- 
- like a cork across the Jake. 
_ stopped. 
FOREST AND STREAM. |. 
405 


DRIVING A BUCK. 
a Sa 
BY THE DOMINIE. 

66 RIVING deer” is a very common expression in the 
Adirondacks, used by almost every body you 
meet, by some ‘‘knowingly,” and by others for the sake of 
appearing ‘‘to be knowing, Many readers of Forrest anp 
STREAM, however, I suppose, do not know, and therefore 
will not resent it if I say, by way of explanation, that 
“‘driving deer” is usually understood to mean putting 
hounds on their track, and forcing them sooner or later to 
take to the water, in which they are sometimes killed and 
sometimes not. There are people who pretend to disclaim 
against this practice as being very ‘‘cruel,” ‘“‘unsportsman- 
like,” &c,—for example:jthe Rev. Mr. Murray, who, how- 
ever, does not hesitate in July to allow himself to be pad- 
dled up amid the thick darkness of night to deer feeding 
along the shore, and under the strong light of a ‘‘jack,” 
take deadly aim, and kill and talk about itas quite a great 
achievement. 
It is, however, ina particular and not general way that 
Jam writing about ‘‘driving a buck,” and a sight well 
worth seeing it was. Ona certain morning, in September 
last, an early breakfast having been dispatched, we started 
down to the landing place to take our boats and row to the 
watch-grounds that had been agreed on the night before. 
There were four of us—the ‘‘Executive,” ‘‘Jeemes,”’ 
“Louis,” and the writer. The Doctor, who had been with 
us, had fled that very morning at earliest dawn to Canada 
—forced away by superabundance of ‘‘tin.” Quite an un- 
usual experience—the scarcity of the article generally 
being the difficulty in extended tours. But he went, chan- 
ting, I have no doubt, according to Tennyson, 
“Tin to the right of me, 
Tin to the left of me.”’ 
I could tell you a good many stories about the 
Doctor—how he got caught in a gale on ‘‘Big 
Tupper,” and in a dense fo on Saranac—but he 
fled on! on! never stopping until Montreal wasreached; 
and there, at a hotel, in the middle of the night a commit- 
tee waited on him, and waked him, worn out as he was, to 
ask permission to examine into his general health, that the 
cause of such unusual ‘‘bass” might be known and remedies 
applied. - The Doctor looked at them in disgust, murmured 
tin, turned over and went to snoring again. I could tell 
other stories, but I forbear, for I must be after the buck 
we started for. The scene ison ‘Little Tupper’—the 
mists are driving away ‘toward the east, before the first 
breathings of a northwester, that proved to us before night 
got around what a rumpus it would kick up! and what an 
angry fret ‘‘Little Tupper” could work itself into! The 
morning was not a poetic one, so I cannot stop to sigh and 
sparkle over it. On the contrary, it was intensely practical 
—chill and rough; it was a true harbinger of the cold, 
snowy, rainy, haily winter day that followed. ‘‘Jeemes” is to 
go to Stoney Pond, so he and ‘'Ted” are first off. As their | 
boat gets from under the lee of Sand Point, she pitches and 
jumps about in a way most lively and suggestive of a soak- 
ing; but ‘‘Jeemes” is a philosopher, and merely smokes the 
harder, while ‘‘Ted” pulls the harder, and away they dance 
Louis and his solemn story- 
telling guide start for the foot of thelake. The ‘‘Ex- 
ecutive’s” man had crossed the lake to put out the dogs, so 
I invited the ‘‘Executive” to go with me on my watch 
ground, which was to be ‘‘Sand Island,” or, as I shall al- 
ways prefer to call it, “‘Cranberry Island,” for here, when 
tired of watching, I relieved the tedium by crawling about, 
and picking cranberries, an abundance of which grew on 
the island. Cranberry Island lies well out in the lake, but 
is only a small heap of rock and sand, with a few scrubby 
bushes, andasingle tree growing upon it. After a tho- 
rough shaking up on the lake our heavily ladened boat got 
safely to the island, where after due preparation we pro- 
ceeded to watch. It was perhaps 8 o'clock, a. m., when 
we began this interesting vigil. Will. Moodie ‘‘went up a 
tree,” and looked blue at the angry lake, but the lake did 
not seem to mindit. The ‘‘Executive” and I dug holes in 
the sand and spreading our rubber blankets watched with 
all our eyes, and with all the extra one we could muster. 
““Sparrowgrass” says that a “man is a good thing to have 
in the house.” Well, the ‘‘Executive” is a good man to 
have with you ona watch. He never sleeps, has plenty of 
stories to tell and is generally lively. So he talked, and I, 
as became one of my profession, smoked, listened and 
meditated gravely—now and then crawling after cranber- 
ries. ‘‘Will.” had said to me, as we landed, that as the 
lake was so very rough, if a deer came in at any consider. 
able distance from the island, he would not be able to go 
after him with either of us in the boat; but he would go 
alone and try to drive it past the island, within shooting 
distance, if possible. The boat was pulled up on the sand, 
emptied of every thing except a rifle and the oars. And 
then we watched. What an endless number of names I 
traced on the sand that day ! What canals I dug! What 
elaborate geometric and mathematical figures I marked out, 
and which the mimic waves washed out! What lines of 
poetry I composed ! all now lost to posterity, for which I 
have no doubt posterity will be forever grateful. The 
““Bxecutive” was, I think, in the midst of a discussion con- 
cerning the proper method of regularly opening a certain 
street at home, called fourth, in which, for various personal 
he was very much interested, when all at once he 
“T see a deer swimming,” said he—(this was 
about 2 o’elock, p. m.,)—I jumped, as one can, under such 
Teasons, 
circumstances, and looked, but thought the “Executive”. 
had seen a loon. We were discussing this‘difference of 
opinion, and looking first with nature’s eyes, and then with 

glasses, when we were started by a rush, a jump, anda 
surge behind us, and turned to see Will. Moodie come 
down out of his perch “‘like an Indian in the wake of a 
scalp,” as old Cap. would say. He rushed at the boat, and 
with a tremendous ‘“‘send” pushed it out into the lake, 
jumping in himself with not a word tous! He quickly 
got his seat and his oars, and then, that light boat sped over 
the waves and right before the gale like a thing of life in- 
deed! We guessed where the deer must be from the direc- 
tion in which the boat had gone. But for some moments 
could see nothing. At length, rising upon a huge wave, I 
caught sight of a pair of horns more than a mile away. A 
buck! and a big one evidently, was trying to cross the 
lake, and had accomplished two-thirds the distance when 
“Will.” caught sight of him. I watched the boat through 
a capital field glass. A hard job ‘‘Will.” had to turn that 
buck so near to shore as he was, and to force him to swim 
right in the teeth of that gale and those waves to our 
island! But atlength I saw the buck ‘‘coming for us,” 
with the boat two or three lengths behind him, with Moodie 
taking it leisurely. As they came near enough to enable 
us to distinguish them clearly, what a sight it was! The 
buck (a five year old one, as he proved to be,) strong and 
active, with a magnificent pair of antlers, breasted the wind 
and sea most gallantly ! He seemed to swim on the top of 
the crest of the waves as they rolled by him, blowing out 
the water from his nostrils in little clouds of mist ! Glorious 
old buck! How he rose on the wave with proud shake of 
his head, striking out boldly for liberty. Little did he 
know what eyes on his death intent were watching and ad- 
miring him from the shore lie was struggling so bravely to 
reach! The boat following him was equally interesting to 
watch; very light at either end, the waves as they rushed 
under the bow would lift it up, and almost stand it on its 
stern for an instant, and then would let it fall into a seeth- 
ing shower of spray! And this continued all the way as 
deer and man struggled up to us! The “Executive” had 
never shot a deer! And we needed the venison very 
much, for there was next to nothing in camp in the way of 
meat! Ireally felt badly that there was a necessity to kill 
that buck. If ever buck had earned an escape he had ! 
But there is little time to moralize about the matter, for 
here he comes within shot, and ’tis settled the ‘‘Executive” 
is to shoot him. We stepped out from the cover, *‘H.” in 
advance, and as the buck caught sight of him he stopped 
and stared at him, and I mentally introduced the strangers 
—‘Mr. Executive—Mr. Buck; Mr. Buck—Mr. Executive.” 
They eyed each other for a moment; and the deer turning 
to swim off, up went the guna sharp report followed— 
the proud, defiant head fell, and it was allover. The 
‘“Wxecutive” had made a sure shot and killed his deer with- 
out murdering it. Soon ‘‘Will.” rowed up and then we 
finished the work. There was no beating that deer to 
death—no ‘‘tailing” him, and then shooting him, as a 
Brooklyn artist did. We needed the meat, and we used it. 
I do not feel ashamed of the work under such circumstances, 
nor does the ‘‘Executive,” who has since decorated his 
dining room with head and horns of his first buck ! 
Late in the afternoon we returned to camp. ‘‘Jeemes,” 
as philosophical as ever, had just got in, but had not seen 
nor heard of deer or dog that day. Louis had seen a buck, 
and pursued him in his boat, had shot at and wounded him 
but had failed to get him. But I have no doubt Louis 
found comfort in paraphrasing to suit himself the couplet— 
‘‘ Better to have loved and lost 
Than not to have loved at all!”’ 
AVoodland, Auun and Garden. 
WINDOW OR PARLOR GARDENING. 



NuMBER vI.—THE FinisHeED Bay WinpDow. 
a Aes 
‘Bring orchis—bring the foxglove spire, 
The little speedwell’s dailing blue, 
Deep tulips dashed with fairy dew, 
Laburnums, dropping walls of fire.” 
V7 again take up the subject matter of our last 
paper—‘ ‘No. 5; or, Box Culture in the Bay Win- 
dow”—on a more elaborate and varied form, and in this 
design show how for a small outlay any one may surround 
himself with plants of varying and changing foliage, 
giving the most beautiful contrasts. Our aim in the filling 
and grouping of this second box is to present a harmo- 
nious, unique, and somewhat novel and picturesque ar- 
rangement of quite a number of our common and rare 
plants—to associate together the broad leaf of the sub- 
tropical plant with the quieter denizens of the woods and 
gardens, and by a proper adjustment of soils and atmos- 
phere make our own little family perfectly at home in their 
several relations. 
We do not expect you will be able to doso with a first 
or even a second effort, for there is, we frankly tell you, 
not only considerable knowledge, but much careful pa- 
tience, necessary to perfect success. Our own attempts to 
organize and unite a ‘‘happy family” of plants succeeded 
only after numerous trials, attended at first with indif- 
ferent success; but wein the end produced a pleasing and 
quite satisfactory result. You can do the same, and in 
order to aid you in the cultivation of these plants we give 
you the best results of our patient study. 
In the culture of the parlor plants, and the peculiar ar- 
rangement of the same, our German gardeners, in many 
points, excel in their modus operandi almost any other na- 
tion. In conversation with a great lover of flowers, a suc- 
cessful’ German cultivator, he said:—‘‘We make in Ger- 
many a very pretty garden in our deep windows with the 
very commonest flowers, yet we gain one very grand effect 
with the different kinds of high colored foliage.” I found 
upon further conversation with my German friend that he 
placed “‘all the good work,” as he called successful plant 
growing, in a cumpetent knowledge of how to prepare the 
soils. ‘‘Soils,” said he, ‘‘lime, is everything to the flower,” 
and altheugh he could not speak good English, I found 
him to be a proficient in German gardening. 
T had acted in accordance with the plan of German au 
thority, although without having had any previous know]l- 
edge of their style of plant arrangement other than my 
own self-taught experience. I could therefore go on in re- 
newed confidence with my own plan of contrasting strong 
colors with each other, being only mindful of the harmony 
of colors as given in paper No. 5. 
At one end of this second box, near the cactus gallery, 
I placed a strong, small, fine root of the maurandia climb- 
ing vine; this should be well trimmed, as should all vines 
previous to planting. Inthe other end place a good plant 
of the Mexican colea, or, if you prefer, a small English 
ivy. Both these vines you can train over wires, arranged 
on the sides of the window, with fine effect. The further 
aim being to still keep up the contrast, you can place pelar- 
gomiums and heliotropes, and if you would have a grand 
effect place in the centre of your box of earth a calladium, 
and at its sides lower sized plants. There can be no grander 
sight in a parlor window than a choice calladium in the 
centre, flanked on each side with a vigorous growing calla 
lily. This accomplished, you can still very much heighten 
the picturesque effect by adding to your collection a few of 
the low growing zorale geraniums. Of «hese I would rec- 
ommend the Azucena, salmou color; Cylister, bright scar- 
let; Snowball, pure white; Lady Cullum, and Mrs. Pollock, 
zone of red. These six flowers I have used as I have 
named, and blossoming, as they did, at nearly the same 
time, urder the broad, expanded leaves of the calladium 
and callas, the beautiful effect can scarcely be conceived 
without being seen. 
You can add much to the fine effect of your window 
plants, as they now stand, by procuring and placing in the 
second background a fine healthy root of the Papavier ori- 
entalis and the Papavier rhocus, oriental and French pop- 
pies. The manner of procuring these plants of the poppy 
for the winter window will be best attained by planting the 
seeds in small pots in the latter part of summer and grow- 
ing them until cold weather, occasionally thinning out the 
plants; they can then, with care, be placed in the pots 
where they are designed to grow. 
The oriental poppy makes avery grand show, and with 
care can be grown in the window to perfection, sending up 
a goodly sized clean stock, and developing into a magnifi- 
cent flower, this root can be procured of the florists in the 
fall, and should be obtained at that time, as it is impatient 
of transplanting, though a hardy plant. 
The French poppy, though rather an article cultivated 
for the opium of commerce, is nevertheless a very showy 
plant. The whole tribe, of which there are many, and 
very diversified in color, have the highly narcotic quality 
of giving sleep in a greater or less degree. It is this pecu- 
liar quality of the plant to which Shakespeare refers when 
he says— 
‘Not poppy, nor mandragora, 
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, 
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep 
Which thou ow’dst yesterday.’ 
You will add the Frimula chinensis to your collection, or 
it will be incomplete. It is of all colors, and blossoms sey- 
eral months in the year. You will notice you are to keep 
the plants, all of them, in subordination to your middle, 
tall plants, as the calladium and callas. These should 
stand with their peculiar foliage above, and overtopping 
the whole of your box. Low plants, as the sedum, and a 
very pretty plant called ‘‘house leek” by the ladies, and all 
low creeping plants, can be used to good advantage in such 
positions, being always careful not to mass the plants in 
too great numbers, or have them all nearly of a height. 
Your window should allow you to look under the plants as 
upon their foliage. Here, just in this place, is where you 
will probably require the most care. If you fail, and the 
grouping does not suit your taste, try again, and if a sec- 
ond or third trial does not give you the desired satisfac- 
tion try again the fourth time, as it is a healthful sign that 
your taste for the beautiful and true is improving, and at 
last you must succeed, as you surely will. I could tell you 
how to produce avery pleasing effect at once, and you 
would do it undoubtedly, and then forget it immediately. 
It would not be desirable for me to make you a mere copy- 
ist when my desire is to make you a self-reliant florist. 
Having filled to your satisfaction these two upper boxes, 
you can now proceed to place in the lower box, which we 
will suppose rests upon the floor, or but little raised from 
the same a larger class of plants, as monthly roses, azalias, 
and others, always putting the latter ones farthest from 
the front of the room, and the tallest of these you will in 
no instance permit to be of more than two feet four inches 
in height, so as not to cover up your ‘plants from view in 
the second box. In this arrangement you can use the 
lautanas and some choice specimens of carnation. <Achy- 
ranthus are, as a window garden decoration, a splendid 
addition to our green leaved plants. They are easily culti- - 
vated, thriving well at a temperature of from fifty to sev- 
enty-five degrees, and as your glass is always hanging at 
your window this is easily regulated. The Lindend has the 
most splendid deep red foliage, each leaf being a study of 
itself, and there are few plants surpassing it in beauty. 
You can now turn your attention, if you please, to the 
Begonia family, and here you may revel in a garden of de- 
