436 
FOREST AND STREAM 
April 5, 1913 
Published Weekly by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company, 
Charles Otis, President. 
W. G. Beeoroft, Secretary. W. J. Gallagher, Treasurer. 
127 Franklin Street, New York. 
CORRESPONDKNCK — Forest and Stream is the 
recognized medium of entertainment, instruction and in¬ 
formation between -American sportsmen. The editors 
invite communications on the subjects to which its pages 
are devoted, but, of course, are not responsible for the 
views of correspondents. Anonymous communications 
cannot be regarded. 
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THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL 
will be to studiously promote a healthful in¬ 
terest in outdoor recreation, and to cultivate 
a refined taste for natural objects. 
—Forest and Stream, Aug. 14, 1873. 
THE FLOODS OF 1913. 
The reports of the appalling destruction of 
life and property which have recently come from 
the States of the Middle West, have shocked the 
whole w’orld. They recount a series of calamities 
almost like a w’ar. Other Hoods have occurred 
in this country, and caused great loss, but never 
before on this continent has" there been a series 
of disasters that affected such thickly settled 
regions. 
There is much speculation as to what caused 
the Hoods, and many suggestions are offered 
which it is hoped may provide against similar 
misfortunes in the future. We believe that for 
the present the causes of these storms must re¬ 
main unknowm. Floods caused by the melting 
of heavy snows over vast areas, such as in past 
times have frequently overwhelmed the territory 
bordering the lower Mississippi, may be explained 
in part b\- the deforestation of great areas of 
country, but it does not appear that the floods 
of March, 1913, can be attributed to such a 
cause, though it may well be that the absence 
of forest and of forest floor over great areas 
of country increased the destructive power of 
the water. 
It is difficult to conceive the amount of ma¬ 
terial damage that has been done. Houses were 
destroyed, farms ruined, towns with all their 
active manufactures, great buildings and busy 
commerce, halted in their career of success and 
progress. Transportation lines w^ere interrupted 
in a hundred places, and all business was caused 
to cease. 
The situation presents a striking example of 
the absolute dependence on transportation lines 
of great aggregations of humanity. Only by 
these trans[)ortation lines are the cities provided 
with their daily sustenance brought from the 
country. Cities do not produce food. A fort¬ 
night’s interruption of the operation of trans¬ 
portation lines might mean that a large propor¬ 
tion of the population of Chicago would die of 
hunger. 
As always happens in the case of a great 
calamity, the American people—the most gener¬ 
ous in the world—spring forward to help their 
unhappy fellows, contributing time, money and 
personal effort to the work of relieving suffer¬ 
ing. The spectacle is one that w'e have all seen 
many times, and that—sad to say—we shall prob¬ 
ably often see again. Melancholy as are the 
causes which call forth these exhibitions of sac¬ 
rifice for others, they have their helpful side, 
for they strengthen our belief in the humanity 
and goodness of our neighbors. 
BIRD PROTECT IF E REGULATIONS. 
On Wednesday, March 26, at the rooms of 
the American Game Protective and Propagation 
Society, in New' York city, an informal meeting 
was held by a number of persons interested in 
the protection of birds, and with special refer¬ 
ence to the new law for the Federal protection 
of migratory birds. 
Dr. T. S. Palmer, representing the Biologi¬ 
cal Survey, had sent out an informal invitation 
to persons interested in the new law, in order 
that it might be discussed and the Biological 
Survey might have the benefit of some of the 
ideas of gunners and game protectors before 
seriously attacking the work of formulating the 
regulations called for by the new law. It is 
obvious that the law is general in its terms. It 
gives the Agricultural Department the right to 
establish close seasons, but apparently does not 
go much further than this. Nothing is said 
about bag limits; nothing is said about methods 
of capture. These things are apparently left to 
the States to regulate. 
In his opening remarks Dr. Palmer indicated 
some of the difficulties to be faced in establish¬ 
ing these regulations, and made his points very 
clear, by showing colored maps already prepared 
by the Biological Survey, which showed graphi¬ 
cally the distribution in summer and winter of 
some species, the places where certain species 
breed, and many other matters of very great 
interest. Most of those present expressed their 
views on different phases of the subject. On 
one or two occasions the talk got switched off 
from the main question to reasons as to why 
Long Island ought to have spring shooting; but 
it was presently brought back again to the points 
at issue. 
There were present, as was to be expected, 
two parties holding radically opposite views. 
One of these parties w’ished to establish regula¬ 
tions which w'ould be drastic and severe from 
the start; the other party rather believed in be¬ 
ginning mildly and accustoming the public to the 
operation of the new law before any very radical 
action is taken. 
The speeches made, of course, represented 
nothing more than individual opinions, but it is 
obvious that the Biological Survey is anxious to 
formulate regulations in this matter which will 
stand the-test of criticism by all hands. 
The general subject of the law is one which 
we believe may profitably be discussed by all 
sportsmen. 
COVER ILLUSTRATION. 
The illustration on the cover this week pic¬ 
tures the Blackfeet Indians sitting around the 
camp-fire in Sportsmen’s Paradise, the Forest 
and Stre.am exhibit at the Travel and Vacation 
Show. In the background are the bears, ' so 
popular with the red men during their stay at 
Grand Central Palace. 
JOHN H. WALLACE, JR. 
It is a fitting tribute to the conscientious 
efforts of Col. John H. Wallace, Jr., Fish and 
Game Commissioner of Alabama, that he should 
be urged to accept a nomination for Governor 
of his State. Should Col. Wallace be elected, 
as seems assured if he accepts the nomination, 
what a blessing he will be to bird life and the 
sportsman. All success to the Colonel. 
LONG ISLAND TROUT SEASON. 
Trout on Long Island opened April i. The 
season in other parts of New York State opens 
May I. Previous to last year trout could be 
taken into New York city from Long Island 
during the open season there; now, however, 
trout may not be taken from Long Island or else¬ 
where into Manhattan previous to May i. It 
may be worth local trout fishermen’s while to 
remember this. 
N. C. R. GUN CLUB. 
By wire the good news arrives that though 
badly mussed up by flood, the National Cash 
Register Gun Club will hold the Grand Ameri¬ 
can Handicap as planned. This decision, however, 
comes as no great surprise, for when one reads 
of the glorious heroism of James H. Patterson, 
President of the National Cash Register Com¬ 
pany, by whom the gun club is made possible, 
one would wonder were any other decision 
reached. It seems perfectly natural that the 
spirit of never say die would be found among 
those fortunate enough to be employed by- 
James H. Patterson. 
PLANTS OF ST. VINCENT, FLA. 
For a long time W. L. McAtee bas been en¬ 
gaged in the study of the food of our wildfowl. 
In the course of that study he visited St. Vin¬ 
cent Island, well known as the game preserve of 
Dr. R. V. Pierce, who is greatly interested in 
improving the supply of natural food for ducks. 
During two short visits, of about one week each, 
Mr. McAtee collected about 239 species of in¬ 
digenous plants and ten introduced species. Of 
these one is the wild rice of the North, with 
which Dr. Pierce has had little success until his 
last planting, which, however, did well, and the 
seed was reported as ripening in October, 1911. 
Mr. iMcAtee’s investigations on the duck 
food question, when brought together and pub¬ 
lished by the Biological Survey, lyill be of enor¬ 
mous value to sportsmen, but more particularly 
of enormous value to that constantly increasing 
number of persons who are interested in the pro¬ 
tection and increase of our wildfowl under semi¬ 
domestication. 
