BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 331 



mals, thousands of which were soon caught in the neighboring mill-pond 

 by moans of a gauze net. I can also recommend a mixture of white 

 cheese and ground meal with a little water, kneaded into balls. For 

 the further development of the young fish which have grown up this 

 summer, I have provided a small basin, connected with the others, 

 measuring 1 meter [39.37 inches] in breadth, 2 meters in length, and 1 

 meter in depth, and by placing in it small stone hillocks, and making 

 hiding-places, it has become a pleasant place of sojourn for fish. Hence 

 the fish can again ascend to the basin originally inhabited by them, 

 and thus live either in shallow or deep water. 



As food for trout which are several years old, I have very success- 

 fully employed a mixture of white cheese and Nicklas's fish-food, in a 

 proportion of 3 to 2. These two substances must, of course, be kneaded 

 together by means of water and then be fed to the fish in the shape of 

 noodles. The large fish also get raw meat, frog larvse, small frogs, 

 worms, snails, amphipods, &c. There is nothing better for fish than to 

 vary their food from time to time. Too large a quantity of substances 

 containing much nitrogen seems to cause diseases among the trout. 

 The old adage, variatio dekctat (variety is pleasing), also applies in this 

 case. In place of Nicklas's food I have recently begun to use, also, the 

 American ground meat (meat-flour, which is frequently used as food 

 for cattle. It is my opinion, however, that this food should be em- 

 ployed cautiously. I shall at any rate continue my experiments with 

 this ground meat and with Nicklas's food, and at some later date report 

 as to the results. One thing I can state even now ; this is, that ray 

 trout did not seem to like mcklas's food when given to them by it- 

 self. For days they will leave the food untouched, and most of it is 

 eaten by the crawfish which I have placed in my basins in large num- 

 bers as guardians of public order, and which have to see to it that 

 nothing is wasted. 



This is, in brief, my hatching and feeding establishment, consisting, 

 therefore, of a very small spring, three basins, and two wooden hatch- 

 ing boxes, without the trace of a hatching-house; and up to spring, 

 1884, I expect to have raised in it about 10,000 eggs of different kinds 

 of trout and hybrids, so that, in all probability, I shall have next sum- 

 mer about 10,000 fine food fish. Only by closely following the rules 

 laid down by nature for the life of trout, and by making use of all the 

 hints given both in this paper and in other publications, have I suc- 

 ceeded in furthering the interest of the fisheries in a country like ours, 

 which has been but little favored by nature ; and in making, within a 

 space of only 100 square meters, the best use of a spring, which thus 

 furnishes now not only a cooling draft, but a fine fish for the table. 



Would that this communication might aid in awakening greater in- 

 terest in Germany for the important fishery industries ! Much money 

 is still lying hid in out-of-the-way nooks and corners of our country. 



LOBBJUN, NEAR HAXLE ON THE SALLB. 



