96 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 15, 1911. 
A Week in the Mountains. 
Hendersonville, N. C., July 8.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: I have recently returned from a 
very enjoyable trip, I was invited to go to Grim- 
shawe’s. Thomas Grimshawe came from Canada 
some years ago and owns a body of 4,000 acres 
of mountain land, his residence being near the 
center of the property, a most unique place, and 
my week’s stay was one full of real enjoyment. 
On the west from the house, and not much over 
rifle range of it, rises the grandest of our West¬ 
ern North Carolina mountains, old White Sides, 
a great mountain of rock rising 1,000 feet from 
the level of the ridge or bench on which the 
house rests. This rock rises up straight from 
the ground, the top of the mountain being 4,930 
feet above sea level. 
Here I must amend what I have said above, 
as the forest rises ridge over ridge from the 
Grimshawe residence to the base of the cliffs, 
the residence being, if I correctly remember, be¬ 
tween 3,200 and 3,300 feet above sea level. The 
sheer precipice must be 1,000 feet. From this 
high place some years ago a man dropped his 
little dog tied to an open umbrella. The dog 
reached the forest ground, 1,000 feet below, un¬ 
hurt, but thereafter refused to have anything to 
do with his master, which showed that he had 
more sense than his master. 
I was driven round the mountain some fifteen 
miles, the latter part of the road a gradual climb. 
When staking out the horses, we enjoyed a lunch 
prepared for us by Mrs. Grimshawe before mak¬ 
ing the final climb to the top. On the top of 
this mountain is a famous deer stand or run¬ 
way. The deer must pass between the hunter 
and the 1,000 foot drop. I was told by a resi¬ 
dent that some years ago he was placed on this 
stand and an old buck came to him on the run. 
The deer was between him and the high cliff 
before he scented danger, when with a bound to 
one side to avoid the hunter he leaped into space. 
He saw his mistake and bleated his fear as he 
left the ground. The hunters did not go down 
to get the venison, knowing ‘every bone in its 
body would be smashed to pieces and the animal 
a mass of jelly. 
The view from the top of Whitesides is grand 
as well as very beautiful and extensive. We 
could see most distinctly the smoke from the 
cotton mills of Walhalla, S. C., although the day 
was a iittle hazy. We returned in the afternoon 
and enjoyed another good meal at the house. 
A small river runs through this property which 
is stocked with mountain trout, the real fonti- 
nalis. Of course' I paid them a little attention 
and they rose to the fly as a natural result, and 
as a further natural result we had a nice lot 
of them on the table several times during my 
stay. The name of this river is the Chattooga. 
It was very low during my stay, as are all the 
mountain streams in these mountains this season. 
The rain fall for June being only .90 of an 
inch, the normal being 6.80, and so far this 
month has been very dry. 
My stay up there was one I wish to repeat 
when the ruffed grouse are grown this fall. 
Thomas Grimshawe very kindly drove me back 
to the station at Lake Toxaway. Just after pass¬ 
ing Sapphire our attention was called to a very 
singular tree formation. Quite near the road it 
is, and yet as often as I and others have passed 
it, we never saw it, and one is never likely to 
do so unless it is pointed out as to him. A moun¬ 
tain birch of some eighteen inches diameter 
growing up straight, another of like kind and 
size growing up some twenty feet or more from 
the other, and attached to it about thirty feet 
from the ground, the second tree apparently hav¬ 
ing fallen against number one years ago and 
grown into it, there being only one top for the 
two from the base up. I hope later we can 
secure a photograph of this singular tree growth, 
and if so shall send it to Forest and Stream. 
Ernest L. Ewbank. 
California Deer Season. 
San Francisco, Cal., July 6.— Editor Forest 
and Stream: The deer season opened on July 
1 in game districts Nos. 2, 4 and 5, these embrac¬ 
ing the counties of Mendocino, Glenn, Colusa, 
Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Yolo, Solano, Marin, San 
Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Kings, 
Fresno, Tulare, Kern, Contra Costa, Alameda, 
San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa 
Cruz, San Benito, Monterey and San Luis 
Obispo. These are the counties of the districts 
named, but in three of them, Alameda, San 
Mateo and San Benito, deer shooting is pro¬ 
hibited until July 15. 
In Mendocino and Lake counties deer are re¬ 
ported to be plentiful and several have been 
killed to date, but in the nearby counties the 
fatalities to hunters have been about as com¬ 
mon as the killing of deer. The deputies of the 
Fish and Game Commission are watching closely 
for infractions of the law which has been 
changed in several particulars since last season. 
The opening of the deer season has brought 
about a rush on the part of hunters to secure 
hunting licenses, and the office force of the 
Fish and Game Commission has been very busy 
of late handing out tags. The offices have been 
removed from the Merchants Exchange Build¬ 
ing to the Balboa Building at Market and Second 
streets, where they can be more conveniently 
reached by the general public. 
Golden Gate. 
Occupation a Necessity. 
Berlin, N. Y., July 5. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Readers of Forest and Stream who 
are looking forward to the time when they can 
retire from business and live the simple life in 
the country near the water and the woods may 
be interested in the experience of one who has 
already made the venture. My experience would 
perhaps make too long a story and the result 
of it will be sufficient. 
After six years’ trial I find that contentment 
is a state of mind, and that if anything from 
without can insure it, it is occupation. The man 
who has led an active life will find it very diffi¬ 
cult to lead an idle existence. Work or occupa¬ 
tion is almost a necessity. 
Men of wealth who col’ect, drive coaches or 
ride some hobby are simply striving with all 
their little mights to find an excuse for remain¬ 
ing on earth, and when a man has realized an 
ambition, about all that remains is the inevitable 
end and an endless sleep. 
If you do retire, keep something in reserve. 
Breed horses, hens, superintend your farm. 
Whatever you may think now, a few years of 
idleness will give you an entirely new view of 
life. Sandy. 
Extending the Preserves. 
New Orleans, La., July 7. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: Several hundred acres of land have 
recently been added to the Mcllhenny tract in 
Vermilion parish near Vermilion Bay as a State 
preserve. The tract will embrace about 20,000 
acres and the land recently added to the original 
purchase is much higher than the swamp or low¬ 
lands and is suitable for a deer range and to 
some extent for wild turkeys and quail and 
other bidrs. The great bulk of the preserves, 
however, will be for ducks, geese and brant. 
The game commission is busy formulating 
plans for taking over the preserve and planting 
wild celery, rice, grasses and other grain on 
which the ducks and geese feed. The plans for 
this preserve are extensive and have attracted 
the attention of hunters and sportsmen not only 
in Louisiana, but in all parts of, the United 
States. Commissioner Miller has received let¬ 
ters from all over the country in regard to the 
preserve. 
The game commission has formally accepted 
the Ward-Mclllhenny donation of 14,000 acres 
near Vermilion Bay for a game preserve. The 
total number of acres will finally be 20,000, the 
14,000 acres being formally deeded and the rest 
given over for the use of the preserve. The 
place will be used principally for wild ducks 
and geese. F. G. G. 
Tennessee State Fair Dog Show. 
Nashville, Term., July 8.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The Tennessee State Fair Dog Show 
will be held under the rules and regulations of 
the American Kennel Club at Nashville, Tenn., 
Sept. 19-20, 21-22, 1911. This is the second 
annual exhibition of the Tennessee State Fair 
Dog Association, and promises to be the biggest 
event of its kind ever held south of the Ohio 
River. The premium lists and entry blanks are 
now ready and can be had by dropping a postal 
to John A. Murkin, P. O. Box 6, Nashville, 
Tenn. A 1 G. Eberhart, of Camp Denison, Ohio, 
has been selected to do the judging. There never 
was as much interest being shown in the fancy 
dog as there is at the present time throughout 
the entire South, and the dog shows at the 
larger fairs in this section have become the 
proper thing. Do not fail to send your dogs to 
Nashville. John A. Murkin, Supt. 
National Beagle Club Field Trials. 
Camden, N. J., July 7.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The committee appointed by the Na¬ 
tional Beagle Club of America to determine upon 
the place for holding the twenty-second annual 
Field Trials of this club is unanimously in favor 
of holding the same at Shadwell, Albemarle 
county, Virginia, where the trials were held in 
1910, 1909 and 1907. 
The report has this day been received from 
H. A. S. Hamilton, the owner of Hunter’s Hall, 
where the club has made its headquarters in the 
past, and who has charge of the protection of 
the rabbits. In his report Mr. Hamilton says: 
“I have been told by people out much more than 
I that rabbits seem more plentiful than usual.” 
Chas. R. Stevenson. 
All the game laws of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
