BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 113 



SUCCESSFUL PROPAGATION OF BLACK BASS. 



By MAJOR ISAAC ARJ\OJLI> Jr., U. S. A. 



[From letters to Prof. S. P. Baird.] 



I have in a small pond at this arsenal about 40 black bass (large 

 and small mouthed), that are weighing from 2 to 4 pounds apiece. I 

 have bad them in this pond for three years. Last year they produced 

 a large number of small fry, nearly all of which were destroyed by sun- 

 perch. I have had the pond cleaned this spring and the sun-perch re- 

 moved. As the bass are in fine condition, I expect there will be thou- 

 sands of the young fry this season. 



Indianapolis Arsenal, Indianapolis, Ind., April 22, 1882. 



This morning I discovered the fish were nesting. They have refused 

 food for the past week, indicating they have been on the nest during 

 that time. I have removed all the sun-perch from the ponds, so there 

 will be no danger to the small fry from that source. My pond is fed with 

 water from the city water- works, and is taken from White River. I 

 have an overflow. All the bass, with one exception, appear healthy. 



Indianapolis, Ind., May 16, 1882. 



The black bass are hatching out very fast. I have partitioned off one 

 end of the pond, so as to protect the small fry from the large fish; have 

 some trouble in catching the small fry as they come off the nests, but 

 should think there are 25,000 or more in the part of the pond partitioned 

 off. We are putting in more as fast as they are caught. 



Indianapolis, Ind., June 2, 1882. 



The black bass hatched out by the thousand, and I think there will 

 be more in a few days. The young fish are all healthy, but they eat each 

 other. Yesterday my foreman, in less than fifteen minutes, saw nine of 

 the young fry swallowed by fish of apparently the same size. The large- 

 mouths seem to do the greater part of this work. I have stopped trans- 

 ferring the small fry into an inclosed space, thinking they will do better 

 in the large pond. I have about 400 fish that are one year old, in fine 

 condition, and believe, if you can remove them, the final result will be 

 more satisfactory. They are from 3 to G inches in length, all strong and 

 hardy. Each day the number of this year's small fry grows less, as 

 the strong ones destroy the weaker. The first hatching are now nearly 

 three-fourths of an inch in length, and can probably protect themselves. 



Indianapolis, Ind., June 16, 1882. 



I think I must have had, one week ago, at least 100,000 young fry, 

 and there were four or five large fish on the nests whose eggs had not 

 hatched. This morning I discovered the inclosed place at one end of 

 Bull. IT. S. F. C, 82 8 ]Vov. 4, 1 882. 



