Nov. 6, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
731 
such as that which he lives now. It is as free 
and independent as that of the tramp and as 
remunerative as any he could engage in. 
The best Maine gum comes from old trees 
:ar in the interior. The gum formed in one 
;eason on trees that have been purposely 
vounded is not nearly so good as that which 
las been formed slowly in the heart of the 
orests where sun, wind and storms have har- 
lened, purified and warmed it. This gum is 
ound in big nuggets of the purest gold or as 
ed as the campers’ fire, and it can be chiseled 
ff half a pound at a time. 
For the man who knows his forest by heart 
here is always the possible chance of making 
nds that add to the excitement of the quest, 
here is the record of one big spruce tree yield- 
)g twenty pounds of pure red gum, netting the 
icker $30, for it brought the highest market 
rice. On one side the bark had been riven by 
ghtning, and the sap had exuded and formed 
i globules from the base to the upper branches, 
nother find made by an old gum picker was in 
enobscot. The tree had split in a notch twenty 
feet from the ground, and in this space the gum 
had been collecting for years until a mass so 
big that it could not be forced into a peck meas¬ 
ure was obtained. 
The expert gum picker has his side lines, too. 
He is an expert with the rifle, and when he 
kills game for his food he does not overlook 
the fact that the skins may be of value. So 
frequently a gum picker will corral a lot of 
good furs for the market. But only the pelts 
of animals which bring a good price are gath¬ 
ered, for otherwise it pays better to load up 
the big moose sled with gum. 
Another by-product that these men are on 
the lookout for is birch bark of a rare kind. 
The big birches which yield bark free from 
knots and holes are scarce. The trees are pretty 
well cut down and only the small second growth 
ones are found. These do not yield satisfac¬ 
tory bark for a great many of the industries. 
Frequently it is necessary for the searchers to 
travel a hundred miles to find one birch tree 
that will yield the right kind of bark for a canoe 
hull. Naturally the gum picker who has an eye 
to the value of by-products does not let such 
a tree pass. 
Gum picking is a lonely trade, and one not 
followed by those socially inclined. Once 
started off on an extended expedition, the two 
pickers may not run across another soul for 
weeks at a time. When they do run across 
strangers they are suspicious, and they know 
that they are held in suspicion. The old forest 
trappers are the most suspicious of all woods¬ 
men in this region, and to be found camping 
in the vicinity of one of their' traps is tanta¬ 
mount to the admission of a crime. The trap¬ 
pers lose some game out of their traps, and they 
naturally accuse the gum pickers, hunters and 
lumberjacks of the theft. Hard words, blows 
and sometimes the shot from a rifle usually settle 
these difficulties. The safest way when fifty 
miles back in the woods is to avoid everybody 
else’s trail and hunting ground and sometimes 
that means tramping twenty miles around a 
square which somebody else has designated as 
his particular domain and now holds by right of 
occupancy. 
itional Audubon Societies’ Meeting. 
The fifth annual meeting of the National As- 
:iation of Audubon Societies was held at the 
,nerican Museum of Natural History, New 
;rk city, on Tuesday, Oct. 26. The meeting 
s called to order at 10:30 a. m. by President 
itcher. 1 he following persons were chosen 
numbers of the advisory board of directors: 
lph Hoffman, Massachusetts; David Starr 
dan, California; Robert W. Williams, Jr., 
■rida; Arthur H. Norton, Maine; Mrs. Kings- 
'1 Marrs, Florida; W. Scott Way, Maryland; 
ink M. Miller, Louisiana; John E. Thayer, 
1 ssachusetts; Abbott H. Thayer, New Hamp- 
re; Ruthven Deane, Illinois; Mrs. C. Grant 
Farge, New York; Prof. H. P. Atwater, 
cas > Carlton D. Howe, Vermont; Witmer 
>ne, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Mabel Osgood 
light, Connecticut; Amos W. Butler, Indiana; 
G. P. Wharton and E. H. Forbush, Massa- 
[setts; Wm. L. Finley, Oregon; Miss Katha- 
: H. Stuart, Virginia; Dr. T. S. Roberts, 
mesota; Col. Jos. H. Acklen, Tennessee, 
r. Jonathan Dwight, Jr., Treasurer; T. Gil- 
; Pearson, Secretary, and E. H. Forbush and 
1 1. L. Finley, Field Agents, read their several 
:>rts, which were duly placed on file, 
t the afternoon session the president read 
annual address to the association, and after 
j Clinton G. Abbott gave an illustrated lecture 
'-led, “Half-Holidays with the Birds.” 
ie treasurer’s report shows that the National 
■ xiation holds invested securities of $321,000 
1 cash and other property amounting to over 
>oo. Its income from members’ dues and 
ributions is about $8,000; from interest on 
investments over $16,000, and from sale of 
printed matter more than $800. Its expenses 
are for warden service, legislation, education, 
State Audubon societies and general expenses. 
The total receipts were $24,967.76 and the total 
expenses $23,690.37. 
The meeting of the board of directors of the 
National Association was held the same day at 
12:15 P- m. Directors were elected for the five 
classes from 1910 to 1914, inclusive. The presi¬ 
dent was authorized to renew contracts with 
various field agents and with counsel. A com¬ 
mittee was .appointed to prepare designs for 
certificates or medals or both, to be presented 
to life members and patrons. The committee is 
to report at the next meeting of the board. It 
was resolved that moneys from mortgages fall¬ 
ing due and paid should be reinvested in first 
mortgages on improved real estate in New York 
city. After some further business the meeting 
adjourned. 
We take the following pregnant paragraphs 
from the address of Mr. Dutcher, the associa¬ 
tion’s president. He says: 
“It is the chief function of this association 
to educate the whole mass of our fellow citizens 
regarding the value of wild birds and the inti¬ 
mate relation that exists between them and agri¬ 
culture. If we can devise some means of im¬ 
parting such knowledge to the whole mass of 
the people, we will most surely show them that 
it is to their interest to preserve birds; and when 
we have succeeded in doing this, the preserva¬ 
tion of the birds will surely follow. 
“No one can deny that the foundation of the 
wealth of this country is its agriculture and 
forestry. In just the measure that these indus¬ 
tries are hindered is the wealth of the country 
diminished. The last census (1900) gives the 
number of farms in the United States as 5,739,- 
657 . with an acreage of 841,201,506. Every acre 
harbors swarms of insect and rodent pests that 
destroy crops and cause enormous losses, amount¬ 
ing to over one billion dollars yearly. When 
we consider these figures, should we not realize 
the importance of educating the masses to the 
interrelation between wild life, especially wild 
birds, and agriculture and forestry? 
“It is vitally necessary that every agriculturist 
should know intimately the value of each species 
of birds, and just what its function is in the 
work of suppressing insect and rodent pests. 
When the tillers of the soil have learned these 
facts as well as they now understand the value 
of fertilizers, the rotation of crops, and the use 
of labor-saving devices, the work of the hus¬ 
bandman will be repaid far better than it now 
is, and much of the annual loss of one billion 
of dollars will be saved. 
“No matter what your daily vocation, as 
banker, manufacturer or tradesman, you are 
primarily dependent on the success of agricul¬ 
ture. When the crops are good, trade in all 
its many ramifications is flourishing, and on the 
contrary, when the crops fail, there is an imme¬ 
diate curtailing of trade, and we hear the well- 
known cry of ‘hard times.’ It has almost be¬ 
come axiomatic; successful agriculture means 
general prosperity. You see that you have an 
interest in advancing agriculture, and conse¬ 
quently should be willing to bear your part in 
our educational plans. 
“There are nearly six million farms in the 
United States, which means that at least that 
