PROGRESS IN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, 1939 eA 
that contained forage fish produced an average of 5,120 largemouth 
bass fingerlings per acre. The results, however, varied ereatly in 
the different ponds, and indicate that much is still to be learned con- 
cerning the ecology of ponds that contain forage fish. In ponds 
where fertilizer alone was used the yield of bass fingerlings was 
much more uniform, with an average yield of 11,890 per acre. 
In previous experiments in other localities Mr. Meehean found that 
in fertilized ponds, without forage fish, no matter how heavily the 
pond may be fertilized, the bass grow rapidly until they reach a 
length of 2.5 to 3 in., when erowth practically stops. It was 
thought that if sufficient forage fish were present the bass fingerlings 
would continue to grow throughout the season, but this was not true. 
Growth was arrested at approximately the same time regardless of 
whether or not the ponds contained forage fish. 
The largemouth black bass fry grew to a length of 2.5 in. in ap- 
proximately 2 months. One pond. was then drained and stocked a 
second time with largemouth bass fry, and yielded a total produc- 
tion of 19,047 2.5-in. ‘fingerlings per acre for the season. After re- 
moval of the lar gemouth | bass fingerlings the pond was stocked with 
bream (bluegills), which yielded 47,179 1.5-in. fingerlings per acre 
when drained in the fall! The total yield of this pond for the 
season was 66,227 largemouth bass and bream fingerlings, which is 
believed to be a record. 
FIELD STUDIES 
Fish management studies on trout waters were carried on at the 
Pittsford (Vt.) and Leetown (W. Va.) Stations, in the Pisgah Game 
Preserve in North Carolina, and in Utah, Idaho, and California. 
Test waters.—The field work at the Pittsford Station, under R. F. 
Lord, has been confined to the so-called “test waters,” which have 
been operated in cooperation with the Vermont Fish and Game 
Service. This work was begun in 1935 on Furnace Brook. The fol- 
lowing year two more streams and Chittenden Reservoir were in- 
cluded in the program, increasing the number of test waters to four, 
the maximum number allowed by law. However, in 1939, two of the 
streams were discontinued as test waters and observations were made 
only on Furnace Brook and Chittenden Reservoir. 
The total eae h on Furnace Brook for the season of 1939 consisted 
of 1,321 brook trout and 1,676 rainbow trout, a total of 2,997 fish, as 
compared with a total catch of 4,647 in 1938. This was the lowest 
catch recorded since the study began, and was probably due, in large 
part at least, to the severe flood of September 1938, which did great 
damage to Vermont streams. It is inter esting to note, however, ‘that, 
as in 1938, the catch of rainbow trout exceeded that of brook trout, 
even though no rainbow trout have been planted in the stream for 
years, while it receives a heavy stocking of brook trout annually. 
Artificial stocking appears to have given better results in 
Chittenden Reservoir, although the results. are by no means con- 
clusive, due to incomplete data. How ever, fishing in this lake has 
improved greatly since it has been stocked annually with large rain- 
bow trout. An accurate count of marked fish captured by anglers was 
made on only a few days, and 27.5 percent of the fish taken were 
241635—40——6 
