New-York tribune., 1903-01-25

7. bsnrens that this particular
tract is covered with oak ana hemiock rom
which the bark has not yet been renioFeo' Al iS
said that the Leather Trust onereo 'he sp'' 20.
meh large portion of the purchase price io'
the bark which could be taken from this fores''
and that they agreed not to touch tree ior
fifteen years.
15ke all the valley Of the Potomac system,
,b,s south Branch country is beautiful. There
are hills-caIled mountains by courtesy-on
either side of the river, and other hills behind
and above them At the terminal Of one Of the
LITTLE branch lines of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad system there is the queer little town
of Romney -Four miles up the valley is the
home of one OF the pioneer West Virginia CLUBS
which has helped to set the fashion
If is the. Hampshire Club, most Of the MEM
hers of which are from Wheeling, with a sprink-
ling from New-York and Baltimore The clup
was planned by Randolph Stalnaker. at one time
Secretary Of State of West Virginia. and or whom
il was once said, He knows every other man
in the State" y. E. Whitaker. of Wheeling, is
president OF the club and W. b. Corh"eh lie
secretary and treasurer
One Of Fampshire CoTnty's wealthy was
ten years securing the title to the preserve
which is now owned by the club. The club has
purchased both banks of Trout Creek from the
point where it enpties into the Potomac to Its
source in Devils Hole, miles back In the noun
tains Two carloads of young trout have al
ready been put into the stream. and in year
or two the club will have the finest fishing
ground in the region. There are birds and game
ON the preserve in sufficient numbers to last
for years If hunted in a sportsmanlike manner
A clubhouse. which in many ways is model
one has been erected on the preserve. 1t has
every modern Improvement, including gas
lighting plant and its presence is most un-
expected as it comes into view around bend In
the country road The wide front door sign
of the clubs never ending hospitality, opens
from a broad piazza into the large living room
of the club II is a room Of comfortable chairs,
which generally describe a wide semcircle In
front of a monster open fireplace, which is
made OF curious native stone. A library and
smoking room off this main room and in
a wing of the house is the dining room, famous
already in several States for wonderful game
dinners which are served there from time to
time.
MANY of the club members, with their families,
spend portion of the summer at the club
house and at Thanksgiving and New Years
there are stag parties for winter hunting.
Several mineral springs near the house form an
other attractive feature.
Florida also represents remarkably fine op-
| portunities for the establishment Of hunting
clubs writer in Field and Stream thus de-
scribes tempting region near Mohawk, Fla,
where land is cheap and game plentiful:
But the doctors piece de resistance is camp
hunt in the great Green Swamp, which lies
twelve miles south of Mohawk. for which pur-
pose he keeps a tent and complete camp out
fit. This swamp IS a strange and peculiar re-
gion and is swamp at all, in the sense
of being an unwholesome morass or bog. In
stead it is vast collection Of low lying islands
or pockets as the natives call them-between
which extends shallow and pure water over