The New York herald., 1921-02-20
Fox Hanting Revives.

Fox Hsnting Revives.
The closing event OF the Alabama
State Fair this. year and, according
to the reports, also its crowning
event was the meeting OF the Ala
bama hunting clubs and a fox chase
over the finest of the States hunting
grounds with all the loyal adherents
OF the sport taking part and the best
packs Of hounds the State could pro-
duce on the trail. This in reality
was merely an incident in the revival
Of fox hunting in the South, re-
vlval which has extended from the
mountains Of the Carolinas westward
/ to the Ozarks of Arkansas and Mis-
souri,. Trading in hounds, If we may
Judge from the reports in the papers,
IS brisker in the Ozark hills than
| trading In horses, while the tax re-
turns Of Georgia last year place the
value Of the States dogs. at three
times that Of its mining interests.
The result of this renaissance Of fox
hunting is to bring about the raising
Of higher grade of hunting dogs
and horses and to make this belt tho
one great hunting ground where old
Reynard Is chased with all the glory
and excitement Of the earlier days
Of the sport.
/ The hunters were long ago driven
back further into the hills Of Ken
lucky and Tennessee; the packs
which once started in the yellow clay
hills of southern Muskingum county.
Ohio, and followed the scent down
through Perry and Hooking counties
almost to the Ohio valley find their
occupation gone; potterles. mines and
truck patches have driven away sly
Reynard and his family.
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, is,
perhaps, the last stronghold of the
hunt club in the East. This of
course, excludes the anise bag trail
ers and clubs such as the Chester
Club, which once made the expert
ment Of looslng a tame fox and was
humillated to see the little rascal
sit down on his launches and wait
for the dogs to come up and play
with him. But the farmers of Bucks
county are up In arms against the
/ hunt club which released foxes to
prey on their hen roosts and against
I the red coated hunters who ride over
their fields of planted crops. Even In
England, where In Georgian days the
rector, the squire and tho county geo.
try rode hard to be IN at tho death,
fox hunting Is passing. The Field re-
Gently attributed this to the fact that
the great estates are being cut up
and that many persons who really
enjoy the sport can no longer afford
IL. The chase Is thus losing its ma
tional characteristics, says the Field.
The reports might indicate this. The
hounds ran" says correspond
ent of the London Times in reporting
a meet. "and the larches and pool
we're all drawn blank Hounds did
not find all day" Another concludes
with 1T was good day. A fox
hunter has a glorious day" or never
mentions It. In all this not a spark Of
that spirit and enthusiasm which
CHARLES LEVER and writer's of his
time put into their glowing hunting
stories.
But to return TO the Southern hunt
Ing ground. All northern Mississippi
met q few days ago In the hills OF
Tallahatchie county for n great hunt.
The editor Of the Mississippi Sun on
that day knew nothlns of Cermany's
reparations, Frances demands, the
Bolshevist mobilization or tho ways of
Congress. There was only one piece
OF news IN the news armament and
the hunt had the first page. Tho
hunters, their women folks, children
and servants camped before dawn
around fires on the high ridge The
fastest dogs In the county we're there,
the packs from Tippo. Charleston
and Haynes and the Hodgpath and
Walker bounds
Soon after dawn the dogs got wind
Of the fox and were of at full cry,
followed by all the men who had
mounts, among them "MAcoS WHITE
on his sorrel stallion, CLYDE Hicks
on his big bay, Grp CnENsHAw on his
black hunter and Burt HARRIS astride
a ine gray mare" Everybody else
took a position on a hilltop. "If that
hill had been a grand stand and the
whole thing staged for our benefit