Newspaper Page Text
. . 1 ' . 5ftlTld? Tsliflfl'f HUGHiSMITHl Pishes of thi Ti VMWTfL ')t BOHIS i. m' T ". , HHHHS1 a2trus imm J A "kiw ft' " :::r:: BlllPSHW HPilsliti $Bh 17 JWS&LjBHSmsESsWJllfili When glnnt fishes are mentioned STATE FAIR SHOW OF FARM" PRODUCTS CROWING RAPIDLY 15LIKP In tho cxlstcnco of sea serpents nntl other innrino mon sters goes back to a very remote antiquity ami may bo as old as man himself. That great Ho brcw poem which wo call tho Hook of Job has much to say about tho "lmiatlian." This creature has been the subject of much spoculntlon ami may havo boon a myth, but thoro Is noth ing Inherently Improbablo In its being n giant fifth. Who knows that primitive man may not havo been coeval with sonio formidable marlno crea tures now extinct, tho tradition of which has como down through tho nges and loft Its Impress on tho mind of tho presont generation? Tho avid, lty nnd credulity with which tho general public year nfir yoar receives nowspaper accounts, which aro purely fictitious or hnng on slonder threads of fact, portraIng tho capture or eight lng of creatures of Impossible form, show how firmly established and dcop-soated is tho convic tion that tho sea contains leviathans not yet known to science Every season yields a fresh crop of soa-Eorpont stories and a new scrlos of grotesque pictures of creatures which, it they roal ly oxl8ted. would revolutionize our Ideas of tho animal kingdom. Tho wrltor haB personally fol lowed to their lairs two or threo of tho most hor rlblo monsters conceived by tho vivid Imagina tion of tho nowspaper nlan, and found them to-b, well-known animals with llttlo to BUggest tho sea scrponL As to whothor there really exists In tho sea today trango monsters, scientists nro not wholly in accord, although n ncgatlvo view is hold by most of thorn. Tho very circumstantial nccount of tho sighting of n "Boa-serpent" on tho Asiatic const by tho French gunboat Decldeo a few years ago, as published In tho Journals at tho tlmo, will porhaps weaken tho bollof of somo Intelligent persons who havo heretofore denied tho possibility- of tho cxlstcnco nt this day of ma rlno monsters comparable to thoso of geological times. Whatovor may bo tho truth as to tho cxlstonca of such creatures, there aro well-known members of tho fish class which aro so lurgo that they do Tho first thing that ono looks for in anything cnpablo of growth and de velopment and which has been tho object of a period of nurturing care, is some concreto example of that growth, whether tho subject at hand bo ad Individual or an institution. The agricultural department of tho Stato Pair, which will be held this year from September 27 to October 9, has for tho last four years been tko object of tho nurturing caro of tho fair management and the agricultural interests of the state. Elements of growth In tho institution aro natural ly eagerly watched for. Good Crops Good crop conditions, Increased fa cilities for handling exhibits and tho continuation of tho paBt skillful man agement nro tho self-evident elements of growth back of tho Bhowlng of farm products at tho Stato Pair this fall. Tho good crop conditions over tho stato in general aro gleaned from the periodical crop reports of tho Btate board of agriculture, and tho reports of correspondents In tho various sec tions. Tho Increased facilities aro readily discernible to anyono Who tnkes tho troublo to observe the In stallation of now buildings nnd equip ment in progress Rt the State Fair grounds this summor. All will bo in readiness when tho gates open upon tho Fourth Annual Fair, "ine man agement will continue under William Alson, of Ldmond, Okla., who has given oxcollont satisfaction in tho past as superintendent, and who an nounces that all entries In this depart ment will closo at 6 o'clock, p. m., September 2G, 1910. Fnir visitors will seo a bigger area in tho Agricultural Building, which bo awarded to tho ten counties mak ing the best displays. Corn Show Somo of tho most prominent corn growers In tho stato havo signified tholr Intention of exhibiting this im portant product at tho fair. Competi tion Is open to tho world nnd all corn must bo grown by tho exhibitor In tho yenr 1910. Corn will bo scored by tho Judges on scalo of points ndopted by tho DcparUnent of Agronomy of th Agricultural and Mechanical College of Stillwater, Okla. Premiums and swoopstnkes will bo offored on nlmost every known variety of whito corn, yellow corn, sweet corn, pop corn, kaflr corn and mllo maze. Doys' Corn Growing Contest Special nnd regular cash premiums havo been awarded more- liberally upon this department than any other of tho big agricultural show, by rea son of a Bplcndld offer from fifty banks In nB many counties In tho stato. In all $1,093 has been offered In cash pre miums In this interesting department, Full information regarding this con' test and all other departments of tho fair may bo had by consulting tho froe premium list, which will .bo mailed upon application to tho secretary. Farm Exhibits A now feature, and a most inter esting one, this year will bo tho indi vidual farm exhibits. With full con fidence in its popularity, tho associ ation has put up first, second and third cash prizes upon tho largest and best display of farm products grown In 1910 on ono farm. In Oklahoma and shown by tho grower. Tho First State Bank of Seminole, Okla., offers $10 in cash and tho Lyon Saddlery Com- sorvo to bo regarded as monsten' nnd may bo tho basis of some of the sea-sorpent yarns with which tho world has been rogaled for centuries. Among tho scrpontlform fishes there is nono of such exceptionally largo slzo as properly to bolong In the sea- serpent class, although boiuo dosorvo to bo con sidered as giants among eols. It any known fishes , mny bo suspocted of nsplrlng (o bo sea-serpents, surely thoy aro tho morays, although a sea-serpent only 30 foot long would hardly satisfy pros-cnt-dny requirements, and no morays havo yet been recorded which were half so long. They havo, however, been known to exceed ton foot In length, nnd thoy nro nmong tho most drondod of fishes, having formidable teeth and showing n disposition to attack men. v A fish of such peculiar form that tho Italians call It mola, a mlllstono, nnd tho Spaniards (pez lunn, moon-fish, Is known to Amorlcans nnd Eng lish ns tho sun-flBh, for It nppanra nt tho surfneo of tho ocean on bright dnya nnd epoiuls many hours basking listlessly In tho sun, sometimes ly ing flat with ono side Just out of tho water, some times with tho back fin projecting llko n buoy nbovo tho surface. It Is disk-shaped, Its holght nearly equaling Us length, nnd It has a long, nnr row fin on Its upper nud lower edges posteriorly, nnd n Bhort, broad Ilap representing tho caudal fin; Its eyes are Inra und Ha mouth small, nnd taken altogether it is ono of tho most grotesque of flshos, being nppnrcntly nil head. Of almost world-wide distribution, Its is particularly abun dant on tho southeastern coast of tho United States and on tliu California coast. It swims but llttlo, being usually content to bo drifted along by tho ocean currents, Tho Oulf Stroum wafts many a nun-fish northward ouch summer, so that tho species is not a rarity oft southern Now Eng land, and I havo seen n number of specimens that had become strandod on tho coast of Norway. Tho fish is entlroly harmloss, and Ib so sluggish nnd listless, and Is such n conspicuous object nt sea, that it Is easily nppronched nnd harpooned. That tho sun-fish deserves n place in tho list of giant flEhes may bo judged from tho fnct that examples weighing 200 to COO pounds aro not rnro, and that much larger ones are occasionally met with. Tho largost known spoclmon, harpooned In 1S93 at Hedondo Beach, California, weighed 1.S00 pounds. On such n monster, lying on ono side, thoro would bo room for 30 meu to stand. Tho strong tooth, shaped llko a turtlo's bnak, suggest that hard-shelled animals constitute Its food, but ns far ns known jolly-flch nro Its chief diet Tho extremely tough, fibrous skin, sovurnl Inches thick, nnd tho go n oral coarseness of structure Boom Inconsistent with such dcljcato food. Tho valunblo mackerel family has ono mem ber which cuslly ranks first in slzo nmong tho bony flshos, ns distinguished from tho sharks, rays, sturgeons, etc., with gristly skeletons. This is tho horso muckorol or grout tunny (Thunnus thynnue), whoso rnngo cnclrclos tho globo and which is nn object of flshorlos In many countries, notably southern Europe Built on tho compact nnd graceful lines of our common mackorol, it Is tho npotheela of speed, alertness nnd vigor nmong AJW-HSH ABOUT TO ?fZE S7 0ATFP HOOK thu fishes of the high sens, nnd might very easily mako n transoceanic trip In ono-thlrd tho tlmo of our fastest stenmshlps. Threo species of fishes of tho sea-bas3 family known ns Jow-fishos rang among tho largest of tho splny-flnned fishes. They Inhabit tropical Amoilcar waters, nnd range n3 far north as tho California nnd South Atlantic coasts. Tho spotted Jow-fish (Promlcrops ltnlnra) 13 common In tho West Indies, nnd reaches n weight of COO pounds. Tho black Jow-llbh (Garrupa nlgrltn), found from South Carolina to Brazil, weighs 500 pounds. Tho California jow-fish (Steroolepsls glgas), usually called sea bass, sometimes attains n wolght of COO pounds nnd Is ono of tho really great game fishes of tho country, being much sought by anglers In southern California. Au experienced angler has written: ".My largest fish wolghod 27G pounds, and I was ropentcdly almost Jerlcod overboard by tho struggles of tlm bass. I havo soon n 200-pound llsh snap tho largest shnrk lino llko n thrend, nnd largo apoclmens stralghton out nn iron shark hook; yet tho skilled wicldcrs of the rod catch these giants of tho tribe with a lino that is not much largor than somo eye-glass cords." Among tho ray nro sovornl members which roach colossal proportions. Tho largest and host known of those Is tho so-called "dovU-tHi" (Man ia vnmpyrus) of our South Atlantic coast and the tropical wntcrs of Amorlca, which occasionally strayB nB far as Capo May and Is comomn south of Capo Hattoras. It Is shaped llko n butterfly or bat, nnd has boon called tho "ocean vampire." Projecting from either sldo of tho head Is n horn like nppendnge, which In reality Is n detnehed part of thu pectoral fin or "wing." These horns, to which tho namo "devll-flsh" owes Its orlglu, nro Bomotiiuos threo foot long nnd nro Ireoly mov able, bolug UBCd for bi'inglng food to tho mouth. Tho mouth is peculiar in hnCIug no teeth In tho upper Jaw, whllo tho lower Jaw has about a hun dred rows of smnll paved teeth. Many years ago tho pursuit of tho fish was a favorite pastlrao of tho Carolina planters, and William Elliott, in his "Carolina Sports by Land nud Yato" said: "Ini nglno n monBter from 16 to 20 feet across tho back, full 3 feet in depth, possessed of powerful yet floxlblo flaps or wings with which ho drives himself furiously in tho water or vaults high in tho air." There nro woll-nuthontlcnted instances of this fish entngllng Its horns In tho anchor ropes or chains of small vessels and towing them rap idly for long distances, to tho mystification of tho peoplo on board. Tho oxpinso of body in this species Is greater than in any other known animal. Examples 18 feotv wldo aro common, and thoso 20 feet across nnd over feet thick are not raro. Tho maximum width Is stated by authors to bo 25 or 30 foot. One Bpoctmen, of which tho writer had a photograph, caught In Lapaz Bay, Moxtco, many yeare ngo by tho crew of tho U. S. S. Narragan- sett of which George Dewey wnB cap tain, was 17 feet wldo nnd wolghed nenrly two tons. A fish of the larg est bIzo mentioned would weigh not less than six tons. In tho lagoons, sounds, nnd bayous of tho West Indies nnd our southern coast there exists an abundant flBh of great length. Intermediate In struc ture between the sharks and the rays, nnd at oiico recognizable by the elon gation of the snout into n wide, fiat blade in tho edges of which are large, sharp teeth fitting In sockets and di rected horizontally. The teeth are In 23 to 30 pairs, separated by wide In- tervals, and give to the saw-fish its namo. The species Is well-known to lioso who resldo In or visit tho South Atlantic or Gulf seaboards, and the "saws" are familiar objects In curio stores nil over tho country. When glnnt fishes nre mentioned most people will nt once think of the sharks, among which, Indeed, are found tho largest fishes now existing. Of the many species of sharks note worthy on account of their slzo, there aro about half a dozen which are pre eminent These differ much In their disposition, somo being harmless as doves and others the Incarnation of ferocity. The .sleeper shark CSomnlosus ml- crocephalus), whose scientific namo fits It so admirably, appears To have developed its body at the expense of its brain, for Is a sluggish, stupid glutton, about bIx times as long as an aver age man. At home In tho arctic regions. It somc tlmei makes visits as far south as Cape Cod, the British Isles, and Oregon. One of thi most prodigious and perhaps the most formldaWe of sharks Is tho "man-cater" (Car charodon carcharlas). It roams through all tem perate and tropical sea3 and everywhere is an object of dread. Us maximum length is 40 feet nnd Its teeth nro 3 Inches long. Whllo there are few authentic Instances of sharks attacking human beings, there have undoubtely been many cases where sharks simply swallowed peoplo who had fnllen overboard, Just as thoy would swallow any other food. How easy It would be for a man-eater to devour a person wholo mny bo judged from tho finding of nn entire hundred-pound sen-lton in tho storanch of a 30-foot shark on tho California coast ' The largest of all fishes, the largest of all cold blooded animals, and tho largest of all existing anl mnls, w ith tho exception of n few species of whales, is tho whnle shnrk, (Ithlneodon typlcus), originally doscrlbod jfrom Cape of Good Hope, but now known from lndin, Japan, South America, Panama, Cali fornia and various other places, a small specimen having been obtained on tho Florida coast a fow years ago. This shark has a very broad and ob tuse snout nnd nn exceedingly wldo mouth nrmed with numerous minute teeth; tho dnrk-colored body Is marked with many small whitish spots. Tho spo clos Is stated to attain n length of 70 feet nnd is known to exceed 6Q feet. Notwithstanding Its lm menso size, howover, It Is harmless to man unless attacked, and feeds on tho small creatures for which Us teoth nro ndapted. Its huge bulk makes It dangerous In tho same wny that a whale Is dan gerous. Tho ribbon-fishes constluto a gnmp chiefly note worthy for their shape and tho circumstances un dor which thoy have been mot with, although some of them nro nmong tho most olongntrt of flshos. Imagine a creaturo ono foot high, threo or four inches thick, nnd moro than 20 feet long, with the consistency of a wet towel, nud you will have borne Idea of a rlbbon-flsh. Our knowledge of theso fishes is duo to no ac tivity on tho p.rt of zoologists In finding their habi tat and collecting them thoreln, but to tho clr cumstanco that when they dlo or loso their oqul' llbrlum tboy xall upward and float on tho surface, wheucQ t'uey aro picked up or drift ashore. Nearly all tho specimens known have been found dead or dying, and fow. If any, havo been socured in deep sea collecting upparatus. This suggests how frag mentary must bo our knowledge of the larger ani mals of tho oceanic abyss and how possible it might be for unknown monsters to exist thtro In abun-danco v .'"! - - -a' s' i'" " ni,i' w,kl f ii . Ji ". 1 1 Kd :, t.jl ..vf , i"-1 Fttf .Xi, ..." " .. nam AGRICULTURAL BUILDING." has been treated to a 100-foot exten sion. This was mado necessary by tho increased demand for spaco from agricultural exhibitors. Tho new Dairy Building is also a monument which tells the magic story of growth.. County Exhibits Eloven counties displayed county exhibits nt tho fair last year, and this year the management Is expecting twenty-flvo counties to participate in tho big agricultural show. To date tho following counties havo mado ap plication for spaco: Johnson County, Custer, Comanche, Caddo, Grady, LcFloro, Kiowa, Jackson and Wash ita. A representative from Garvin County this week gave fair assur anco that an exhibit could bo ex pected from that county. Tho association urgently requests all parties contemplating making county exhibits to write to tho secre tary nt once, making nppllcatlon for space. No char,o will bo mado for exhibit spaco, but each exhibitor is required to purcha&o an exhibitor's ticket at the cost of $3.00, which will entitle him to admlttanco each day during tho fair. Each county in tho stato with tho oxceptlon of Oklahoma County is entitled to exhibit. Pre miums, ranging from $30 to $250. will pany of Oklahoma City a set of single f harness for tho best individual farm exhibit. Dairy This department will bo housed in a now Dairy Building, 50x100 feet, supplied with cement floors, water, Bower nnd electric lights. A number of cream separator exhibits will bo placed along tno sldo of tho usual dairy products In this building. Among tho now equipments In this department will bo n largo cooler, 10 x 20 icot, 9 feet high, enclosed with plato glass on all four sides. Apiary and Culinary Tho Beo and Honey and Culinary departments will bo seen this year in tho now Dairy Building. Tho secre tary has received letters from a num bor of bee fanciers signifying their Intention to mako good displays. Theso exhibits will bo confined to res idents of Oklahoma. Tho Culinary Department will bo moved from Us old quarters on the second floor of the Exposition Building to tno now building. New countnrn shelves and glass showcases have been provided. With tho lncronsml fnrii Itles a larger dlsnlav of thnso nrnrt ucts is expected than at any previous fair. EMERSON DOUGH GOES FISHING Intended to Hunt In Africa But Learned of Many Other Writ ers There Even somo boar hunters grow blaso In time. Emerson Hough, who ha3 killed moro Alaskan bears, and writ ten less about It, than any faunal nat uralist of our acquaintance, had planned n trip to Africa, for variety, when reports roached him that 3,000 (othcr American wrltors woro headed that way. So Mr. Hough Ib gnthorlng material for fish stories Instead, By way of n beginning ho Insists that In May he found tho fishing vory good indoed in Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah, nnd tho Bitter Root Valloy In Mon tana. In Juno he was planning to join W. B. Morshon on his salmon wntor on tho Cascapedla, after another week end In Wisconsin. In August und Sop- Confuses the Compass On nccount of tho magnetic quali ties of 'tho hull and tho oro which comprises tho cargo, mnny of tho ves sels of tho lnko flcots experience great troublo In navigating owing to the lnflucnco of tho metal hull and tho cargo on tho compass. Advance for Textile Workers In tho last 20 years or so tho av erage earnings of workpeoplo engaged in the textllo industries have rlson by over 20 per cent tcmbor ho mny spend a month In the Pcaco River country. Mrs. Hough sug gests Skagway, Alaska, or a three weeks' trip to England nnd back, as Interesting excursions for tho lato summor; but her husband has prom ised to bo on hnnd for tho opening of tho woodcock season. Beforo start ing on a mooso hunt In Ontnrlo, in Novembor, Mr. Hough rather expects to try his hand at work. "But why got Into n rut?" ho wiites. "I imvn . tractod to do a vnudovillo sketch. n Play, ft nOVOlottO nnd rIy nlmrl nlnrlo. i .1... . . ... : : ...- in uiu uoxi sixty uays. I am not go ing to do It, becauso tho trout Ashing in tho West Is bettor thla year than it has been for n long tlmo, nnd when buslnoss interferes with fishing, tho best rulo is to drop tho business." All tho samo, Mr. Hough Is known to havo in nctlvo preparation niiothor histori cal novel of largo propoitlons, llko "CM0 or Fight." It will be issued noxt yoar. Tho Cijabash Pipe A well mado calabash plpo possess cs nil tho vnlunblo chnrnctorlstlca of nil other plpos In moat convonlout form. II is light nnd durablo, and tho freo spaco bolow tho bowl Insures a cool; clean smoko, noithor biting nor 'gurgly." One Dmcrence It Is wrong to suppose that there is no difference between genius and muuuess. Madness gets threo square meals a day Llppincott's Tfr T r i