No. 7 (191^7) ADMINISTRATION REPORT, 1917-18 I93 



charge of the branch till 7th February 1918, when as a tentative ftieasure 

 I was appointed as the Piscicultural Expert and Mr. B. Sundara Raj as 

 the Assistant Director. 



Staff. — Excepting certain minor changes there was no change in the 

 staff during the year. 



Tours — Mr. B. Sundara Raj visited the following districts on tours 

 of inspection and investigation : — 



The Kurnool district in June 191 7, the Nellore district in July, 

 October and November, January and February, the Chingleput district in 

 May and June 191 7 and April and May 19 18, the Tanjore district in August 

 and September, the Nilgiris in April and May 191 7 and South Kanara (with 

 myself) in April and May 19 18. 



In South Kanara the four sites for fish farms selected by Mr. 

 H. C. Wilson were inspected with a view to follow up, his proposals for the 

 improvement of the fisheries of the district. 



The Sub-Assistant and two Assistant Inspectors toured in the districts 

 of Kurnool, Bellary, Anantapur, Cuddapah, Chittoor and Chingleput in 

 connexion with the tank investigation scheme. 



Regarding the various operations in hand the Assistant Director reports 

 as follows : — 



" Siinkesula fish farm. — The work of the farm continued to be satis- 

 factory. A notable feature was the successful breeding of the highly 

 esteemed species E tropins suratensis by providing artificial nests made of 

 Cuddapah slabs. The fish deposit their adhesive eggs on the under surface 

 of these slabs and are asciduous in the care of their eggs and young. 

 Experiments during the previous two years failed apparently for want of 

 such facilities. The Kurnool-Cuddapah canal and tanks in the neighbour- 

 hood ' could how be stocked with the fry which Was the main object 'of 

 Mr. Wilson in introducing this valuable species from the Madras estuaries' 

 into Sunkesula. • ■. • 



" Pudur scheme. — The Public Works Department are doubtiful of 

 successfully impounding water in the Mudupanchala cheruvu, the largest 

 of the three tanks covered by the scheme. The Executive Engineer, 

 Kurnool, is still investigating the matter. 



" Meanwhile the gourami have begun to breed and in the absence of 

 extensive rearing grounds (which the Pudur scheme was intended to 

 provide) the fry had to be transported to Ippur. 



^^ Live-fish market. — The live-fish market at Kurnool which was 

 closed in 191 5 after the first year of its work owing to difficulties in manage- 

 ment was reopened for the sale of fish from July to January — a season when 

 fish is scarce in Kurnool — and was run this time by a contractor who was 



