The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-29

Like little balls of light and fluffy snow;
And they issued forth like cobblestones or
Or any substance far removed from
dough.
But 1 think of them with longing and I
wish for them once more.
When I go to fish FOR tarpon in the
For I'd like to take one with me for
a sinker on my line.
The shortcakes that they used to make
-Minna Irving, in the New York Sun.
Wild Maine.
The report of the fish and game
commissioner of Maine covering 1909,
| the 284th year since pemaquid was
founded, reminds US that the little
Satellite by comparison with many
others, being Ihirty-sixth in areas
one of the greatest natural game pre-
serves in the Union. With difficulty
the investigator will find any other
state in which so many deer are killed
in the open season in one year. This
is perhaps a very conservative way of
putting the speculation In Oklahoma.
admitted as a state in 1907, deer are
found here and there in rough coun-
try, but their number is small and
rapidly diminishing. In some western
states there is no need OF an open sea-
son. for there are no deer left. The
south has ceased to be great hunt
ing ground. In the Pacific slope states
the deer and bear families are we'll
represented still. but no longer can
with it's land area of 1885 square
miles and water surface of 2,S00
square miles, wild life possesses the
forest depths and invades the Guilt
laws and short open season game is
really plentiful. A census of beasts
of the chase. if not of birds, might
indicate gain rather than a loss since
Bangor is the chief clearing house
for game in the state. During the late
open season 3,266 deer, 175 moose and
"A bears were shipped drought that
city. The Somerset railroad reported
1865 deer. moose and bears, and
the Sandy River railroad 519 deer. 6
bears and moose. From 159 licensed
hunters and trappers the following re-
turns of fur-bearing animals were re-
ceived. Eighty-five bears. 512 foxes,
40 raccoons. 658 mink, 1877 sable. 81
otter, 321 fisher, blackcat or marten;
395 beaver. 2,045 muskrats, 34S wea-
sells, LOT skunks and 20 wildcats. We
should like 20 know whether any other
state could make such a diversified
showing, and the returns are by no
means complete, for 266 licenses were
issued to hunters and trappers of fur
bearing animals. The number of
guides registered was 2.0S7 residents
and % nonresidents. OF these 1,726
reported that they had conducted par
again the returns are not all in.
In spite of the army that annually
pursueS the wild animals of Maine
and the recurrent slaughter, their num-
will be so as long as the greater part
of Maine is a wilderness. Ten years
ago 1t was estimated that there were
23.70O square miles of forests or wood
land in the state, or 70 per cent of the
whole. In 1896 the standing feet of
spruce alone we're calculated as 21,-
239.000,000. There seems to be no
pressing forestry problem in the Dirigo
state.-New York Sun
Grand Opera for the Nation.
Grand opera competition has been
a blessing chiefly of local effect. The
by it only incidentally. But even here
in New York, where the rivalry of
managers has been unquestionably a
boon, the possibility of a merger of
interests is regarded with no great
depth of concern.
Should the suggested merger take
form, neither is grand opera likely to
be crushed back into the unenter-
prising state of pre-Hammerstein
days nor is the public likely to suffer
from the oppression of a monopoly.
Star singers probably will have to
sing for less money, but not enough
less to deprive them of a reasonable
profit on yearly sailing to America.
more interesting topic than that
of managerial deal is furnished by
Mr.. DIPPED in his suggestion of the
establishment of operate centers,
with arrangements for the inter
change of stars, in all the major cit
les of the country. The artistic and
educational advantages of such a
scheme of things are patent. Under
that system of promotion grand OPP
era would become a national institu-
ton, to its own enlarged usefulness
and to the good of the country