350 FouETH Annual Eepoet of the 



St. Lawrence Station 



While still acting as foreman of the Linlithgo station, I was 

 sent here May 1, 1914, to take charge of this property. The only 

 complete piece of work that I found upon arrival was the electric 

 power house and pump. I^one of the ponds was in shape for bass 

 hatching. With only five men, and none of these men of experi- 

 ence in the work, we, by heroic efforts, got three of the large ponds 

 in fairly good condition and put therein 250 small mouthed black 

 bass. These parent fish produced at least 500,000 fry and finger- 

 lings. The old fish and their young were returned to the St. 

 Lawrence and Oswegatchie rivers about August 15th. Some of 

 the young bass were two and one-half inches in length. 



I think without doubt that this station can be made the most 

 successful bass hatching station in the State. It is a pumping 

 station. The temperature of the water is, therefore, more uni- 

 form than in any other station where bass are reared. The sudden 

 fall of temperature in other waters where bass are raised is fatal 

 to the eggs. Drawing our water supply direct from the St. Law- 

 rence, the water remains practically the same during egg incuba- 

 tion. Many changes must be made in the inlet and outlet of the 

 ponds before they can be used to the best advantage. 



Little food was required for the parent bass in the early part 

 of the season, as shad flies and minnows were abundant and the 

 bass preferred them to fish cut into pieces. One of the ponds did 

 not give good results. Some of the parent fish died. I think the 

 nature of the soil was the cause of it. The soil was a mixture 

 of bog iron and muck, and when the water was first put in a sort 

 of greasy film gathered on the surface of the pond. Before the 

 water was let out in August it seemed to have purified itself and 

 the fish regained their former vigor. I think it will be all right 

 next year. 



Some of the pond banks have been graded and seeded. The 

 sum of $1,000 was allowed for repair work on the dwelling-house, 

 and up to October 1, 1914, $Y50 had been expended. A new 

 cellar wall had been built of concrete under the entire house and 

 a drain of 300 feet laid thereto. Lumber and shingles enough to 

 finish the repair work are bought and paid for, but the labor has 

 not yet been completed. A huge pile of stone was given to us by 



