April, 1918 
FOREST AND S T 11 E A M 
233 
AMD 
W. P. P., Richmond, Va.: 
Kindly tell me what is the best substance 
to put inside of a gun cabinet to absorb the 
moisture and thereby keep the guns from 
rusting? Calcium carbide, calcium chlo¬ 
ride, glycerine and gum camphor all have 
been suggested. I would thank you for 
your opinion in this matter. 
Ans.—Any of the above mentioned would 
do very well. The best insurance is plenty 
of a good, heavy gun oil applied liberally 
to all metal and exposed parts. Your guns 
should be gone over very frequently and 
given a careful oiling. Frequently means 
at least once a month. 
D. H., Rockford, Mich.: 
Will you kindly answer the following 
questions in the next issue: 
(1) I have a 12 gauge double barrel 
shotgun. Can you give me any idea as 
to its value? The description is as fol¬ 
lows: On one side of the lock plate is the 
name “Janssen Sons & Co.” and on the 
other is the name of the gun, “The Inter¬ 
changeable.” It is also a hammer gun. 
G'n the top of the left barrel are the words 
CHOKED BORED and on the rib between 
the barrels are the words “Belgium Fine 
Damascus Finish.” And the number of 
the gun is 1624. 
(2) I ALSO have a 410-44 Cal. single 
barrel shotgun. Is this gun heavy enough 
for hunting small game such as are found 
around the vicinity of Grand Rapids? Will 
this gun shoot a solid bullet, and what are 
the penetrations of each? Also give me 
full particulars on same. 
Ans.—(1) The gun that you mention No. 
1 is probably valued at about $30.00. We 
cannot give you the positive information 
without examining the weapon, but that is 
the average price of Belgian made guns. 
(2) The gun is not heavy enough for 
hunting small game. You will need at least 
a 20 gauge for the work you mention. If 
this gun is cylinder bored you can shoot a 
solid bullet, if it will drop through the 
barrel easily from breech to muzzle. If 
the gun is choked bored it will be possible 
to shoot a ball that will pass through the 
muzzle. 
We advise you, however, to obtain a rifle 
if you want to shoot bullets. 
F. L. G., Conn.: 
In one of Mr. Hulit’s recently articles he 
speaks of “chumming.” Will you kindly 
explain what this method of fishing is? 
Ans.—“Chumming” is a favorite method 
of fishing for striped bass and bluefish. 
The bait used is menhaden, called some¬ 
times mossbunkers or bony fish. The line 
should be attached to a knobbed or needle¬ 
eyed O’Shaughnessy hook and a turn taken 
over the upper end of the bait, which is 
cast to a distance of 75 or 100 feet into 
the sea, then slowly reeled up again for 
another cast. The upper part of the men¬ 
haden, which is useless for bait, should 
be chopped very fine and thrown out to 
attract the fish. This is called “Chum¬ 
ming.” A thumb stall should be used to 
prevent injury when checking the fish, 
which is done by pressing the thumb on the 
reel with more or less force. When the 
fish is killed care should be taken to yield 
to the motion of the surf when reeling in, 
or the line will break. Use a good, long 
handled gaff for large fish. 
John W., Georgia: 
Through your Seneca’s Answers columns, 
will you please tell me the best way to 
separate a pack of fighting dogs? 
Ans.—Choking off, dousing with water, 
etc., will sometimes answer, but very 
game dogs will hang on, even under a 
pump, and choking off is sometimes some¬ 
what dangerous. A certain means is show¬ 
ering something over the dogs that will 
produce sneezing. Be his will ever so 
good, the motion of sneezing involuntarily 
opens his jaw. Pepper answers very well, 
but snuff is probably the best, as it can be 
used ad libitum, and will certainly produce 
the effect if enough is used. 
W. T., Tennessee: 
I would appreciate your kindness if you 
will explain very simply the nautical ex¬ 
pressions “three bells,” “four bells,” etc.? 
Ans.—The day at sea begins at 12 o’clock 
noon, when eight bells are struck, by sets 
of two, one, two rapidly following each 
other, then a pause of 3 seconds, then one, 
two again, and so on. Three bells would 
be struck, one, two, one, two—one; four 
bells, one, two—one, two. At 12.30 P. M. 
one bell is struck, at 1 P. M. two bells, 
and one bell more every half hour until 
4 P. M., when it is eight bells again. It is 
then repeated, the next eight bells coming 
at 8 P. M., the next at midnight and so on. 
P. H. C., Pittsburgh, Pa.: 
Is there any method of correcting a dog 
of gun shyness? 
Ans.—Sportsmen generally seem to agree 
that a gun shy dog is hopeless. It has 
been found that patience and kindness will 
effect a cure. Try exercising the dog, al¬ 
ways carrying a gun, and after a bit while 
near the dog fire a few shots from a .22 
rifle, increasing the size of the cartridge 
gradually up to the standard shotgun load. 
Q.—Is an automatic or autoloading shot¬ 
gun prohibited in Pennsylvania? 
Ans.—Yes. 
Q.—What is the penetration of the 45 - 7 ° 
Government rifle and accurate to what 
distance? -■ 
Ans.—The penetration in white pine is- 
20 inches at 10 yards, 17 inches at TOO' 
yards, 12 inches at 200 yards, 9 inches at 
500 yards. The accuracy range of the 
45-/0 cartridge is about 500 yards. 
Q.—Should the firing pin of a shotgun be 
tapered to a point or blunt at end? 
Ans.—The firing pin in a shotgun is- 
usually tapered off to a blunt point, that 
is to say, the point is not fine. 
Q.—Which of the following guns is best 
for ground hogs, the .22, .25 or 45-70? 
Ans.—The .22 or .25 will be found sat¬ 
isfactory. 
Q.—Do they (ground hogs) make a very 
palatable dish ? 
Ans.—They are eaten by some people. 
Q.—When should they be killed and 
where can I get details as to dressing, etc. ? 
Ans.—In the Spring. Ask any hunter 
or farmer for details regarding dressing. 
L. M. M., New York: 
What is the best way to preserve a catch 
of trout? 
Ans.—If trout are carefully dressed they 
may be preserved several days fresh and 
sweet, without ice or salt, by wrapping them 
in the long white moss found in the swamps 
in the vicinity of the lakes and streams 
where trout are caught, and placing them 
in a cool, shady place; a hole in the ground 
covered over with a foot or more of earth 
is a good place. 
F. T. M., Dumont, N. J.: 
I have a dog that chases and kills the 
neighbors’ chickens. I have tried to break 
him of it, but have failed, as I am not. 
home very much. Am greatly attached to 
him although he is not a valuable animal. 
I dislike to keep him chained. 
Ans.—If your dog kills chickens he can 
make you very unpopular in a suburban 
town where so many people try to raise; 
poultry. Have you tried the following 
plan to break him of the habit? Slap him 
several times with the chicken he has killed, 
and make him understand he has done 
wrong. Then pass the chicken’s legs each 
side of the dog’s neck and tie the feet to¬ 
gether so that the chicken hangs under his 
chin. Leave it on him all day. This ought 
to break a puppy of the habit. 
If it is necessary to keep the dog chained, 
drive two stakes as far apart as your yard 
will permit. String wire between the 
stakes, attach the dog’s chain to the wire 
by a sliding ring, and he can run from one 
end of the yard to the other and obtain 
plenty of exercise without having an op¬ 
portunity to get into mischief away from 
home. 
