March, 1923 
121 
in southern Virginia, western North Carolina, the 
northern portions of Tennessee and Arkansas, central 
Oklahoma, and northwestern Texas. In extreme south¬ 
ern South Carolina, south-central Georgia, northern 
Alabama, and south-central Texas, however, snow may 
be expected only on about one day during the winter. 
The relative protection usually afforded winter grains 
by snow cover in different sections of the country is 
shown by the number of days that the ground remains 
covered with snow. East of the Rocky Mountains the 
number of such days, not necessarily consecutive, de¬ 
creases with considerable regularity from more than 120 
in most of central and northern New England, the 
mountain districts of northern New York, northwestern 
Michigan, and the northern portions of Wisconsin, Min¬ 
nesota, and North Dakota, where the first snow is seen 
early in October, to 30 days in northern New Jersey, 
western Virginia, the southern portions of Ohio, In¬ 
diana, Illinois ,and central Missouri and Kansas, where 
i . it does not usually fall until after November 1st. South 
of Augusta, Ga., Birmingham, Ala., Vicksburg, Miss., 
and central Texas, the ground is covered with snow 
usually less than one day during the entire winter 
season. 
FIREARM REGULATION 
T HE public, so far, judging by the arguments which 
have been advanced for and against the passage 
of anti-firearm legislation, seems to have failed 
utterly to grasp the full iniquity of anti-firearm laws 
of the virulent type. The proponents of these statutory 
nostrums by which they tell us the crime wave is to 
be checked declare that only the criminal will be ham¬ 
pered. It is obvious, however, that while it is doubtful 
that any law will keep the thug—who cares nothing 
for law—from arming himself that these laws will pre¬ 
vent many peaceful householders and marksmanship 
enthusiasts who respect the law from possessing pistols 
and revolvers. 
The text of the many proposed anti-firearm laws 
which are being offered broadcast in the several State 
legislatures should be read carefully. Does the wording 
of the proposed statutes specifically limit its opera¬ 
tion to hand guns or weapons easily concealed, or are 
its provisions capable of being interpreted as covering 
all classes of firearms from the miniature watch-pocket 
pistol or revolver to a 16-inch coast defense gun? 
There are a few firearm-control bills which have 
sprung from honest, if misguided, efforts to keep 
weapons from criminals, and which have been drafted 
specifically to regulate the possession only of such 
weapons as are of practical use to law breakers in 
pursuit of their nefarious profession. Unfortunately the 
majority of anti-firearm bills, however, are so loosely 
drafted—it matters not whether purposely or uninten¬ 
tionally—that everything capable of propelling organic 
matter, from a hose to a howitzer, may be interpreted 
| as falling under the ban. 
A law which is not specifically limited to weapons 
easily concealed is capable of being interpreted to pre¬ 
vent the lawful possession of hunting weapons—rifles 
and shotguns—and wherever such a law is enacted, 
locally or nationally, it will not be long before some 
of the many reform fanatics will demand its enforce- 
ment to the full. 
y ou may be one of the many shotgun enthusiasts 
and hunters who have felt that so-called Sullivan laws 
could not affect you and hence have taken little or no 
interest in this controversy of nation-wide scope; have 
made no effort to see that the proper type of anti-fire¬ 
arm regulation is enacted or to prevent the passage of 
laws which seek directly and flagrantly to infringe the 
constitutional right of the American citizen to keep and 
bear arms. If you are it behooves you to get busy and 
write your* congressman. 
FIFTY YEARS OF NATIONAL PARKS 
N the Annual Report of the Director of the National 
Park Service for the year 1922, attention is called 
to the fact that the past year marked the fiftieth 
anniversary of the establishment of the Yellowstone 
National Park, and as such the first national park on 
earth. The report says: “The idea of national park 
conservation was first advanced by Cornelius Hedges, 
a pioneer Montanan, at a campfire discussion on the 
evening of September 19, 1870. The famous Wash- 
burn-Langford Expedition was just concluding its trip 
into the Yellowstone area after a little more than a 
month’s journeying of days filled with exhilarating sur¬ 
prises and had made camp for the night at the junction 
of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers. Discussion was 
entered into as to how the members could realize bene¬ 
fits from their exploration. Mr. Hedges said there ought 
to be no private ownership of any portion of that 
region but that the whole of it ought to be set apart 
as a great national park. The suggestion met with 
instantaneous and favorable response, and as a result 
of untiring work and concerted action Congress was 
persuaded to set the area aside two years later as a 
public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and 
enjoyment of the people. The national park idea has 
so seized the popular mind that from time to time 
since the creation of the Yellowstone, Congress, by 
special legislation, has set aside seventeen additional 
supreme scenic masterpieces for the exclusive enjoy¬ 
ment of the people as national parks, fifteen in Con¬ 
tinental United States, one in the Hawaiian Islands, 
and one in Alaska. The Hot Springs of Arkansas, first 
reserved in 1832, for public use, was created a national 
park in 1921.” 
A total of 1,216,490 persons were reported visitors to 
the national parks and monuments during the past year, 
an increase of 44,493 persons over the record travel of 
last year. This year’s total shows an increase of 881,691 
persons more than were recorded in the parks only 
seven years ago in 1915. The national parks are per¬ 
haps the most popular institutions fostered and devel¬ 
oped by the National Government to-day. 
JACK-RABBIT PESTS 
J ACK-RABBIT campaigns, conducted in four States 
by the Biological Survey, have been particularly 
effective during the past year. In Idaho, Washing¬ 
ton, Oregon, and Texas great numbers of jack-rabbits 
were destroyed by traps and poison. These rodents 
were unusually destructive to alfalfa, cotton, hay, musk- 
melon, lettuce, grain, and other crops. In 10 counties 
of Idaho 32,235 pounds of bait treated with 2,159 ounces 
of strychnine were used on 312,350 acres of land. By 
poisoning and by dri/es, 640,050 jack-rabbits, according 
to actual count, were destroyed in that State. In six 
counties in Washington 155,500 were reported killed, 
and in four counties of Oregon it is estimated that 
350,000 were destroyed. In three counties of Texas 
35,060 jack-rabbits were accounted for. 
In Utah an annual jack-rabbit drive is held and many 
animals are killed by the combined efforts of many 
hunters. A very good description of such a drive is 
printed on page 107 of this issue of Forest and Stream. 
