278 
De 
FOREST AND STREAM. 


We got one more deer that morning and then set our 
faces toward the house, where we arrived about one o’clock. 
After dinner we loaded our game upon the cart and set out 
for Jim’s, arriving in time to prepare one of the deer for 
supper. 
The next morning I left Jim’s house for the village, and 
having been disappointed at not getting a buck among our 
deer, nailed a fine pair of antlers on the head of the largest 
doe before putting it on the sleigh. This proved a source 
of no small amusement, as many ejaculations of admiration 
were bestowed on the ‘‘fine buck” we carried—and the 
fifteen miles between Jim’s and the village passed all too 
quickly. 
Years have passed since then, and many times have I in- 
haled the balsamic air of the pine forests since I trod their 
depths in company with Jim, but never have their emerald 
reeds responded more sweetly to the wind or their balsams 
distilled a richer fragrance than on the day on which I 
killed my first deer. TRANSIT. 
AVoodland, Zawn and Garden. 
WINDOW, OR 



PARLOR GARDENING. 

INTRODUCTORY—CHAPTER NO. 1. 
“Here stood a shattered archway, gay with flowers; 
And here had fallen a great part of a tower, 
While like a crag that tumbles from a cliff, 
And high above a piece of turret stair, 
Worn by the feet that now were silent— 
Monstrous ivy stems clasped the gray walls.” 
N one of his novels of life in our great cities, Charles 
Dickens graphically describes a narrow, dark street in 
London—a place where the bright and beautiful light of 
God’s sunshine seldom penetrates the humidity of the Lon- 
don fogs. Dark, damp, and uninviting, indeed, is the lo- 
eality. The poor—the very poor—dwell in this place, and 
in this very street hundreds of human beings are born, live, 
and die, and yet never leave their dismal abode—but sel- 
dom mix with any society save their own class. In this 
wretched locality, with all its squallidness, its misery and 
privations, there germinates the aspirations of a better, a 
higher, a more glorious life. ‘a 
Stranger, let us pause before this old stone building. 
Behold how the green moss tenaciously clings to its window 
caps, iis copings, and embrasures. Now cast your eye far 
up to those diamond-shaped windows. The windows are 
small, and a few hours’ sunshine—from one to three hours 
perhaps in a week—illumines the darkness of this ‘‘Goin- 
er’s Court,”’* and yet see how beautifully those rose plants, 
the ivy, and carnations glow and bask in those few mo- 
ments of sunshine. A1e they not lovely? The signet of 
beauty is set upon the passiflora that with clinging tendrils 
finds security and sustenance in its quiet recess, from which 
it so gracefully depends. 
From those silent, inanimate blossoms of earth we turn 
our eyes up to a second window, upon a level with the one 
we have contemplated, and here, too, under circumstances 
of still more abject poverty, a white arm extends in a bro- 
ken teapot of earth a magnificent spécimen of the gera- 
nium in full bloom. Setting it carefully upon a shelf cut- 
side the window, our fair owner carefully waters her pet 
plant, and after contemplating the same with evident plea- 
sure (for said she to herself, ‘Show beautiful God has made 
all things, even these flowers”) she with a pleasant smile 
closed the window and disappeared. 
How beautiful, how full of pleasure to our London 
maiden was her one solitary geranium. What a lesson of 
resignation, of quiet submission to outward circumstances, 
does she exhibit. Contented with her lot, she takes thank- 
fully what the good God gives her with a gratefulness of 
heart. Welland truly could she appropriate to her own 
condition the lines— 
“For though this cannot be our rest, 
Life’s roughest paths have still their flowers.” 
The least acute observer of Nature will find but few vio- 
lets among the ruddy clover fields; neither do the harebells 
and heather grow amid the fogs of London city as they did 
in Shakspeare’s time; yet here and there grows a plant that, 
“standing like Ruth among the golden corn,” not only re- 
conciles us to the destiny of our lives, but introduces to us 
from its humblest and most primitive state, its first rude 
attempt, the costly, well-stocked jardiniere, the pride and 
boast of Paris. 
Passing from the first and most primitive form of ‘‘win 
dow gardening’”’—the solitary geranium in the hands of our 
London maid—we would endeavor to make the following 
papers both practical andinteresting. At the period of our 
writing (1873) the subject of window and parlor gardening 
may truly be called one of the fine arts. Every one, toa 
certain extent, loves flowers, and many more would cultivate 
them in their rooms if they ‘‘knew how to do so success- 
fully,” said one of our lady friends, and she added, ‘‘Of 
what use is it to try to do what you do not how know to 
do? Lreadily admit it to be one of the most elegant, sat- 
isfactory, and refining pursuits that a lady can find for the 
development of a cultivated taste; but still, while I may 
love all the beautiful I behold in the wonderful sport of 
plant life, I lack the true knowledge of how to cuitivate, 
how to produce these results.” . 
This question, with your permission, we propose to an- 
swer. This information, plain, practical, and easily to be 
adopted to the various situations in which it is desirable to 

*Coiner’s Court is a dark, damp, short street in London, inhabited on 
its lower floors by poor citizens, rag pickers, &c., while the more eleva- 
ted rooms are occupied by seamstrcsses and shop girls, who, nothwith- 
standing their poverty, still maintained a love of flowers and refinement. 
grow plants, together with the plants best adapted to the 
different situations, will make the subject matter of two 
or three papers in the Forrest AND STREAM. 
And first we shall speak of the simplicity of window 
gardening. From a very small beginning—some three or 
four plants only—how much pleasure may be received; 
how much real profitabie instruction gained or imparted. 
If the one solitary shell on the sea shore is but the mute 
development of a great mystery, how much more so is that 
tiny, living, growing plant you hold in your hand? How 
great the mystery of its unfoldmg leaves; how grand the 
design as exhibited in the pushing of the leaves from even 
a bulb! Asan evidence of its refining powers, one need 
not visit European cities and villages to see its effects upon 
the commonest peasantry. 
In Paris, before the late war, might be seen the grand- 
est developments of window gardening, elaborated and per- 
fected in all its parts by this mercurial people. One would 
hardly expect to witness so intensified a love of flowers as 
is here daily exhibited. The flower girls of Paris make 
often not inconsiderable sums of money in a single season 
by the sale of the violet alone, which they cultivate them- 
selves in their highest perfection in their window ow jardens, 
and in Paris it is not an uncommon thing to see as an ap- 
pendage to the drawing-room of men of only ordinary 
means a collection of very rare and beautiful plants. Here 
in the windows of the parlors, shut off by an. inside win- 
dow, may be seen a miniature cascade of water flowing 
down over rockwork which is alive with the lycopodium, 
the ferns, aud the cakas, all afforded at a very trifling 
expense. In some instances rare and picturesque develop- 
ments, which belong rather to the out-of-door depart- 
ment of the landscape gardener, surprise and delight 
one in our window gardens. From the most simple, rustic, 
or plain crock beautiful flowers and star-like rays rise to 
cheer and gladden the chilly months of winter. From the 
more advanced and progressive works of the cultivation of 
the orchid, the crocus, the tulip, and oxalis of many kinds, 
our knowledge of the chemistry of the soils, and knowl- 
edge of how to produce these beautiful flowers with ease, 
give us a pleasant surprise. Said alady, ‘‘Sir, I have raised 
very fine hyacinth flowers in the spring, the result of your 
teaching me to how to plant them in-the fall.” Now this 
all appears very simple; indeed, it is very easily done if a 
due regard to the details of the process be carefully ob- 
served. Growing flowers under difficulty is shown by the 
window gar@tn process, and that, too, to great perfection 
in the dampest, dirtiest, and most smoky portions of all our 
great cities. We have numerous notes and observations 
under our hand, which we shall use in illustration of the 
feasibility of successful and also profitable window gar 
den plant growing. 
In our next we shall speak of the simpler forms of win- 
dow, ot box plant growing, and the few kinds best adapted 
for the amateur beginner to commence operations with. 
OLLIPOD QUILL. 
glatural | History. 
SALEM, Mass., Dec. 4, 1873. 
Epitor Forest AND STREAM:— 
Iam gunning whenever work and weather will permit, 
mostly after shore-birds and sea-fowl, using heavy guns and 
a float, or as they call them south (if one instance, to my 
knowledge), ‘‘a mean Yankee sneak-box.” During the 
past year I have taken several rare birds, and all within the 
County of Essex. They are as follows, according to Coues: 
The stilt sandpiper, quite rare; the buff-breasted do., very 
rare; the curlew sandpiper, very rare and accidental from 
Europe; the yellow rail, very rare; and also the mallard, 
the hooded merganser, and the cormorant, (graculus carbo). 
I think I am in luck, as they make valuable acquisitions to 
a collection which T have. I have also taken all of the cur- 
lews, but never one weighing 34 lbs., as C. B. writes fr>m 
Mockhorn Island, Va. Tell him if he gets another Jack 
Curlew as large as that T'll mount it and return the same to 
him free of charge. I know that local terms confound 
sportsmen more than anything else, but the Jack Curlew, 
as I understand it, is the nwmenius Hudsonius or Hudso- 
nian Curlew of Dr. Coucs, a bird somewhat larger than the 
‘“‘oreater yellow legs,’ and I never saw a ‘‘sickle bill” 
which would weigh 3} lbs., and this bird is recognized by 
everyone whom I know as the largest of the three species 
of curlew found on our coast. Are ‘‘stiff tails” the ‘‘pin- 
tail duck? And what are “‘ broad bills?” Hoping to hear 
from you through your paper as the happy medium of cor- 
recting wrong ideas in the minds of brother sportsmen, 
Tam, yours truly, Rs: Ne 


DO SNAKES HISS ? 
— > 
EpitTor FoREST AND STREAM :— 
I have read with interest the question which has been 
| argued in your journal as to the habit of snakes swallowing 
their young, but although [ have scen the operation twice, 
Idid not care to mix in too rashly oh the question, as I 
wished to find out if there were more than one or two var- 
ieties of snake that did this, for I do not think the habit is 
common; and a better reason for saying nothing about it 
was that I could give no information about what I had 
seen. 
The first time that I saw it was in Warren County, N. Y. 
I was then a boy, and another boy who lived there said the 
snake was a viper. 
throat, killed and opened her and counted fifteen young 
We saw the young ones run down her_ 
ones; but whether they were in her stomach or a pouch 
designated for such purpose, we did not observe. 
The next and only time this subject ever came under my 
observaticn was when crawling ashore after an involuntary 
bath in the Grant River, Wis. I saw a snake swallow 
several young ones as they took alarm at my presence, but 
as my rifle was at the bottom of the river and my canoe 
just vanishing bottom up around a bend, it was not afavor- 
able moment for careful investigation. 
Having told what I don’t know about one branch of 
ophiology, I could easily go on and show my ignorance of 
the entire subject, which I will admit; and so omit the 
proof. 
I have made many experiments with snakes, both during 
and since boyhood, to see if it were possible to make them 
hiss. I began in faith, for I had so often read and heard of 
it; but a few failures begat a skepticism which has eventu- 
ally ripened into unbelief. 
T have tried them in many States of the Union, and have 
never yet heard a snake make a decided hiss, as a goose 
does. A snake looks as if it hissed when it threatens with 
its tongue, but such snakes, as it has been my fortune to 
meet, have all persistently refused to hiss at me. I do not 
wish to be understood as saying that an occasional experi- 
ment with snakes, common to New York, Mich., Minn., 
Ill., Wis., Iowa, and Kansas, has failed to prove it in my 
case. 
The rattlesnake I have often tried, and when I pick up 
some story of wonderful adventure with them, where ‘‘the 
hissing was loud and terrific,” I not only doubt the entire 
yarn, but set the writer down as deficient in woodcraft. 
In Wisconsin there isa snake known as the bullsnake, 
Coluber sayi, which I was informed was a ‘‘hisser,” so I 
captured one about five feet long and brought it six miles in 
a bag made out of my shirt and some cord. I put it ina box 
under the woodshed, being too tired to experiment that 
night, but the women made such a fuss abont it that some 
one killed it—women are so ‘‘queer.” 
This was the only chance I ever had to try this variety of 
snake—and this one did not hiss when captured. 
The belief that snakes do hiss seems to be so common 
that it seems as if there must be a foundation for it some- 
where, though I have failed to find it. Perhaps I don’t 
know how to make them do it; but I have poked, pinched 
and burned them, and hung them up and pinned them 
down, and if any of your readers will tell just what variety 
of snakes will hiss, and under what circumstances they do 
it, I will try and procure one and get some music out of 
him. 
I never met any one who had experimented in this 
direction, nor saw any meution of it in any scientific work. 
I have only found a firm belief that they hiss, which like 
many other beliefs, is accepted because uncontradicted. 
Having started this question, I expect to hear consider- 
able said on it; and hope to learn something about it, for I 
am always open to conviction. Frep. Matamr. 
Che Hennel. 
BREEDING DIsTiIncT SxrrERs.—The most important 
point in crossing different breeds of sporting dogs is to pay 
attention to the qualities and education of their forefathers. 
We never advocate the crossing of pointers with fox-hounds, 
&c., so as to increase the strength and endurance of the 
animal. All dogs so bred will invariably give great trouble 
in their education, from an hereditary inclination to act the 
hound instead of thepointer. There is quite variety enough 
in the present breeds of pointers to improve your kennel if 
you want any addition of bone, speed, or courage. We 
saw a young pointer thé other day, who was only just able 
to run out alone, point, and indeed back, as steadily and 
with as much certainty as an old dog, but this undoubtedly 
would not be the case had there being any cross whatever 
in his breeding. Always choose your crosses with dogs 
which show the strongest instinct, and whose ancestors 
have been remarkable for their scent on any given bird. For 
instance, select your puppies whose parents had shown 
most skill in trailing woodcock, or take a couple of setters, 
each having a wonderful ,reputation, excellent nose and . 
strong scent for woodcock, breed them, and the first time 
you take the puppies out, you will find almost to a certainty 
when you see the little beauties working, that they are ona 
woodcock trail. Originate this breed as it were, and stick 
to it, and on no account whatever allow a strain of any 
other dog to mingle with the original breed. When the 
breeding in and in has arrived at the fourth generation, 
procure and select with great care another young setter, 
strong and unequalled scent, to breed from. By this you 
will then have bred as perfect a breed of woodcock setters 
as can be obtained in animal life. There is certainly no 
class of dog in which this faculty is more decidedly shown - 
than in retrievers. Although a retriever is frequently of a 
cross-breed, yet, if his ancesters for one or two generations 
back have been well educated, and have had much practice 
in retrieving, he invariably requires little, if any, teaching, 
and appears to understand the whole of his business in- 
stinctively. The breeders and teachers of dogs would 
much facilitate their own labors did they pay more atten- 
tion to the dispositions and habits of the parents of the pup- 
pies whom they take in hand. One or two brace of per- 
fectly broken dogs, pointing and backing without fault, is 
a sight that must interest and amuse every person, whether — 
sportsman or not; yet, we prefer hunting our own brace of 
dogs and seeing them look to ourself wholly for direction 



.and approbation. » eres 



