It is important to remember that dry plates are sensitive to even red light, to a slight extent, and that the lamp should be kept at some distance from the tray in which the plate is being developed. The examination of the plate, of course, requires that it be brought near the light, but the examination can be hastily made. If the film veils or fogs after being replaced in the developer, it is a sure sign that the lamp is faulty or that the examination was so prolonged that even the red light affected the plate.

*

*

Excellent photographs may be made without the aid of a camera. On your next bicycle or walking tour, take along a printing frame and a package of ferro-prussiate (blueprint) paper. Leaves, mosses, flowers and other subjects may be placed between the glass and the blue-print paper, and the frame tied to the back of the saddle, if wheeling. When the printing is completed, the paper may be washed in the nearest pond, and carried home in a blotting book ; or taken home for completion.

Plates should always be laid in the tray and the developer poured over them from the side of the graduate, with a lateral movement along the side of the tray. Never pour the developer into the dish and then endeavor to immerse the plate. It is almost impossible to cover the entire surface rapidly enough to prevent the formation of partially undeveloped portions. The dry surface of the plate offers resistance to the flowing of the developer, which is entirely overcome when the developer is poured from the graduate.

Films should always be soaked in water before development. This causes the gelatine surface to swell somewhat, and the film will lie nearly flat in the bottom of the tray. To develop several films at once they should be attached with rubber bands to pieces of glass slightly larger than the films. While it is not absolutely necessary to wash plates or films after development and before fixing, this is to be recommended. By so doing, the fixing bath will be kept clean, and the danger of staining reduced, while the carrying of the developer into the hypo permits a slight continuance of the process of development, and the plate may thus become over-developed. Professor.

Winter Fishing Through the Ice.

Wsport has mostly been gained in the

WHAT experience I have had in this

back woods, a land to which applies the Russian's description of his own steppes; for in the northern forests, as in Tartary, "the heavens are high and the Czar far off," - but I have also dangled a line through an ice hole in one or two other waters; once, when in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, with the Brunswick Fur Club, and again, when living on the banks of the St. John.

In New Hampshire, to my regret, there where few of those frills and trimmings that I had been led to believe were a part and parcel of the sport. The tilt-ups were simply lathes nailed together in the form of a cross, arms spanning the hole, the line being tied to the head of the main piece. When a fish hooked itself, the contrivance became perpendicular instead of horizontal, and would thus attract the fisherman's attention. There were no huts or stoves, and I have come to the conclusion that the use of such things is confined to the market fishermen of the big lakes. The fishing was not bad, but it could not be compared with the sport I have enjoyed in other places. The

fish were rarely over one and a half pounds in weight, the wild solitude of the Canadian forests was absent, and story telling and the charms of good fellowship alone prevented most of us, I am sure, from abandoning the tilt-ups and leaving the pickerel to eat the bait, or one another in peace.

The "cusk" is a cold-weather fish, and if you have never seen it, you should get some friend in the North to send you one, that you may know from your own experience what a luscious thing is cusk roe. A fish more hideous can hardly be found. Built on the lines of the tadpole, loathsome and covered with knobs, it looks anything but a likely dainty;

yet its humble exterior covers, at certain seasons, a roe of prodigious size and great delicacy, a trifle rich, perhaps, but then richness does not pall when the mercury is low in the tube, and at such times only does the cusk run.

As soon as the ice has made a bridge over the St. John, the cusk finds its way up stream to spawn. It probably does the same in many other northern rivers, but I can speak from experience of the St. John alone. The migrating schools seem to travel by night only, at least that is the time they generally bite. The cusk fisherman sets a night line, having perhaps a score of hooks, each baited with a small fish, and he returns in the morning to "under run his line. A greenhorn would find it no easy matter to set out a night line. The problem is, to pass it under fifty yards of thick ice, so that it can be handled from a hole at either end. It is done by having a number of holes cut, when the line is passed from one to another by the aid of a long pole. These holes are subsequently allowed to freeze over, a few hours serving to seal them effectually. The main line is at least three times as long as the distance between the extreme holes, and after the line has been set, it is fastened to a stake at either end, and the remainder is coiled on the ice. The hooks are attached to the main line by short lengths of cotton line. The tackle is usually stout enough to hold a far more powerful fish than the cusk, which, owing to its shape, is not able to put up a very severe fight,

The best sport I ever had, or probably ever shall have in fishing through the ice, was one bright day late in the spring of 188-. I lay sprawled on the blankets of a little log and bark camp in central New Brunswick, and Bill, the trapper, was seated on a log in another corner, mending a snowshoe. suppose he was thinking of his work; but certainly my mind was not being overtaxed.

I

for beyond watching the bluish curls of smoke from my pipe, I was doing absolutely nothing. So I lay and smoked more tobacco than was good for me, and Bill weaved his strips of wet caribou-hide until the old bows were refilled to his liking; then he, too, lit his pipe, yawned, stretched himself, and then said:

Say, Boss, haw'd yer like to go fishin'?" 'First rate, Bill, but I have no tackle." Bill's sole reply was an exhaustive hunt through his "pissnargan" or moose-hide ditty-bag, from which he at length produced half a dozen mackerel jiggers and a coil of cotton line.

Them's 'ill take all th' trout we want," said he, holding out the collection for my inspection. I felt incredulous, but held my peace, for nothing hurt my trapper's feelings so much as to have his ability doubted. Bill was a rough and ready man. He cut a few spruce saplings and stuck them in the ice around the holes-but first those holes had to be chopped through three feet of ice, with light hunting axes. Bill solemnly took off his coat before beginning, and spat upon his hands. These preliminary symptoms were followed by one of the most acute attacks of activity from which I have ever known men to suffer. It is no joke, getting through that much ice with a regular icechisel; with a three-pound axe, it means perspiration and profanity. During such periods of activity, we two surpassed the famous army of Flanders in its specialty. But the holes were scarcely cut before the fun began. The mackerel jigger is a simple contrivance, a combination of hook and sinker in one; and simplicity of gear is the secret of all success in the woods.

Bill

"Most any bait 'ill do," drawled Bill, and he was right; for that day it was a matter of no moment whether we baited with a piece of raw beaver, pork rind or trout eyes -the fish were on the feed. We had no elaborate tilt-up with colored flags. just put a limb across each hole and tied a line to their centres, happy in the knowledge that nothing but a whale could carry away his tackle. Ashore, we had a blazing fire of pine and rock-maple, plenty to eat and drink and smoke. Every half hour or so one or the other would steal off with snowshoes and toboggan to make the round of the holes, often returning with half a dozen fish that together weighed perhaps twelve pounds, perhaps twenty-four pounds; for there are monster trout in those far-away Canadian lakes, and the ice fisherman gets the biggest of them, as a rule. Of course, it was not equal to fly fishing. There was no glorious rise, no give and take of the slender, supple rod, no snapped hooks, no lost leaders, no musical mosquitoes; but the sky was blue, the air exhilarating, the snow unlike the compound known as such in the city, the spruces green and sombre, our natural spirits very high, and our artificial supply

undeniable, for it had been obtained from a large importing house with a character to sustain. When we returned to camp, the toboggan was creaking and protesting under a load of nearly a hundredweight of frozen fontinalis, the heaviest fish being nearly six pounds in weight.

Charles A. Bramble.

Gentlemen Jockies and Trotting Laws.

IT will not be the fault of the racing as

Isociations if the gentleman jockey does

not become a more prominent feature of turf affairs this season than he has been in many years. Without any apparent combination of purpose the associations have, one by one, announced stakes, both on the flat and over the jumps, during the running of which the professional will have to stand on the ground. Some of these events are of a very liberal character, and should the scheme prove successful, then overnight races for amateurs are sure to be given, and there will be inducement enough to make the "gentlemen jocks" get down to training to fit themselves for hard work in the pigskin.

As a matter of fact, the former generation that was conspicuous at Jerome Park has virtually vanished so far as raceriding is concerned. It is understood that Foxhall Keene has had a good deal to do with the institution of the stakes in question, and this is in itself a surprise. A year or two ago, Mr. Keene seemed to have made up his mind not to do much riding except in the hunting-field, but he has since become more enthusiastic than ever. As he is now enjoying a winter's hunting over Melton Mowbray, the cream of the famous English shires, he will at least be hard and fit to take his part in the Amateur Cup at Westchester and the other events of the same kinds.

Without several recruits from the hunting set, it is hard to see from whence enough riders are to come to make up good fields. Among those who may don the silk, are Rawlins Cottenet, Willie Tiffany, Harry K. Vingut, C. Raoul Duval, C. Albert Stevens, R. L. Stevens, W. C. Hayes, Craig Wadsworth, Mr. Persse, Ernest Hayes, Arthur White and some few members of the Elk Ridge, Green Spring Valley, and Chevy Chase Hunt Clubs, from Baltimore and Washington, respectively. The Brookline (Mass.) Country Club might furnish a rider or two, and from Canada might come a few who would be apt to belong to the kind sometimes derisively called "professional amateurs."

However, the move is in the right direction, and one must hope that it will succeed even beyond the ideas of its promoters. If races enough are given to make it worth

while for a man to keep himself in hard condition, there would be many members of the jeunesse dorée anxious to win their

spurs.

The possibilities and probabilites of racing legislation are exciting the usual amount of talk among the various classes of turfmen. All eyes have recently been turned to New Jersey, though things are not altogether inactive in New York state. In the latter, devotees of the trotting track are trying to secure an alleviation of the existing law that will permit auction pools. Without these the consensus of opinion seems to be, after two years of experience, that trotting cannot survive. While it is not to be supposed that the adherents of the Jockey Club look too kindly on any interference with the Percy-Gray law that they worked so hard to secure, still, nothing in the shape of open hostility has been manifested nor is it likely to be. The chances now seem to be that no change will be made in the law.

In New Jersey the most strenuous efforts have been made to keep things quiet, but unless present plans fall through, it is almost certain that an attempt will be made to get a bill through the Legislature, before the session closes, legalizing but restricting racing. Many predict certain failure; for the Law and Order League, which shut up the racecourses before, is still in full organization, ready to turn its battery on the foe directly an open intention is expressed. On the other hand, men who are in a good position to know how the land lies, say that the passage of a bill is not only possible but probable. The best thing that could happen for all concerned would be the passage of a local option measure.

Francis Trevelyan.

Live-Bird Trap Shooting in Full Blast.

L'

IVE-BIRD shooting at the traps is distinctively a winter sport, and it might also be said, a sport for the wealthy amateur and the professional; naturally, then, the cities of New York, Philadelphia and Chicago are the centres for shooting, with the former much in the lead. But the western metropolis has had some important events this season, which have attracted attention from all parts of the country. The most notable were the series of matches between Carver, the oldtime crack, and Winston. But the race of most importance was between Carver and Grimm, for the "Iron Medal," and the championship of the United States. though Grimm won by a score of 98 to 96 birds, the event demonstrated clearly that they "can't lose" the Doctor. He put up a score that few of our shooters would attempt to beat. Pigeon shooting, unlike many other sports, is not in the hands of

Al

the youngsters. True, they sometimes spring to the front—young Gilbert, of Iowa, is a good example-but they find themselves in a goodly company of ripe manhood.

Some of the recent interesting events around New York, were the McAlpin-Winston match, on November 10, with scores of 93.91; the Elliott-Fulford, scores 94-90, on December 31, and on January 12, McAlpin, Work, a 200-bird match, with scores 151142. During the latter race the weather was cold with high winds, which explains the low scores. The winner in this event is one of the "mushrooms," but if the pace is not too hot for him, there will be a shaking up of dry bones before the shooting season closes. The Elliott-Fulford race probably attracted as much attention as any other event of the winter; and the former's work is particularly worthy of note in that he departed from the gods of his fathers, and used a repeating shotgun.

Besides the usual club affairs, there are two events yet to come which are of general interest to the shooters of this country. They are the matches in New York during the Sportsmen's Exposition, March 13-20, and the Grand American Handicap of the Interstate Association, at Elkwood Park, near New York, March 23-25. The Grand American Handicap has become of so much importance that it draws the best trap shots from all parts of the country, and this season some are expected from across the water. The large purses and the guarantee of the Association, together with the knowledge that good shooting alone makes the prize-winner, bring together the clans and the stragglers in a pilgrimage to the trapshooting Mecca. Shooting for place and the other petty tricks of the still more petty shooting "fakir" are out of the question. It is hard shooting only that gathers in the

purses.

The new grounds at Elkwood Park are said, by those who have shot there, to be the finest in the world, not excepting even those at Monte Carlo. Some new devices, such as improved electric pulls and fast traps, will be used for the first time in the Handicap, and the scores will probably fall off accordingly, as they should make the shooting more difficult. The appliances of the pigeon shooter have undergone only slight changes since last season. There are several new powders, but the old and wellknown are cracking away as merrily as ever. We have some new shells-or cases, as our English friends call them-and the tendency is toward further improvement in primers, which are such an important factor of the nitro-powder load. In guns, the change, if any, is in the direction of longer and straighter stocks, also the straight, instead of the pistol grip.

To the pigeon-shooter, the correct charge is of the utmost importance, and has been made the subject of greater study than in

any other kind of shooting. The shot remains at one and one-quarter ounces, but the powder varies largely, about three and one-half drams of nitro powder being the charge used by most shooters, and this is as much as the shooter of ordinary build can stand up against. The advocates of heavy loads are Brewer, Carver and Fulford. In his match with Grimm, Carver used four drams to his opponent's three and one-half drams. It is quite probable that four drams is much heavier than necessary, but if those who use it have greater confidence in that load, and can stand the terrific pounding, surely no one else will complain.

Rollin E. Smith.

The Professional Question in Golf.

OLF is yet a new game in America,

GOLF

and its legislators are still going through the early stages of experiment. The question of professionalism is one that was sure to come up sooner or later, and it did come up last month at the annual meeting of the United States Golf Association, when an attempt was made to define an amateur golf player. A wordy rule, somewhat similar to those adopted by athletic, lawn tennis, rowing, and other legislators, was put into effect, and the Golf Association fell into the same error which so many other governing bodies in sports have encountered. With a great many words, one after another of these organizations have defined an amateur, and yet when one has read their long rules through, he comes back to the original proposition that a professional in any branch of sport is one who makes a profession of this sport. No matter how many words are used to define the difference between the amateur and the professional, it has always been found as difficult as ever to distinguish between them, if the accused athlete be permitted to argue his case on the legal construction of the rule under which it has sought to disqualify him. In almost every case on record, it has been necessary to refer charges of professionalism to an executive or other committee which was to determine the standing of the accused player, The wordy rules seldom help these committees, and they are almost invariably driven back to first principles.

The probable reason for the recent change in the golf "professional" rule were the matches played by recognized gentlemen, one against another, and against professionals, for money stakes. When Mr. Charles E. Sands met Mr. Winthrop Rutherford over the Meadowbrook course for a stake of a thousand dollars a side a year or more ago, a great hue and cry was raised about professionalism. But when we come down to the ethics of the case, it is found

or is in any Each has his

that neither gentleman was sense a professional golfer. visible means of livelihood outside of the sport, and this is all that it should be necessary to prove to acquit anyone accused of professionalism. If an athlete in any branch of sport earns his living by the pursuit of that sport he is unquestionably a professional. But, if he pleases to play for a money stake rather than for plate or some other prize which directly represents money, and still has a visible means of livelihood from some other legitimate source, he should be no more a professional than if all his contests were for glory alone.

It remains as easy as ever to evade the new law passed by the Golf Association. Mr. Jones may not play Mr. Smith for a money stake, but no law can be framed that will prevent Mr. Jones from betting with Mr. Smith exactly the same amount on the result of his match with Mr. S.; and if there was, it would be even less feasible to prevent Mr. Smith's brother from betting with Mr. Jones's brother the same amount of money that would originally have been centered in a stake. When Messrs. Sands and Rutherford played their famous match at Meadowbrook, they were foolish enough to state openly that a cash stake hung on the result, but they might still play the same match again next spring under the new "professional" law, the only difference being that they would have to make the stakes in the form of a bet, rather than come out openly and state exactly the conditions of their match.

In

However, the new law has been passed, and golfers will go through the same period of anxiety over the time-honored professional question that has bothered athletes, wheelmen, oarsmen, and others; and probably with no more satisfactory results. With all their long wordy laws passed by the legislative bodies of each of these sports, it is as difficult to-day to convict of professionalism a suspected amateur, as it was before this legislation was enacted. almost every case, the discretion of some committee in power must finally determine upon the accused man's standing, and whether the law contains ten words or ten hundred it will make it no easier to decide. No one questions to-day that lawn tennis players bet with each other freely on the results of their matches; that amateur athletes, amateur cyclists, amateur oarsmen and devotees of other sports are frequently interested financially in the results of their skill; and it is practically impossible to prevent this, no matter how many "professional" laws are enacted.

Twelve words are all that should be necessary to distinguish between the amateur and professional golf player. "A professional golf player is one who earns his livelihood at golf," is all that is required to