[This department ofOUTINGis devoted to answers to correspondents seeking information on subjects appertaining to all sports.]
[This department ofOUTINGis devoted to answers to correspondents seeking information on subjects appertaining to all sports.]
Scot, Boston.—For the game of lawn bowls you must have turf in the finest possible condition. The dimensions of the ground should be about forty-two yards long, and, if possible, the same breadth. There should be ditches at both ends, about twelve inches wide and three inches deep, with a bank about eighteen inches above the level of the lawn, to stop the bowls. The reason why it is advisable to have the ground square, is that one can then change the direction of play and so save the grass.
Chas. T., Baltimore.—Your horse is probably suffering from irregular teeth. What you describe is called “quidding.” You should have a veterinary surgeon to see to his teeth, and if necessary rasp them down. If it does not come from the teeth, he is probably suffering from catarrh, with sore throat, and when he is swallowing water you will be able to notice a peculiar gulping effort. This, of course, would need treatment.
Breeder, Buffalo, N. Y.—The New Forest ponies are no good. They have much of the blood of Marsk, the sire of the famous English horse Eclipse, in their veins, but in spite of it they are about as ill-looking animals as one can imagine, with most hideous heads and necks. They are, however, hardy and useful. The best all-round specimens of the Shetland that we have ever seen, certainly in America, are the family of them exhibited by Mr. Pierre Lorillard at the New York Horse-Show. They are of exactly the right stamp for that class of pony, and the stallion, Montreal, was well described as having “the build of a cart-horse and the carriage of a thoroughbred.”
Matador.—The sword is passed between the skull and the first cervical vertebra, in a perpendicular direction only.
Fred, H. L., Brooklyn, N. Y.—The best method to render shoes impervious to snow is to apply castor-oil. It must be applied twice, after the boots have been warmed at the fire. Of course, the oil must be used again at intervals, when the leather shows signs of needing it. The best plan is to wash off all blacking first, and apply the oil to the sole as well as the other portions of the shoe.
R. S. B., Broadway.—The length of the Cambridgeshire course, at Newmarket, England, is 1 mile and 240 yards.
Gunner, Washington, D. C.—Strictly speaking, the correct plural is with the s; but that letter is very commonly omitted. Indeed, among sportsmen, it may be said that “snipe” is invariably used in the plural as well as the singular sense; but naturalists use the plural “snipes” as meaning the different species of snipe. With woodcocks it is more usual to add the s, but many sportsmen omit it.
Canine, Hartford, Conn.—(1) Your best plan is to wash the ears out and brush in some green iodide of mercury twice a week. (2) Puppies at the age of three months or so, often show crooked legs with enlarged joints, but these generally come right later.
Athlete, Cambridge.—You can obtain just the kind of jewelry you require from Shreve, Crump & Low Co., Washington Street, Boston. They also give special attention to designing and making prizes for clubs.
C. A. S., New Haven, Conn.—Excellent shooting can be obtained at Barnegat, Delaware and Chesapeake bays; for the last place Havre de Grace is the usual starting-point. At Crisfield, Md., near the swamps of the Pocomoke, geese and different kinds of ducks are abundant. The trip, however, if you procured boat, sink-box, etc., at the more popular places, would prove expensive. Good Ground, Long Island, on the Great South Bay, is highly recommended, and, being off the usual line of travel, should afford satisfactory shooting. We should hardly advise you to go farther north at this time of year; and on the Maine coast the birds are fishy to the taste. You could, however, get some sport with the seals—with a rifle, for they are too shy for a shotgun. At this time of year we would suggest Camden as a starting-point, where you can obtain outfit and guides at a reasonable figure, while in the back country you could get some woodcock and partridges. On the whole, our advice would be to try Long Island or Barnegat Bay.
John R. S., Indianapolis.—Although trotting as a sport has not assumed any large dimensions in England, some English stock is still imported to gain fresh blood. Mr. Fairfax, of Virginia, recently purchased the stallion Matchless for 1,000 guineas from Mr. Brough, of Londesborough Wold, Yorkshire. Trotting is, however, making some headway on the other side, and a gentleman is at present laying out a half-mile track at Aintree, near Liverpool, where it is proposed to hold a meeting this year.
H. B. P., Quebec.—(1) The Northwestern Amateur Rowing Association has its headquarters at Detroit, Michigan. It was organized in October, 1868, and is composed of some 47 clubs. (2) The laws in regard to “water” read as follows:
(a) A boat’s own water is its straight course, parallel with those of the other competing boats, from the station assigned to it at the start to the finish.
(b) Each boat shall keep its own water throughout the race, and any boat departing from its own water will do so at its peril.
(c) The umpire shall be sole judge of a boat’s own water and proper course during the race.
1158 Springfield, Mass.—(1) Road-books are issued by Connecticut and Massachusetts. For former, write to Weed Sewing Machine Company, Hartford, Conn.; for latter, to H. W. Hayes, 103 State Street, Boston, Mass. (2) The States that publish road-books can make their own regulations as regards selling them to persons not members of the League. All the information and statistics are furnished by members to the compilers free, and the idea of not selling the book to outsiders is to retain the benefits afforded by the organization for members only. It is thought by some that this will increase the membership. New York State sells the road-book to outsiders for $1.50, and to League members for $1.00.
Whist-Player, Yonkers.—The best thing we have seen in the line of card-tables, are those made by Keeler & Co., Washington Street, Boston. The folding pattern is especially commendable.
Paterfamilias, Springfield, Mass.—You will find that the repeating air-gun made by H. H. Kiffe, 318 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, is the very thing for your boy.
J. E. M., Lynchburg, Va.—Chapped heels arise from exposure to wet and cold, or from imperfect drying of the legs after washing. You will find white lead or zinc ointment beneficial.