Forest and Stream 
NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 23 , 1908 
1 VOL. LXX.—No. 21. 
1 No. 127 Franklin St., New York, 
A WEEKLY JOURNAL. 
Copyright, 1908, by Forest and Stream Publishing Co. 
George Bird Grinnell, President, 
Charles B. Reynolds, Secretary. 
Lotts Dean Speir. Treasurer. 
127 Franklin Street, New York. 
THE OBJECT OF THIS JOURNAL 
will be to studiously promote a healthful interest 
in outdoor recreation, and to cultivate a refined 
taste for natural objects. 
—Forest and Stream, Aug. 14, 1873. 
| - 
OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. 
One of the most important meetings ever held 
in this country occurred last week at W ashington. 
President Roosevelt called together the gover¬ 
nors of the several States to meet him, and con¬ 
sider the general question of the conservation 
of the natural resources of this country. 1 he 
invitation was accepted, and a large number of 
governors and delegates attended. The result 
of the meeting cannot be other than beneficial 
to the whole country. It is likely to cause a 
general awakening to the threatening conditions 
which confront us. 
The story of American wastefulness and wan¬ 
ton destruction of natural things is a familiar 
one and needs no repetition. Nevertheless even 
to-day—though necessarily to a less extent than 
formerly—the old policy of selfish destruction 
of thinking altogether of the present and very 
. little of the future—is being acted on. 
The matters which came up for consideration 
were the conservation of the forests, the rivers 
and the soil. W r ith these must also be considered 
the most important matter of the purification of 
our waterways, now too often transformed into 
mere drains to carry away waste material, which 
itself is often of value and ought in part to be 
returned to the soil. This use of our streams 
and rivers, from which drinking water and ice 
are often taken, is a shocking menace to health 
and destroys fish life, and so deprives the public 
of a valuable food supply. 
The fundamental question to he met is that 
of forest preservation, for on the forests de¬ 
pend many of the things on which depends also 
the prosperity of the country. 
Without forests we cannot have long navi¬ 
gable rivers, and without long navigable rivers 
we cannot have cheap water transportation. 
Without the forests—without something to bind 
together the particles of the soil—we cannot 
have agricultural success, for the fertile soil 
whi^h grows our crops will ultimately be swept 
away into the rivers, making them shallow and 
impossible of navigation. Without soil the 
crops cannot grow. Without crops, for our own 
consumption, and to sell to other citizens, our 
commerce must necessarily decline and our 
wealth grow less, so that the whole future of 
the American people will be endangered. Our 
game lives in the forests, just as our fish live 
in pure waters. 
President Roosevelt has well said, “There ts 
no other question now before the nation of equal 
gravity with the question, of the conservation 
of our natural resources; and it is the plain duty 
of us who for the moment are responsible, to 
take inventory of the natural resources which 
have been handed down to us, to forecast the 
needs of the future and so to handle the great 
sources of our prosperity as not to destroy in 
advance our hope of the prosperity of our de¬ 
scendants.” 
THE LONDON TOURNAMENT. 
If the preliminary programme of the London 
fly- and bait-casting tournament, to be held in 
July, is adopted and the rules strictly enforced, 
it is doubtful if any Americans will take part. 
American anglers who have read and dis¬ 
cussed the rules are disappointed, for they had 
entertained the hope that the conditions would 
be so arranged that, should they go to London 
to compete in the various events, as some of 
them had intended to do, they would be allowed 
to use the rods and tackle admitted in all similar 
contests on this side of the Atlantic, and would 
have an opportunity to compare results with 
their English cousins. But the rules are so rigid 
that our best tournament casters must either 
change their style to conform to them, or be 
disqualified. In other words, should a contestant 
win an important event, the judges may refuse 
to allow any one of his casts to be scored if in 
their opinion it be not “a fishing ' cast, and they 
can also disqualify him later on for some inno¬ 
cent infringement of these voluminous rules. 
In tournament casting in America it is con¬ 
ceded that in order to send a fly or a lure to 
the furthest possible distance, style and grace 
are partially overlooked, but the few of our 
best casters who depend upon muscle rather 
than skill do not average so well as they might. 
In the accuracy casting, however, form is not 
lost sight of, and in events of this kind fishing 
conditions are observed. 
The National Association of Angling Clubs, 
composed of nearly all of the large angling clubs 
in America, has labored assiduously for a long 
time in an effort to improve tournament cast¬ 
ing. and to make rules that will be observed by 
all American casting clubs. In view of the popu¬ 
larity of the pastime, and its wide increase 
throughout the country, it was hoped that the 
forthcoming London tournament would be so 
arranged that the results to be attained there 
might be compared with those of our own simi¬ 
lar affairs. Not that the Englishman should 
copy after us, but rather that the conditions be 
made as similar as may be practicable, in order 
that in time all competitions of this sort, whether 
held in Australia, England, France or America, 
may be governed by uniform rules. 
MAPS. 
We receive so many requests for information 
regarding maps of fishing, canoeing and other 
regions that it seems advisable to reprint direc¬ 
tions for obtaining them. 
If it is desired to obtain sectional maps of 
a certain region in the United States, write t<> 
the Geological Survey, Washington, D. C., and 
ask for a free guide map of the State in which 
the region lies. This map shows all of the sur¬ 
veyed and mapped portions of that State, each 
quadrangle being named. Select thE quadrangles 
covering the region to be visited, and write to 
the Geological Survey, giving the list, and for 
each one inclose five cents in coin; no other 
form of payment will be accepted. 
Excellent maps of a number of States can 
be procured from the respective game and fish 
commissions. Maps of Canadian resorts can 
be obtained from the Railway and Swamplands 
Department at Ottawa. The New Brunswick 
Tourist Association, which is under the aus¬ 
pices of the St. John Board of Trade, will mail 
maps and information regarding rivers of that 
Province if requested to do so. It is in St. 
John. The Reid Newfoundland Company, St. 
Johns, N. F., will furnish maps, etc., showing 
the fishing and canoe routes in that island. 
Many of the railways are now following the 
excellent plan of issuing guide books with accu¬ 
rate maps, giving distances from the terminals 
to the various waters, and distances from local 
towns; guide, boat and hotel charges, and much 
useful data. 
If these or other sources of information do 
not satisfy our friends, we will be glad to re¬ 
ceive word from them to that effect, as in the 
majority of cases we can assist them in obtain¬ 
ing accurate information. 
One of the chief items in the expense account 
of anglers and hunters who wish to take their 
own canoes with them on vacation trips is the 
tariff on boats. After many years it seems there 
is an inclination on the part of the railways to 
reduce the rates on canoes and small boats, and 
thus invite rather than discourage taking such 
useful things as part of the passenger’s outfit. 
Some railways have made concessions on short 
hauls on local trains, but usually these are roads 
that parallel a popular water course, and their 
week-end patrons take their canoes with them to 
certain points from which they return by water, 
fishing or camping along the way. Trunk lines, 
however, seldom permit the. carriage of small 
boats in baggage cars, pleading lack of room. 
Those that have equipped their cars with over¬ 
head racks for small boats disprove this theory, 
and it would seem that in time the policy of 
these companies will be made more favorable 
to parties of canoeists and campers. 
