
man to make invidious comparisons as to his property 
or himself. A spiteful spirit is small and unworthy of 
a iiuiu. and when it is shown publicly it becomes con- 
temptible. 
It maj seem that I am making much ado about 
nothing, since Mr. Burges has received but slight in- 
jury from the criticism, the effect desired by the critic 
being destroyed by the spiteful spirit evinced. Since 
.Rufus is offered at the stud for an}' bitches of ap- 
proved pedigree, and as some of us have bred to him, 
we claim the right to criticize unfair comparisons and 
unjust reports concerning him. Ranger ma)' be superior 
to Rufus, and if so he is a most .superb animal; but it 
has not yet been so decided by any judges, nor even by 
a single /atr critic. Strange }’our reporter should forget 
to announce that be had never seen Rufus “in form’’ 
since ho saw him that once, ju^t as he was unboxed, 
after ten da 3 's’ confinement on board ship, in a close ken- 
nel. All who have imported setters know in what con- 
dition a .sea voyage leaves a dog — dirty, stiff, and in 
every way out of fix. But your reporter is not less;«od- 
nt than unfair, since he pronounces all whose opinions 
may iliffcr from his in regard to these two noble dogs, 
ignorant of “the characteristic good points of the 
breeds.” It would be well to have our modest and un- 
prejudiced friend chosen supreme judge on the dog 
bench at the next convention ! His self sufficiency is 
beautiful ! 
The w riter does not write this as a friend of Mr. Bur- 
ges. nor as an admirer of his noble dog; but mainly be- 
cause he wishes to see fairness in reporting, as well as 
justicie in judging, at our dog shows. May our sporting 
journals be free from the prejudice for or against cer- 
tain breeds or strains, so apparent in the reports of field 
trials or bench shows, in English journals ! May the 
best dog always win, and may praise be given when 
and where it is due. E- F. Stoddakd. 
Dittmar’s Powder. 
Nkfokset, Mass., August 3. 
Editor Rod and Guk : 
Will you allow me to inform your Chicago correspond- 
ent (July 16th) through your columns, that he is greatly 
mistaken in what he says about my powder, and that he 
had better make further inquiries before he writes again. 
If he will step into the store of J. Butler & Co. , in Chi- 
cago. he will find that it is not true what others tell him 
about getting clear of the small stock on hand with the 
intention never to buy any more of my powder. We 
have just got a large order from the above-named firm, 
who say they are receiving letters and orders from all 
over the West, and that there was a grand trial with my 
powder on the ’JOth of last month, in which twenty men 
out of twenty-four shot my powder with best success, 
which put my powder right into the market; they are 
hurrying me up to fill the order. If what your corres- 
pondent says was true, I would not be obliged, as I am 
now, to form a stock company, to enable me to meet 
tbe demand for my powder. If some gentlemen have 
damaged their guns it could only be by negligence and 
by not following my instructions. It is absolutely im- 
possible to damage a gun, weak or strong, breech or 
mii/.zle-lo der, if my powder is used according lo my ! 
instructions- We made a series of trials, which i will 
gi\T in some other issue if you think it is interesting for 
your readers, and which prove that mj- powder is as safe 
as any good black powder. I failed even to burst a 
seveu-dollar gun (10 bore) with eight drachms of my 
powder and three ounces shot. I will repeat this trial 
with the same gun if your correspondent wishes to see 
it pei-sonally. Trials at the Frankfort arsenal have 
pioved that my powder has less strain than the powder 
used by the Government. If some gentlemen have not 
got good target and penetration with my powder, it is 
only that they have used too much of it. If over loaded 
the shot will scatter and not show great penetration, 
being flattened before reaching the target. 
Carl Dittylar. 
Inasmuch as the rifle powder is by w'^ight weaker than 
the shot-gun powder, it is sold at a les; price per po md; 
but. taking the number of charges in a pound, the rale 
IS the same to the imrchascr. 
Chicken. 
Algox.a, la., .July 17. 
Editor Re^u and Grx: 
I notice in a recent paper a short item, staling that 
the prairie chickens will be .scarce in Iowa this year. It 
may be so in some parts of the State, but in Northwest- 
ern Iowa young birds are very plenty; but I do not 
think they are as large as usual at this season of the 
year. 
The grain is very late here; not much of it will be cut 
before tbe lOlh or 1.5th of August. Then we shall have 
Instructions for the use of the Dittmar Sporting Pow- 
der. Patented Dec. 0th, 1873 (Xo. 145,403); Re-i.ssued 
t Feb. 10th, 1874 (No. .5,7.59.) 
Shot-Gun Gr.ade. — I n red cans, I lb., 4 lb., 1 lb., 2 lb. 
This powder has to be used in about the same m ann er 
as black powder. Care has to be taken not to press it 
into too small a space, as it is more compremble than the 
black. 
The new powder makes very little smoke, causes very 
little recoil, does not soil the gun, does not heat the bar- 
rel, sends a ball further than the old powder, keeps shot 
well together, is not injured by dampness, tmd can be 
transported or stored while damp, without danger from 
fire. It is three times stronger than black sporting pow- 
der and three times as bulky. 
The shot-gun ^ S. A. — Coarse grain. 1 
powder is - S. B. — Medium “ 
marked, ( S. C. — Fine “ ) 
All alike 
in strength. 
The shot-gun powder should be used in all the larger 
bores from No. 6 to No. 12. For bores above 13 the 
Riite powder should be used, as it is much slower than 
shot-gun powder. 
good shooting. j. g. S. 
A New Sporting Ground. 
Berkley’s Springs, Va, July 3, 1875. 
Editor Rod .and Gun: 
Having being handed a copy of your paper by Col. 
Showers, of Kansas city (who has been staying here for 
several weeks) I have thought that a communication 
from this country, in reference to the hunting and fish- 
ing, would be intere.sting to your readers. 
Knowing that there arc many' gentlemen in your coun- 
try who are seeking pleasure iu the field, and arc desirous 
of obtaining game and fish without being subject lo the 
fatigue of long travels and dry seasons, I beg lo offer 
this county as the choice hmiling-.-pot east of tl e Mis- 
sissippi River. It is i;J5 miles west of Baltimore, on the 
Baltimore and O. R. R. The mountains are the eastern 
spurs of the Alleghaneys — beautiful ruling country filled 
with deer, bear (common bhtek), wild turkeys and pheas- 
DUtECTIONS FOR LOADING SHOT-GUNS. 
Use the same measured quantity as you use of black 
powder. In very wet weather use a little more, up to a 
half-drachm measure. This will give you the same hulk 
as black powder after the tend is pressed dovm. 
Give a few taps lo the charge to settle the powder 
evenly and you will always have the same strength as 
you would have by using an equal bulkoi black powder. 
In brass or metal shells use a wad two sizes larger than 
bore, and in paper shells use one size larger. For muzzle- 
loaders, a wad two sizes larger than the bore. Press tbe 
wad down to the powder; but in shells or in the gun if 
a muzzle loader bej used, do not ram the wad down so 
as to compress the pzwder. This powder being com- 
pressible, can be forced into a smaller space, but thereby 
its strength is of course increased. And as the recoil is 
always slight, the careless sportsman may keep on in- 
creasing the charge, or ramming down the charge to a 
dangerous point, without the usual warning of kicking. 
By using the same bulk or measure (not weiglU) which 
one would use of black powder, the best results will be 
obtained with absolute safely; but if the sportsman uses 
much more powder, or rams do 'an the charge into a less 
space than black powder usually takes, he runs the risk 
of making it dangerous. 
If the powder becomes damp, dry it by exposure lo 
the air and it will not be injured; but if the powder is 
soaked or trashed in water and then dried, it is then un- 
suitable for fire-arms. 
The most delicate tests thus far made have not exhib- 
ited the slightest trace of injury lo the finest barrels from 
the products of combustion, and the strain is no greater 
than with black powder. 
There is no danger from spontaneous combustion, and 
loaded shells can be transported as safely as if filled Aviih 
black poAvder. 
Rifle Grade. — In blue cans, i lb., i lb., 1 lb., 2 lbs. 
At present three sizes of rifle powder are made : 
R. A. - Coarse, ) 
R. B. — Medium, 1- All of the same strength. 
R. C.— Fine. ^ 
DIRECTIONS FOR LOADING RIFLES. 
When using rifle powder fill the cartridge shell to the 
top, give it a few taps on the table so that the powder 
may settle down even, and load the bullet ^ usual. Do 
not press the powder in the shell with a stick, or tf the 
bullet has to go in deepvr as you can push it in by hand ; 
use only so much powder that the bullet does not press 
tbe powder, as this would make uneven shooting. The 
powder shows the best result when the bullet just reach- 
es it. There is no need of using a wad and lubricating 
material on top, as the powder does not foul the gun 
like black i^wder. For muzzle-loading rifles, press the 
powder down with the bullet as you would when using 
black powder, till you feel that the bullet is on the pow- 
der. Use a bullet which fits snugly. 
If you use the powder in pistols or revolvers without 
shells, do not ram or force the bullet with a lever into 
the chamber, as in this case you will confine the powder 
too closely; simply use force enough to permit the bul- 
let to rest upon the powder, having the top of the bullet 
level with the top of the chamber. The rifle powder is 
the proper kind for small arms. 
The same general remark^ apply to this grade as to 
the shot-gun grade. This rifle powder is heavier, how- 
ever, being bulk for bulk, two and one-half times as 
strong as black powder. That is, by measure use the 
same bulk as with black powder, but by weight only | yo*t, 
two-fifths as much. 
ant.« (of rufled grouse; and 1 venture lo .say the finest 
woodcock shooting in any of the Atlantic Slates. A 
gentleman, by the name of Lutze, killed fifty-two in one 
day within three miles of this village. I will give you 
an account of one season’s hunt of ut}' father and inj'- 
self : We commenced hunting September 15, and put up 
our guns on January 1; we killed sevent}'-nine wild lur- 
k<-y.s. 1 killed with my own gun 111 ruffed grouse; he 
did not keep an account of the grouse he killed. We 
killed a great many woodcock and quail, and other 
small gamethi^t we kept no account of; could have killed 
several deer, but were using number five shot when we 
saw them, and not having the new breech-loaders, could 
not draw the loads iu time to get a shot. The game that 
I speak of having killed was all brought home and eaten. 
There were .eleven turkeys (making ninety in all) we 
killed that we found after the foxes had eaten them. I 
also killed a great number of foxes with strychnine; I 
killed them for the reason that they destroy a great many 
of the young turkeys and grouse. We also have fine 
bass-fishing In the Potomac and Cacapon Rivers, one-and- 
a half miles from this place. The largest of which that 
1 have ever caught was six-and-a-quarter pounds. We 
catch a great many that weigh from one to four pounds. 
The two rivers 1 speak of are literlly alive with them, so 
much so that they are caught by hook and line for Ihe 
Baltimore and Washington markets. We are now in the 
midst of our woodcock and squirrel-shooting (the only 
game in season); onr grouse, turkey and deer season 
commences on the 15th of August. The best sca.son to 
hunt for turkeys and deer is from September 20 to Jan- 
uaiy 1, as they are in better condition for food and sport. 
To give you an idea of the deer, I will simply say that 
in driving a ridge one-and-a-falf miles long, avc started 
and counted twenty-seven deer. We do not allow them 
to be run by dogs, but put persons at the crossings, and 
then four or five of us drive through the woods toward 
tho.'ic that are on the stands; the deer approach the per- 
.sons more quietly and give them a better chance to shoot 
than they would have if they were pushed rapidly by 
dogs. 
I have written this at the suggestion of Col. S. As it is 
the first effort, I hope, if it is acceptable, to be able to 
send you an account of what we will do this fall, and 
that some of your many readers, who are seeking such 
pleasures as I have mentioned, may give us a chance to 
show them that our country is the finest hunting-ground 
east of the Mississippi. 
1 will slate that to get here, from New York, is by 
either of the two routes to Philadelphia, thence by Phil- 
adelphia. AVilmiugtoii and Baltimore R. R. to Baltimore, 
thence by Baltimore and Ohio R. R. to Sir. John’s Run, 
I a station on the B. and O. R. R. 13.5 miles west of Balii- 
I more, and two miles from this place. If this is of use to 
correct it and give it to your readers. 
Clayton P. 
