503 
FOREST AND STREAM 
April 20, 1912 
Trout in Pennsylvania Waters. 
Wellsboro, Pa., April 12.—Editor Forest and 
Stream: Fish Commissioner Cox, who resides 
here, made a tour of the mountain trout 
streams in this vicinity some weeks ago to as¬ 
certain the condition of the waters. He found 
that there was abundance in them all. That 
the spring water did not freeze solid, but on 
account of its purity, rapid movement and 
abundance had prevented any such trouble in 
the small streams, but in big streams like Pine 
Creek, in places only, solidity prevailed. 
He believes that as far as small streams are 
concerned the winter was favorable for trout. 
The continued ice coating prevented kingfishers, 
minks, otters and ’coons from plying their craft, 
and trout will be as abundant as ever. 
He has differed with the head of the commis¬ 
sion in regard to the planting of such small 
fry. He makes a stand for sizeable trout, at 
least fingerlings, those able to run, hide and 
defend themselves from their carnivorous 
brethren. The former chief commissioner 
planted trout in the spring which had not shed 
their sacs, but this Commissioner Cox holds is 
wasted energy. He also believes in fall plant¬ 
ing after the season closes. The ice protects 
the trout from marauders, they grow, become 
acclimated and by another year are of legal size. 
He is against planting them too large, be¬ 
cause he holds that after they are accustomed 
to coming to the surface, like a flock of 
chickens, to get the liver fed by the hatcheries, 
that they lose their native shyness and instead 
of running and hiding on sight of humans, fol¬ 
low along greedily, taking bait, fly, or any 
clumsy contrivance in a most lubberly and un¬ 
trout-like fashion and are soon caught out. 
The fish laws of Pennsylvania are enforced as 
never before, almost to the degree of asperity. 
With the disappearing of the lumber industry are 
going the saw mills, the tanneries and acid fac¬ 
tories, all of which have done so much to de¬ 
plete fishing. There has been very vigorous 
planting every year, but despite of all of these, 
the trout fishing has not increased as it should. 
And of course there is a reason. 
Some allege that it is because such small trout 
have been planted at the wrong time of year. 
Unable to care for themselves, they are gulped 
down by the hundreds; or high waters in the 
spring carry them down stream to their fate. 
For several years, Leonard Harrison of this 
place has maintained a private trout hatchery at 
Four-Mile Run near here, propagating both 
brook trout and Californias. The latter he has 
planted in the big streams because it is a well 
known fact that they can stand warmer water 
than the native brook trout and the others in 
the small brooks or runs. He is expert on 
trout hatching and raising, and his theories of 
course are entiled to great weight.' He believes 
that brook trout should be planted at the very 
heads of streams, if possible in the springs 
which supply them just as soon as they shed 
their sacs; that they thrive where conditions are 
right. 
He holds that hatchery fed trout never re¬ 
cover from their civilization and are caught out 
easily. That after the habit is once established, 
they lose the very qualities with which nature 
has endowd them for their protection, and 
greedily take anything that bears the least re¬ 
semblance to food. 
He has planted hundreds of thousands of 
trout annually in streams of this vicinity gratu¬ 
itously, just to improve the fishing, but he is 
going to abandon his hatchery, for no matter 
how vigorous the planting, it is barren of re¬ 
sults. This he ascribes to the depletion of the 
timber which lets the sun into the water, warm¬ 
ing it to a temperature that trout cannot pos¬ 
sibly, survive. 
Tests of Four-Mile Run, on which the hatch¬ 
eries are located, and before the removal of 
the timber one of the most ideal streams in 
the country, during the extreme warm weather 
last year during low water, showed it to be 73 
degrees, while 70 degrees is deemed fatal to 
trout.* Until these lands, recently stripped of 
their heritage of timber, now passed fortunately 
into the hands of the State Forestry Commis¬ 
sion, are reforested by nature and science so 
they will grow shade sufficient to protect the 
water from the sun’s rays as of yore, add pre¬ 
vent its high temperature, Mr. Harrison is con¬ 
vinced that further planting will be futile and 
will probably indulge no more in it. 
William Lincoln Shearer. 
*Miich depends on the character of the water. Trout 
■will live in water whose temperature is 75 to 80 degrees, 
provided it is well aerated.— Editor. 
Kansas City Bait- and Fly-Casting Club. 
Kansas City, Mo., April ^.—Editor Forest 
and Stream: At our recent annual meeting, 
N. F. Noland was elected President; U. H. 
Hosterman, Vice-President; C. H. Cheney, Cap¬ 
tain; Messrs. F. B. Robinson, W. L. Rock and 
E. M. Meier, Directors for 1912. 
Mr. Bramhall brought up the subject of a 
challenge trophy, and we decided to offer a 
solid silver cup open to challenge by any mem¬ 
ber of the N. A. S. A. C. A committee is 
drawing up rules, etc., which I will outline to 
you in due time. Our club is in a most flour¬ 
ishing condition, every member a caster and 
an angler. The Park Board has promised us a 
couple more platforms and a shelter house, and 
before the season is over we hope to see Spring 
Valley Lake an ideal casting pool. 
Geo. L. Robirds, Secretary. 
An Insect Repellent. 
Worcester, Mass., March 29 . —Editor Forest 
and Stream: I have just returned from a two 
months’ trip in the South, one month of which 
I spent fishing in Florida. On my return home 
I spent the first few evenings in reading the 
back numbers of Forest and Stream which had 
accumulated during my absence. 
In your issue of Dec. 30 a correspondent asks 
for information as to insect pests, etc. Per¬ 
sonally I have never been greatly troubled by 
any bugs, insects or flying things except mos¬ 
quitoes and redbugs. To protect myself from 
the mosquitoes I use a repellent that is the best 
of any I have ever seen. I have used it for 
black flies and mosquitoes in Maine and Canada 
and find it works equally well in Florida. Here 
is the formula: Vaseline, 3 ounces; camphor 
gum, 14 ounce; oil pennyroyal, 2 drams; oil 
lavender, i dram; carbolic acid, 10 drops. 
As to the redbugs I doubt if there is any way 
to keep them off, but if one is bitten by them, 
most any oil or grease will give relief. My 
guides use kerosene oil and it works well. One 
of my sons was in Panama for two years and 
he and his companions used wheel grease, but 
the suriest way to kill the bug (which buries 
under the skin) is to use ether. I carry a small 
bottle in my kit and an application of ether on 
absorbent cotton is an infallible remedy. 
Charles A. Allen. 
Anglers’ Club of New York. 
The first step toward the accomplishment of 
one of the original intentions of the charter 
members of the Anglers’ Club of New York 
has been taken. This is the securing of a home 
for the club. A comfortable room has been 
secured at 50 West Seventy-seventh street, which 
is used as headquarters, and where members can 
store their casting outfits if they so desire. It 
is but a short distance from the club platform 
on the large lake in Central Park near the 
Seventy-seventh street entrance, and as there is 
a restaurant on the premises, the arrangement is 
convenient for members. 
The club recently purchased a four-ounce, a 
five-ounce, a nine-ounce and a salmon fly-rod; 
a bait-casting rod, with lines, reels and all neces¬ 
sary equipment for the rods. These are kept at 
headquarters and may be taken to the lake for 
practice by any member, provided he returns 
them at the end of his practice. 
As a member may permit his friends to prac¬ 
tice with these rods, and as they are accessible 
to all, the plan is working well, for it encour¬ 
ages those who do not own rods of certain types 
to practice with them and in this way obtain all¬ 
round practice. Practice with surf rods is not 
permitted on the club platform because of its 
proximity to walks and seats in the park. 
A Casting Tournament Proposed. 
A movement is on foot in Washington to 
arrange for a fly- and bait-casting tournament 
to be held there in the near future. We have 
made the suggestion to the promoters—the W. 
F. Roberts Company, 1413 New York avenue— 
that a club be organized and affiliation with the 
National Association arranged for. If anglers 
residing in Washington will communicate with 
William P. Bowie of that firm, no doubt the 
matter can be arranged. There are many ang¬ 
lers in that city who .doubtless would be glad 
to join such a club, not only for the practice, 
but to become acquainted with other anglers. 
Casting Club of France. 
In the tournament held on March 28-31 in 
Paris, strong winds prevented the making of 
any records in fly-casting. With the 70 gramme 
weight M. Decantelle cast 9814 metres, and M. 
Weissmann cast 624 metres with the 15 gramme 
weight. 
