FLY TYING. 
“3 —_+— 
VERY angler should be able to tie flies neatly and 
securely, for aside from the additional pleasure he 
Willenjoy in taking trout with flies of his own tying, emergen- 
cies will often occur when a knowledge of the art will be 
of great advantage. Suppose, for instance, he is on the 
stream, far from any tackle store, and finds himself with- 
out a particular variety of fly, which he thinks would suit 
the fish. If he is a fly tyer he can construct one in a few 
minutes. and thus he can always suit the taste of the fish, 
no matter how often they may change their minds, and 
trout, like women, are very fickle; orif his stock of any 
favorite fly should run low, he can easily add to it. Be- 
sides this, it is far cheaper to tie flies than to buy them, a 
recommendation which will have more weight with many 
anglers than any other. The first thing for the would-be 
artist to do is to collect materials, and I will speak briefly 
of the most important: First, of course, is the hook; the 
best, in my estimation, is the O’Shaughnessy, which is as 
apt to hook the fish as any other, and it is certainly as con- 
venient in shape and as strong; the round bend is preferred 
by many, but I cannot see wherein it is superior to the 
O’Shaughnessy, in fact, I consider it from the shape itself 
inferior in strength. 
Gut suitable for tying trout flies can be obtained from 
any tackle dealer at about two dollars a hank of one “hun- 
dred strands. The materials chiefly used for bodies are 
floss silks of various shades, moreens, worsteds, peacock, 
and ostrich herls, and the fur or wool of various animals. 
Wings are made from the tail and wing feathers of hens, 
wild ducks, pigeons, blue jays, and many other birds; the 
under portion of a blue jay’s feathers furnishes a beautiful 
slate-colored wing, which is very effective on a coachman 
fly instead.of the ordinary white. Hackles, as every one 
knows, are found on the neck and rump of cocks; the prin- 
ciple colors are red, brown, black, white, and mottled grey; 
but the angler should collect them of as many hues as _pos- 
sible, being careful always to select those having the short- 
est fibres. When the beginner has obtained most of these 
articles, and has also supplied himself with a pair of small 
sharp scissors, a spool of fine brown sewing silk, and some 
shoemaker’s wax, he will be ready to commence operations. 
First, roll up your piece of gut—which if for a dropper, 
should he short and thick; if for a stretcher, long and fine— 
into a small coil, and fasten by passing one end through 
several times, leaving the end to which you intend to tie 
your fly projecting about an inch and a half; then carefully 
wax a piece of silk, wind it two or three times around the 
shank of the hook, and laying the gut along the shank, 
begin to wind a little distance from the top, and wind down 
to the end of the gut, which should now be below the bend. 
Then take the material you intend for the body, which, for 
convenience, I will suppose to be a piece of moreen or 
worsted; fasten in the end near the bend of the hook with 
a few turns of the silk, wind the latter around the shank 
towards the head, then take the morcen and wind it on 
carefully, avoiding all knots and lumps and making your 
body taper truly and increase in thickness toward the 
head; fasten the moreen down about an eighth of an inch 
from the end of the shank, and cut off the surplus. Now 
take a hackle, and drawing it lightly between your thumb 
d forefinger, bend back the fibres, except on the extreme 
tip. A good plan is to strip the stem up until only as many 
fibres are left as you wish to use; this will enable you to 
fasten off neatly. Then lay the hackle along the back of 
your fly with the putside of the feather uppermost, secure 
the tip with three turns of silk, and wind it carefully on so 
that the fibres will point downward and backward rather 
is tied on, and then when the body is completed, it is 
than forward; having fastened the hackle and cut off the 
unused portion, take a feather and cut out sufficient to 
make wings for your fly, then doubling it once or twice, 
hold it between the thumb and finger of your left hand in 
the proper position, taking care that it does not project 
back too far, and fasten it down securely, finishing off in 
this manner; lay the end of the wrapping silk along the 
top of the fly, the end pointing backward, and holding itin 
place with your thumb, take the slack and wind it over 
three times, then seize the end of the silk, draw it through 
tightly, see that the wings stand as they should, then cut 
off the surplus neatly, arrange the hackles, if they look too 
wild, cut off the wrapping silk, and anoint the head of your 
fly with a little shellac or copal varnish, and it is finished. 
Th making bodies of peacock herls, I usually fasten in 
several plumelets, twist them around the silk, and so wind 
them on, making the bodies thicker than with moreen or 
floss sulk. If the body is tipped with tinsel, it is done be- 
fore fastening in the dubbing. If it is to be ribbed with 
tinsel, the latter is fastened in before the dubbing and 
wound on afterward. In making hackles, the hackle itself 
is wound on more abundantly than for winged flies, and 
neatly fastened off with the knot described above. Palmers 
are made by tying on the hackle immediately after the gut 
wound diagonally around it to the head. 
Tf the angler follows these directions closely, and keeps 
a purchased fly before him as a copy to go by, I have no 
doubt that with a little practice he will succeed in tying 
flies, that will answer any purpose, but he will have need 
of patience, for time alone can give that dexterity to his 
fingers, which is most of all essential. 
‘ FERN Fy. 
ee 
THE RELATIVE MERITS OF PIN AND 
CENTRAL FIRES. 
—_@—_—— 
CINCINNATI, Jan., 12, 1874. 
Eprror Forest AND STREAM:— 
In your issue of January 1, ‘‘Pin Fire” asks to be en- 
lightened on the above named subject, and asks in particu- 
lar as to the superiority of the central fire. Noone as yet 
has undertaken the task. I have been waiting for an abler 
person than myself to answer him, but as no one has done 
so, I will try to point out as clearly as I can the desired in- 
formation. 
do this; now as I am a neutral, having guns of both kinds, 
perhaps I may not exactly be the person to perform the 
task, but, nevertheless, I will do the best I can. 
We will first consider the central fire cartridge. Its first 
advantage is the ease and rapidity with which it can be re- 
capped. After the old cap is removed the new one is as 
easily adjusted as on the old muzzle-loader nipples. It is 
also claimed that the central fire cap fits so tightly that 
none of the gas, which is always generated when powder is 
burnt, can escape, except through the muzzle. This gas 
« 
} | 
He asks some advocate of the central fire to , 

























FOREST AND STREAM. 
does escape in the pin fire around the pin. Another ad- 
vantage claimed is, that the central fire can be loaded with 
more rapidity, as there are no pins which have to be fitted 
in their socket, which is the case in the pin fire. The 
shells of the central fire are more conveniently carried, as 
there are no projections to tear your pocket or anything 
else they may’come in contact with. Safety is another 
prominent feature 0! the central fire cartridge, for the cap 
is inserted so deeply in the, head of the cartridge that no 
matter in what manner the cartridge may be dropped or 
thrown, it cannot explode. But it is different with the 
pin fire, although I never knew of but one instance where 
a pin fire exploded when so treated. A pin fire cartridge 
was dropped through a hatchway from the fourth story of 
a gun store to the cellar, and striking some iron exploded. 
These are the chief points claimed for the central fire. 
On the other side it may be said that a pin fire gun 1s the 
‘ safer of the two; because when there are cartridges in it, 
the pins are easily seen; and if either should be discharged 
the pin is driven in farther than before. Nothing like this 
can be found in the central fire, as there are no pins. In 
unloading hurriedly, the pins are a great aid to the shooter, 
as a slight pull is sufficient to extract the cartridge mine 
times out of ten. This is a great advantage for the pin 
fire, as you avoid all dependence on the numerous spriugs 
which nearly every ‘“‘extractor” requires. But supposing 
the springs would never break, (which is often the case, ) 
the extractor would sometimes fail, for there are imperfec- 
tious of the cartridge heads, which often allow the extrac- 
tor to pass by, leaving the cartridge immovably stucls in 
the chamber. Then a plummet is necessary to dislodge it, 
which sometimes only knocks the head off, anda ‘‘gupper” 
must be used. The question of the beauty of the two 
piecesis merely a matter of taste. ‘‘Gloan” in his excellent 
work, ‘‘The Breechloader,” says :— i 
«There are those who prefer the central fire as being the 
handsomest. They say that the line of the barrels is un- 
| broken, and that the contour of the gun is therefore the 
most graceful and pleasing. There are others, again, who 
declare a central fire looks barren, unfinished and shorn.” 
Having accomplished, in a slight degree, the task I com- 
menced, I now leave ‘Pin Fire” to draw his own conclu- 
sions as to the superiority of either gun, and close this letter 
with the parting advice: Dv not change your mind or 
your gun merely to be in the style. W. L. 
Woodland, Lawn and Garden. 
SHELTER PLANTING—NO. 8. 




N this series of communications no systematic treatment 
of the subject has been attempted, nor will any far- 
reaching or scientific theories be advanced. Such are very 
valuable, and will find many readers, whose earnest atten- 
tion they will command. ‘These informal articles are 
simply sent out on skirmish duty, as irregular militia, in 
advance of the main force that, armed with facts and sta- 
tistics, and clad in array of scientific nomenclature, is 
marching on, gathering recruits at every step, ¢ll eager to 
restore our wasted woodlands and avenge the cause of ex- 
hausted springs and leafless barrens. The first campaign 
of this army will, it is hoped, capture and hold as base of 
future operations the unsold parts of the Adirondack for- 
est, than which there isno more beautiful wood. There 
Nature is in full power, and happy are they who flee for a 
time from the smoke, din, and haste of man’s workshops 
to linger where the dainty and wonderful forms of tree, 
grass, and flower are produced in silence by the gentle 
forces of air, sunlight, and dew from the cloudless sky. 
It is indeed a place for rest of mind. The brain that has 
become weary from guiding, arranging, and urging on 
projects that half the time defeat themselves when brought 
to an exhaustive end, can but find infinite relief when all 
goes on in endless harmony, with no care for the morrow, 
and no struggle against forces that are antagonistic; where 
even ruin and decay, as they come in due time, are but 
steps to newer works, for the dead leaves cover and nour- 
ish the frail ferns and flowers, and fallen trunks are made 
beautiful in their slow decay by mosses, lichens, and vines. 
There is no suggestion of wearing thought, of disap- 
pointing combinations, or of eventual failure; the work 
going on costs no sleepless hours, no aching head, or tired 
arm; nor is the superb beauty and grandeur of the forest 
kings purchased by the defeat and sorrow of any of the 
lesser forms that cluster about, many gaining their very 
life from the protecting shadows, and satisfied in their hu- 
mility. No one can drift about on the lakes that are so 
frequent among the rugged Adirondack hills and not find a 
fitting companionship—one that goes far to replace the in- 
terests and excitements for the time abandoned, and oze 
that will make strife and ambition seem after all as of less 
consequence, and worthy of less engrossing effect. 
It is a comfort, too, ‘to find how many things one does 
not want. When a spring is flowing near by the question 
of future water supply is not one that will cause sleepless 
nights, even to a member of the Croton board, and it is of 
little consequence how many blocks distant areliable plum- 
ber lives, unless the working of a musk rat may make a 
new spring for the little flow of cool water, cool without 
any Rockland ice, and healthy without a filter. 
No unreliable alarm clock is needed when the birds an- 
nounce the morning, and there is no ail night anxiety 
about the first boat, for your little skiff sails by no time 
card, nor are you embarrassed by appointments that must 
be kept. The trout will wait, or you can send a line by 
your guide, and lie and see the rose color and gold steal 
down among the spruces, and not see any cracks in the 
ceiling or smoke stains on the frescoes. There will not be, 
to be “sure, any matin chanted of ‘‘old clo’s,” ‘‘glass put 
im,” oranges or shad, and there may be anxiety at the delay 

sree 
dle 
e 
of the milkman’s bell, but the busy chipmunk will stir 
about and do. his best to make it look like business, while 
the flavor that steals in the fresh air from the skittle will 
not annoy you with the idea of basement kitchen smells, 
or suggest defective drainage. And. what a refuge, too, 
for our hard worked dames and maidens, exhausted, body 
and soul, by a winter of balls, dinners, and plays; and how 
much more desirable than small rooms at some fashionable 
resort, with all the exactions of dress and the compctitions 
of envy, varied only by a current of intelligence that does 
more to exhaust than fertilize the minds that if passes 
through. What freshness of cheek and vigor of body 
await those who know little of either, in the September 
or October days, if passed in the woodland, and how little 
thought and money will trim a forest hat ten times a day 
with forms and colors that French milliners cannot equal. 
Such roundness of form will come trom open air life and 
exercise as Worth’s most careful fit cannot imitate, nor the 
most awkward dress conceal, and purses will fill all the 
time with savings that at Christmas time may warm 
many a body and cheer many a soul that can never leave 
some crowded, foul alley until called to the home where 
there will be no rank or fashion but purity—just such 
purity as is reflected in the mountain lakes, and is brought 
to earth in flowers no human hand has planted. 
All this cannot tempt wanderers to the Adirondacks if 
the forests are cut and seared. The streams, filled with 
saw dust and tan bari, will not represent Nature, nor will 
valleys, dim with smoke from burning wood. 
There are plain paths for commerce, open marts for 
trade, courts for fashion, and wide entrances for vice, all 
without taking the Adirondack woods from those who 
would leave primeval nature a place to teach her lessons 
and refresh her votaries. 
But with all our love for the unbroken shade, we cannot 
always be in it, nor will its shelter embrace our homes, yet 
all who hold lands about rural domicils may gain a deal of 
forest influence, and many of the most attractive wild wood 
features, from well planted shelter groups, and of them we , 
will proceed to write. The experience of your correspon- 
dent has been obtained in Central New York, on elevated 
land, where only the more hardy trees will endure. At 
the south many beautiful trees can be used that will not be 
mentioned here, but at all points there are intelligent nur- 
serymen who can furnish reliable trees, and the woods of 
each district will show the native trees that will best ward 
off wind and storm. 
As arule—one that in warmer climates may be disre- 
garded—no shade from any evergreen should fall upon the 
house or the ground just about it, and the shadows of de- 
ciduous trees, if used, should be so limited that during the 
day some direct sunlight may fall upon all parts of the 
building. Animal life needs it, and the permanence of all 
woodwork, and its freedom from unwholesome decay, can 
only be secured by free air and sunlight. 
The coldest winds are from the west and northwest. 
The south wind is often very violent, and in winter brings 
a good deal of moisture, that renders it more exhausting to 
animal heat than dry winds many degrees colder. When 
it rises after one or two nights of ‘‘below zero” it is much 
dreaded, and in Minnesota it is justly said that there is 
nothing so cold as “‘the north end of a south wind.” 
Nearer the Atlantic seaboard the northeast and east winds 
are no favorites. In the spring, as the land becomes 
warm, if comes crawling in from a cold sea and floating 
ice, and it is not easy to refer to it fitly in the moderate 
terms that distinguish goodlanguage. The only good thing — 
the Bostonians say of it is that it never lasts more than : 
three weeks. If it did New England would need through- 
out the Tudor fences used at Nahant with success; and two 
door and double window houses would be equally desir- 
able. The deepest snow drifts are piled up by the west 
wind, and a hard working demon it isin February and 
March; no eight-hour spirit influences it, but it turns to 
and drives the snow as if it would never let it rest. 
Uusually the south wind is a melting one, and fixes the 
snow by thawing it, but once and awhile it takes a hand 
at the bellows, and the only wonder is that it does not blow 
the world out of the track and pile the stars init. The 
blighting and parching winds of the spring are north or 
northwest, and against them the first efforts are to be made. 
A place from which they are warded, and the sun admit- 
ted, will average ten days more of absolute comfort in 
April than an exposed one, and many of favorable relative 
comfort. The seeds will not all blow from the cold fingers 
that would plant them, nor will the ground blow as dust 
after the snow and frost are gone, 
For permanent protection evergreens are to be mainly 
relied upon. Deciduous trees in large masses will doa 
great deal, but they are open to the Irishman’s objection to 
the moon, that it did not shine dark nights, when really 
wanted. They are excellent for shade from heat, but their 
leaves are gone where storm shelter is called for. 
Among evergreens the selection is very large, embracing 
many hardy and beautiful native varieties, and a constantly 
increasing number of imported and acclimated trees. The 
latter often outgrow the trees peculiar to the place, perhaps 
because they assimilate some element from the soil that has 
not been exhausted by the drain of former growth, as it is 
supposed trees do in their natural rotation, and their dense - 
