AMS, 2 
00BE 9 S RURAL H^W-VORKER 
U 
G 
an. 
SHAD-FISHING WITH A FLY. 
A SPORTSMAN went to Hnlyoko to fish for 
shad with Hies. We make the following ex¬ 
tract from his letter to the Journal of Com¬ 
merce, telling of his success : 
“ What (lies do shad tako ?” 
This was a grand question. One man had 
said they would only take a white moth. 
Another had shown us a nondescript fly with 
dark, woodcock wings, and of tolerably largo 
body, black, with a black hackle and tail. 
Another had shown us a lly with a dark yel¬ 
low body and golden pheasant wings. All 
these wore large flics, and each of our in¬ 
formants had said his was the only fly to 
be used. 
I had flies similar to each, and I made up a 
cast of three, and having crossed the river 
toward the South Hadley side, and anchored 
the boat in the tail of the rapid west of an i 
old bridge pier, 1 began diligent casting. It I 
was of no use. Wo saw breaks of large flsh 
in the rapids, but we could not touch them. 
I changed my flies again and again, going 
through ii well-stocked book. We changed 
our position, Ashing various rapids, for the 
river was low and flowed under the bridge 
in several distinct channels. The day wore 
on, dark and cloudy, and in every way suited 
to angling, but at one o’clock I had not seen 
a shad, and T-had only taken a black bass 
and a largo dace. 
And now 1 noticed a singular occurrence., 
which I a m persuaded will seem to fly-fl.sher- 
moii a, ludicrous as it did to mo. Several 
persons came out on the lofty bridge twenty- 
five or thirty feet, above the water and low¬ 
ered their lines to the rapids, which carried 
them down stream, so that they were actual 
ly fishing with hand-linos two hundred feet, 
long, each line with flics on the end. Think 
of it, I Fly-Ashing with a hand line two hun¬ 
dred feet long I But this gave me a hint. If 
t hey take shad in that way I may as well 
save my arms and stop casting. Ho i said to 
myself, “I will change the flies once more, 
and now try very small flies, and let them 
trail down and across the current,.” I ac¬ 
cordingly put on for the first bobber a very 
email fly, pure lemon color, body and wings 
and tall; for second bobber, a green drake 
of the same size ; for tail fly, a dark blue 
body with dun wings tame size. Those wero 
till trout, (lies, all very small, and tied on tin- 
most, delicate gut. As 1 threw the cost down 
stream, just in the tail of the rapid, the first 
bobber was struck wit h a sharp rush by a 
heavy llsh. He did not show above water, 
but took the fly head on, and wont away 
with a gentle swing. The question was an¬ 
swered. 1 had seen it with my own eyes, 
felt it, with iny own hands, and as I said this 
to myself—lie made a long, swift rush, and 
then u)> into the air he went gleaming in sil 
ver and purple, a noble shad. Then ensued 
one of the most beautiful struggles I have 
ever known with a fish. He was full of life, 
rushed up against, the current, down stream 
with it, now across and back, now diving for 
deep water, always on the move, now and 
then out of water showing bis broad, white 
side us ho swerved and swung around the 
boat on ilfty feet, of line, coming in with 
great unwillingness, and yielding only after 
iiftoen minutes of fair light. 
Do you know the bounty of the shad when 
fresh caught ? This, my first shad taken on 
a fly, as I lifted him in the landing net, 
seemed to me the most gorgeous flsh I had 
ever seen. Ills back was irridesccnt with 
every color known to the eye, and his sides 
white as snow. 
I east again and let the line pay out ilfty or 
sixty foot, ami moved the rod gently from 
side to side to give the flies a cant across the 
current, in less than three minutes I had a 
gentle touch, not unlike the nibble of a fish, 
and a short but easy stroke instantly booked 
him. He took the tail fly, the block and 
blue. He was a six-pound fish, more active 
and lively than the first. It was full fifteen 
and I think over twenty minutes bofore I 
could bring him t,o the landing net. it had 
been raining quite briskly when these two 
fish rose, and now it had ceased. Fifteen 
minutes more passed before it began to rain 
again, and then a sharp stroke, suddenly 
followed by another, puzzled me, until I saw 
that two shad had risen, one liaving taken 
the lemon, and t he other the green drake, 
I hus all three flies had done service, and 
after that 1 did not make any change, but 
went on taking lish on thiH cast untiJ about 
four o'clock, when it was necessary to leave 
for the return home. 
I can assure.the angler that there is no 
better sport than the action of a shad on a 
fly-rod. His fight is the perfect poetry of 
motion. T never saw a more beautiful pic¬ 
ture than was presented when T-hud one 
on his little Norris rod, and the angry fish 
went into the air again and again and again. 
If shod rise to the fly at Holyoke, why not 
elsewhere y I see no reason why they should 
not bo taken as well at t he railroad bridge a t 
Warehouse Point, near Hartford, or in the 
Hudson, Delaware, Potomac and other riv¬ 
ers. 1 am inclined to think any small files 
will prove successful, but my experience of 
m. single day would lead me to recommend 
yellow colors in on© or two of them. I have 
no doubt that any fly-fisherman of expnriertcoi 
may go to-morrow to Holyoke and lish in the* 
evening and the following morning, and kill 
thirty or forty shad. Perhaps It. is get,ting 
late in the season. Next June 1 have no 
doubt hundreds will enjoy thn sport, and as 
the river is wide and there is plenty of room 
for all the rods that may come, the sport will 
probably be lively 
l have, written tills letter for the informa¬ 
tion of brother anglers, who, I have no 
doubt, will be glad to have the question 
definitely Answered by my assurance that I 
have killed shad with the fly and that it 
is worth doing. 
and to repent the colors, instead of varying 
them, upoi: each tier of their vases. The 
most artistic decorations that have come 
under my observation have been produced 
either with flowers of the same colors that 
occur in the lowest tier being replaced by 
smaller and smaller flowers of the same color, 
in the succeeding upper tiers, or (if smaller 
flowers fire not attainable) by paler shades in 
I bo upper tiers of the colors used below, 
riiis vaso for the Shah’s room presented 
illustrations of both these principles com 
billed,— IV. T. in Garden. 
flcrntalffgmtl. 
BARONNE DE MAYNARD ROSE. 
J. Wright, in Cottage Gardener, says ; 
‘ As a general garden decorative rose, this 
SPORTSMEN’S NOTES. 
Manyr an Dogn .—Two parts olive oil, one 
part, spirits turpentine, and enough flour of 
sulphur to make it. yellow, well rubbed in, is 
a specific for mange on dogs.— a. 
A Dip-Nut .—Will you, or some of youi 
Rural readers, inform me how to tie a dip- 
net, and what size to make it ?—Philetuh 
Wakefield. 
(Jjiariqitititiptl. 
A VASE OF FLOWERS FOR THE SHAH. 
On the occasion of the visit of this “at¬ 
tractive celebrity” to the Crystal Palace on 
the :t(lt,h of June, the private rooms appropri¬ 
ated to Royalty were nicely decorated with 
flowering plants by Mr. Laino of the Hlan- 
sted Nursery, Forest Hill, and with a number 
of vases, very tastefully a rranged by a young 
lady of the. neighborhood, well known among 
amateur exhibitors at the Crystal Palace 
Flower Shows. A mong them, that selected 
for the center table in the Shah’s private 
room especially merits a record. The vase 
chosen was composed of four tall .rumpets 
standing In a glass dish, the centre trumpet 
being taller than the other three which sur 
rounded it, and curved away from it. In the 
dish wore four flneblomnsof crimson Cactus 
alternately with large flowers »f white Water 
Lily ; these were set. oil with a few fronds of 
Maiden hair, judiciously placed, in each of 
the three curved trumpets was a flower of a 
fine white fjilium (in form and color interme¬ 
diate between nuriitim and L. cnndiuntn) 
in which the deep yellow of the eye of the 
Nymplmn was sparingly repeated. Around 
each (AUwn were a few blooms of blue Corn¬ 
flower, among which peeped out two little 
pieces of Kalommthes cncdnta, of the. same 
color as the Cactus below. The tallest trum¬ 
pet was dressed with white Rhodanthn, 
umbrella-shaped tree cover. 
mixed with two or three paler blue Corn¬ 
flowers and a little grass, and edged with 
small sprays of little orimson-tubed yellow- 
mouthed Echevarria. The stems wore twined 
with climbing Fern (Lygodium japonicum), 
and between the three curved stems stood up 
three well-chosen pieces of whit© Rhodanthe. 
The whole formed one of the best specimens 
of floral arrangements 1 have evor seen, the 
flower* being of the best quality and in the 
best condition, and the grouping being fault¬ 
less. I wish that decorators could be induced 
generally to use fewer colors in their vases, 
PYRAMIDAL TREE COVER. 
Quite heads the list, in my opinion, among 
the whit es. It is an easy and free grower, is 
less susceptible of rose ailments than many of 
its neighbors and is au exceedingly free 
bloomer. It. ought l.o be in every garden 
where roses, and especially white ones, urn 
cherished ; and who would not cherish them, 
mul who does not covet them, both to tone 
down and bring out the richer colors by the. 
force of innate purify and vivid contrast, i 
My attention was first drawn to this variety 
by my employer, who tnice* the opportunity 
of seeing nli old and new roses both at the 
principal exhibitions and In my gardens. He 
has long pronounced it the host white rose, 
and up to the present time stands by it firm 
ly, and I as firmly believe In- is right. It. is 
not, however, an exhibition rose. It lacks 
the build and cup-like contour to take its 
place amidst a group of perfect cut blooms. 
Plant it, however, in the garden, and a lady 
armed with a pair of scissors and engaged in 
decorating her room will never pass it by, 
On that recommendation [ am content to 
leavit, because it shows as plainly as any¬ 
thing can do that a garden is ineomplede 
without a plant, or plants of Baronno de 
Maynard, the beat early and late white rose. 
I should like to see a large bed or hedge of 
this and, say* General Jacqueminot alter¬ 
nately planted. The effect could not fail to 
bo exceedingly line, 
--- 
GALVANIZED TREE AND SHRUB COV¬ 
ERS. 
We give illustrations of contrivances for 
Protecting fruit trees when in flower, from 
spring frosts, by throwing a tiffany cover 
over them ; or they may be used to protect 
small trees from birds during the fruiting 
season, I hey are made of various sizes ; 
and are light and elegant, in appearance, 
Covered with tiffany or with oiled paper, 
these covers may also bo used to protect, 
Rose blooms for exhibition, and other flor- 
ist’s flowers, ms they can be used with stakes 
of any length ; or even without stakes in the 
case of dwarf plants requiring temporary 
protection. When not in use as fruit-tree 
protectors, they might be utilised ns trellises 
on which to train half-hardy or hardy climb* 
ing annuals, such as Tropujolums, Convol¬ 
vulus, Canary flower, or for climbing green¬ 
house or lmrdy shrubs. A glance at the 
accompanying illustrations will show how 
these contrivances are applied. 
APRICOTS IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS. 
W. C. Flagg, after experimenting ten 
years with apricots, finds the Early Golden 
and Breda hardiest, and healthiest. The lat, 
ter is rather smaller mid some days later than 
the other, and, to our taste, notquitcso good. 
Much larger and liner flavored is the Moor 
park, but it tends to Notch, apparently with 
some kinds of fungus, and in wet, weather to 
crack open and conduct itself like some of 
our white peaches. 
Tn the Prairie Farmer Mr. Flagg gives a 
list of upricuts ripening in succession : 
French .—Abricotin, end of June; Musch, 
middle of July; Gros St. Joan, end of July; 
Gros Rouge Hat if, July and August; Albcr- 
gievde Montagnmot, July end August; Gros 
Commune, beginning of August; Vieard, be¬ 
ginning of August; Pnurrett, middle of Au 
gust; Royal, middle of August; Peach, end 
oi August; Do Versailles, end of August; 
Bcauge, beginning of September. 
Downing,— Red Masculine, end of June; 
Must h MuSch, middle of July; Largo Early, 
end ol July; Largo Red; July and August; 
Mon tagamet;, July and August; Royal, mid 
die of August; Peach, end of August; Beaugc, 
beginning of September. 
Hus list, covers two months, during one of 
Which the peach is hardly a competitor, and 
suggests the possibility of covering the period 
from the latter end of June until the end of 
July with this delicious stone fruit. With 
special culture, it seems to us that it can be 
made profitable. 
Du Breitil recommends the growing of 
them us seedlings, because lie finds the seed 
lings more vigorous and longer lived, and 
states that the Red Masculine, Montagamel, 
and the Peach re produce themselves from 
seed. 
--- . 
RASPBERRIES FROM SEED. 
I wish some one to inform me how to raise 
raspberries from seed. I have tried twice 
and failed ; but still I think It can tic done 
Horace Hanford, 
Gather the fruit when fully ripe, and 
either dry and preserve the seeds in this 
manner until wanted for planting or wash 
t he seed from the pid” cod proserve in sand 
or sow them limned .... Hie open ground. 
If sown in the fall, they will ge. .ninate early 
in spring and usually prdfluoo canes sufficient¬ 
ly strong to fruit, the second year, if the 
scad is from a tender variety, then the young 
plants should be protected m winter, either 
by being taken up and heeled-in or by bend 
ing down and covering with soil. It, is usually 
better to take up the seedlings in the fall and 
lied them in until spring, than plant again, 
cutting them down ©lose to the. ground at, 
the time. This will cause them to throw up 
strong canes that will produce fruit the next, 
(ilio third) year in sufficient quantities to on 
able the grower to determine, very nearly, 
its relative value to other kinds. 
POMOLOGICAL GOSSIP. 
Fruitn for Northern California, I desire 
to ask, through the column* of the Rural 
New-Yorker, if some person who has had 
experience in the matter will be «o kind as 
to give a list of hardy fruits —apples, pears, 
cherries, <fec,, suitable for Northern Cali¬ 
fornia, in a climate subject to late frosts, 
sometimes coming in May or Jutto and kill 
ing fruit when the size of hickory nuts, at 
other times when in bloom ?- A Subscriber, 
Quincy, Phonon Co., Cal. 
A Western Ponwlogic.nl Society is pro¬ 
posed, the Kansas Hort. Hoc. at its recent 
meeting having directed its secretary to cor¬ 
respond with the secretaries of Stain socie¬ 
ties west of the Allogh/mics, with a view to 
learning whether such an organization can¬ 
not bo effected—which means that the next 
meeting of the American Homological Society 
must bo hold in the West or a new society 
will be organized. 
I'he KiUatinny Blackberry is tims com¬ 
mended by a gentleman who lias had experi¬ 
ence growing it as a market fruit at Normal, 
Ill.:—Wore I going to set out blackberries, I 
should prefer the Kittatinny to any variety I 
have seen yet,. For hardiness, flavor and 
productiveness, and, for a market berry, I 
think they have no equal. 
The Caro on Cherry.—The Bucks Co. (Pa.,) 
Intelligencer says the most popular cherry of 
that region is the Caroon. It is, it says, 
rather large, solid, white and pink, and prob¬ 
ably belong* to the Biggareaus. They are 
excellent for eating, baking or preserving. 
