Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-13

The 1910 season for the great Ameri-
ca sport of hunting with dogs has be-
gun, the initial number on the program
being field trials now being conducted
by the Manitoba Field Trial club at Do
minion City, Manitoba. Dogs from ev-
cry section of the United States and Can
ada are taking part in the trials, and
from now until the beginning OF next
summer there will be busy times for
both the dogs and their handlers. For
bird dogs the season starts with the
Manitoba meeting and ends with the
United States Field trials and the cham
pionship stakes, which will be held In
January at Rogers Springs, Tenn. As
all roads of the political world at one
time led to Rome, so all roads of the
bird-shooting world lead to Rogers
Springs. To win the championship and
the United States derby or all-age stakes,
is the last letter in bird dogs ca
reer, and the whole circuit of field trials
constitutes a process of elimination look
ing toward the final event at Rogers
Springs.
The present season is to be the long
est in the history of field trials, and
dates are so arranged that dogs may
attend every one of these trials, just as
horses make the circuit of the great
shows or Of the principal race tracks. 1t
requires from 10000 to 10000 acres Of
land for conducting a modern field trial,
and 1t is growing harder each year to
find sufficient contiguous territory. When
trial week arrives the dogs are assign
ed by lot the order in which they shall
run. The names of all candidates enter
ed are written on slips of paper and
placed in a hat. They are then drawn
out one by one, and the dogs are as
signed to run in braces. The dogs get
ting into the first brace run first, and
so on until the whole list is completed,
which usually requires many days
Much depends on the luck Of the draw
ing, since the dogs which start in the
frost of the morning or the heat Of
the afternoon are at a disadvantage
After all Of the braces have had their
run, the judges select the best dogs
for the second series, and the winner OF
this second series is awarded first
honors.
The handling of dogs for these events
is an art in which but few men are
skilled. To train a dog so as to make
him as much a master of his WORK In
the field as If he were human be-
ing. while at the same time developing
that wonderful power Of sense whlcn
makes him the most discriminatory ami
NAL in the world, is no small task. and
REQUIRES a degree of patience that Is
almost sublime. A we'll trained bird dog
can point birds at from 10 to 10 yards
with no other guide than his remark
able sense of smell. He can tell "heth-
err a bird is alive, dead, or wounded. he
can unerringly recognize whether the
scent IS from a covey or from single
bird. When crossing a foot trail he can
recognize the difference between that and
a body sent, and is able when crossing
a foot trail to decide instantly which
way the birds went. He will barely pause
at a roosting place. but invariably VIII
stop when he approaches the game
While the dog is displaying this marvel
ous mower of his olfactory organs, he Is
at the same time giving his master an
intimate picture of all the mental oper-
atoms going on in his mind. To see him
coursing over broad acres. choosing with
unerring accuracy the spots where birds
are likely to be found, ranging through