The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-03-11
rllE l<lNG or poas.



hunting dogs? | want to know c,pe
cially about ctt'rs and pointers This
question was asked of the old "sports-
man who has been quoted in these
columns several tim before.
Tell You about hunting dogsl !
should thiak could! My only trouble
Is where To bertn and when to stop As
regards settlers and pointers could tell
enough to fill volume. The setter is,
in my estimation, the king Of dogs, His
intelligence, dociiityand obeliencJ rem
der him not only valuable and indls-
pensable accessory TO field sports, but
cheerful and frequently useful compan-
ion. prefer the setter in every respect
60 the pointer, except that | think the
former is slightly more haadstrong and
difficult to handle, owing to the higher
tension of its nerves. This quality,
however, increases its courage, the most
essential trait in good dog. Unless Il
dog is courageous he is worthless |
have seen them possessed OF speed, NJ Sc
and bottom, and at the same time rem
dored perfectly valueless on account of
timidity.
Considering the nature of our coun-
try the setter is vastly preferable to
the pointer. That the latter works to
greater advantage in II hot and dry
country has been the prevailing opinion
for very long time, while in cold and
wet climates the setter, on account of
his long, thick coat OF hair is able to
endure hardships that would kill tho
tenderer pointer Now, with all due
tn ha Tf
which originated, supp Sc, some time
in the seventeenth century, l do not
think there is much in it. For the past
hundred years it has been the object OF
breeders to get rid of the suprrhuous,
shaggy hair on the body OF the setter,
while the beautiful silky flag of the
tail and feathery fringinC on his legs
and chest has been improved The re-
suit is the setter as represented at bench
shows is an animal faultless in forma-
tion and handsome in color marking
and coat Now, all the time that this
change was being effected the setter
was used generation after generation
in warmer climates than England,
where the species undoubtedly origi-
mated, with the effect of making him
more and more enduring us the time
went on, until the setter of the present
day was reached, capable of working
with the toughest pointer.
Now look ut the nature of our coun-
try What is it? One intermittent
briar patch intersected with runs,
branches and creeks. The pointer who
can hunt all day in dry country where
he can get no water, and is unable on
account of his short hair, to make his
way through briar thiclcets in which
most of the work is to be DONE is at a
woful discount lie must either give
up work altogether, or so terribly pun
ish himself as to make it cruel to hunt
him, while good hard setter would
find comparatively no di:liculty in per-
forming. His coat while thick enough
to protect him, is not so great as to
cause him much distress, in cold
weather none at all. and the frequent
water through which he is Obliged to
pass (most of onr birds range near
swamps and thicliets) refreshes and in
vigorates him when it would cause n
pointer the greatest Inconvenience and
even suffering. | have seen the latter
so cold that he was uuablc to hunt at
all, and would merely stand up trem-
bling with cold his teeth chattering
and his tail between his legs. My setter
at the same time was ranging out freely
and hunting as we'll as l ever saw him
In woodcock shooting, which is par ex-
ccllence the finest of field sports, the
pointer is at still greater disadvantage
than in ordinary open shooting, for
lie in,
weather aud inhabit the thickest and
most impenetrabe swamps in the coun-
try. Thu setter, on the contrary, is
here in his element The long course
of acclima tzation gone through by his
predecessors does not seem to have had
the effect of making him suffer from
cold or rough weather, He endures
both hea, and cold in a remarkable
degree.
THE greatest obstacle in the way of
the setter hera are sheep burrs cock
spurs and cookie burrs These grow in
every field in thousands and become en-
tangled in their halr between his toes
and SO matted in the feathering as to
render it sometimes necessary to cut t
off. Cocllspurs in the feet continually
be made lame for weeks by them. Hav-
ing become imbedded in the hair, their
points pierce the tender flesh of the toes,
md are broken off therein. and cause
alarming inflammation. These little
points are the hardest things in the
world to eradicate, and ! have seen an
instance where a dogs foot became so
frightfully inflamed and for such a
length of time that the animal had to
be destroyed.
Again, notice the length of our sea-
son. 1t begins in November and ends
with March, comprising the five coldest
months of the year Our temperature
is plenty low enough by the latter part
of October to enable any setter that is
capable of working in any weather to
hunt without much distress, and warm
weather never begins before the middle
of April. So, you see even II the setter
did require cold weather, which main
tain he does not, our season would be
favorable to such requirement.
''0f late years it has been the fashion
to import European dogs, principally
from England, for breeding purposes
with view to improve the stock in this
country With us this is nothing new.
1t was customary among the gentlemen
all over the south fifty years ago to i'm
port ,eir dogs and horses, which were
often brought over in numbers. 1t was
n common thing to see pack of En-