178 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 29, 1911. 
Published Weekly by the 
Forest and Stream Publishing Company, 
127 Franklin Street, New York. 
George Bird Grinnell, President, 
Charles B. Reynolds, Secretary, 
Louis Dean Speir, Treasurer. 
CORRESPONDENCE. 
The Forest and Stream is the recognized medium of 
entertainment, instruction and information between Amer¬ 
ican sportsmen. The editors invite communications on 
the subjects to which its pages are devoted. Anonymous 
communications will not be regarded. The editors are 
not responsible for the views of correspondents. 
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* ADVERTISEMENTS. 
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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 WARD-McILHENNY REFUGE. 
In view of the importance of the gift to the 
State of Louisiana by Charles Willis Ward and 
Edward Avery Mcllhenny, of the three great 
tracts of land in Vermilion parish, to be used as 
a perpetual game refuge, the paper which we 
asked Mr. Ward to prepare, and which we print 
in this issue, is of timely interest to every sports¬ 
man in the country. 
There are, we doubt not, a number of old 
sportsmen scattered throughout the Union who 
have not only witnessed the rapid falling off in 
the supply of wildfowl, but have assisted materi¬ 
ally in the shooting in days past, when no 
thought of conserving the supply was seriously 
entertained. No doubt some of these men have, 
with increasing years, accumulated comfortable 
fortunes. Many of these include lands which, 
through vigorous cultivation or for other rea¬ 
sons, are not valuable for agricultural purposes. 
Perhaps Mr. Ward’s paper will serve to induce 
them to follow his example and set aside as wild¬ 
fowl refuges such of these tracts as they con¬ 
trol or own. The size of a tract need not be 
considered, for if it be protected, so that mi¬ 
grants will not be molested,', they will visit it 
in constantly increasing numbers, no matter 
what its size or where it is situated. 
We have frequently pointed out the need of 
refuges along the Missouri and Mississippi 
rivers, on the migration route of the Canada 
geese. Countless islands, so-called, dot both of 
these rivers, and some of them might well be 
set aside as refuges. Some of the islands are 
valuable, but others are mere wastes of shifting 
sand on which grow protecting jungles of wil¬ 
lows, with patches of the smartweed of which 
the geese are fond. These wastes are the natu¬ 
ral resting grounds of wild geese, but from many 
of them the great birds have been driven by con¬ 
stant shooting. It is time to reverse the old 
order of things and do what may be done to 
build up that which has been partially destroyed. 
WIRELESS IN THE WILDS. 
Strange as it may appear, the wild elephants 
of the Kongo have not been without influence 
in bringing about a complete change in one 
method of communication between points in that 
African colony and the outside world. Tele¬ 
graphic communication has been interfered with 
and at times stopped by these great beasts, which, 
according to official reports forwarded to Bel¬ 
gium, “seem to delight in pushing over the poles." 
What with the elephants, storms and minor in¬ 
terference by other wild animals, keeping tele¬ 
graph lines open has been difficult, and wireless 
experiments are now being made with a view to 
installing stations at important points in the 
Kongo, so that communication with ships at sea 
and with European points may be had dur¬ 
ing certain hours daily. The most favorable 
time, according to the experts now operating 
the stations at Boma and Banana, is from 5 to 6 
o’clock in the morning. At night atmospheric 
electricity, and by day the effect of the sun’s 
rays, interfere with long-distance wireless com¬ 
munication. To deliver a message from Boma 
to Washington now requires a fortnight, but 
with the completion of stations at Leopoldviile 
and St. Paul de Loanda, it is thought that big- 
game hunters can communicate with their friends 
in this country in about three days’ time. 
Wireless communication between stations in 
the National forest reserves in the West is a 
probability of the near future. The men of the 
Forest Service who directed the efforts to con¬ 
trol the great fires last autumn know the short¬ 
comings of telephone communication in emer¬ 
gencies, and they point out that, with wireless 
stations at convenient points on the mountain 
summits, rapid communication could be had. In¬ 
terruptions and interferences from fires would 
be to a large extent minimized through the use 
of wireless equipment, and it is probable that 
an effort will be made to induce the Government 
to add this safeguard to those already installed 
in the forest reserves. 
Some enthusiasts have gone further in advo¬ 
cating the use of aeroplanes by forest rangers. 
Aside from the difficulty and delay in transport¬ 
ing aeroplanes from place to place by rail, there 
is no doubt that they could be used to advantage 
in case of forest fires. Once on the ground, 
short flights could be made to determine the loca¬ 
tion and extent of incipient fires, and in other 
ways aeroplanes could be employed to great ad¬ 
vantage. Viewing a fire from a great height, 
and moving from place to place in a short time 
wou’d prove immensely advantageous in orga¬ 
nizing campaigns against fire. While the aero¬ 
plane’s shortcomings in a mountainous and tim¬ 
bered region are well known, some marvelous 
flights over such country have been made in 
safety during the present summer in Spain, 
France, Scotland and in our own country, show¬ 
ing for one thing, how great have been the im¬ 
provements to the machines. Although still m 
the experimental stage, these wonderful machines- 
have proved far more reliable than was thought 
possible last year, when pubnc opinion was 
warped by the fatalities that occurred in the 
employment of these air craft in sensational 
circus performances. 
Some time next month a party led by Gifford 
Finchot will make a survey of the Adirondack 
forests with a view to ascertaining what may be 
done, through the passage of new laws, to pre¬ 
vent forest fires, to replant cut-over and burned- 
over tracts, and to regulate the cutting of timber 
under a comprehensive system. The Camp-fire 
Ciub of America has asked Mr. Pinchot to under¬ 
take this work for it, he has accepted, and the 
club has advised Governor Dix of the proposed 
survey, which will be made under the auspices 
of the club, and will therefore be unofficial. It 
is planned to confer with the Adirondack League,, 
the Lumbermen’s Association and various other 
interests, and to employ the results of the work 
in drafting bills to be introduced into the Legis¬ 
lature at its next session. 
A conference was held on Wednesday of 
this week in New York city at which Chief 
Sauter, of the Metropolitan game protection dis¬ 
trict of the Conservation Commission met a num¬ 
ber of sportsmen to discuss the new Bayne- 
Blauvelt bill. A full discussion was had regard¬ 
ing the provisions of the law, the attitude of the 
commission and of the sportsmen's clubs and 
other parties interested in the breeding and sale 
of game in New York State. 
r, 
Instead of having disposed of the troublesome 
question of the status of trade representatives,, 
as they thought they had done a year ago, the 
anglers’ casting clubs find themselves facing a 
live issue. The situation is an unfortunate one 
for the National Association, the clubs affiliated 
with it, and the anglers of the country in general. 
« 
The Senate of the United States on Monday 
last ratified the pelagic sealing treaty which was 
signed on July 7 by representatives of the Gov¬ 
ernments of Japan, Great Britain, Russia and the 
Lhiited States. When the three other govern¬ 
ments shall have approved the convention, its 
terms will be made public. 
* 
Professors E. C. Starks and Haro’d Heath and 
other members of the Stanford University party 
who went to Brazil several months ago, returned 
home early this week. They collected a large 
number of specimens and traversed portions of 
the coast that are but little known to scientists. 
* 
When the Missouri Legislature failed to oust 
Game Commissioner Tolerton, against whom no 
charges could be found, it enacted a law intended 
to prevent him from receiving a salary for his 
excellent work. The Supreme Court of that 
State has declared the law unconstitutional. 
e? 
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is con¬ 
sidering plans for a State game refuge in Perry 
county in which quail and wild turkeys will 
thrive. 
