22 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



made of oak or some similarly strong material. At a proper angle 

 with the teeth are two handles about 20 inches in length, inserted as 

 shown in Figure 31. The handles of an old plow can be utilized for 

 the purpose. A crotch line is attached to the ends of the rake, which 

 is operated by three men, one with waders, who stands between the 

 handles and manipulates the implement, and two on the shore to 

 pull it. A fourth man looks over the weeds, sorts out the fish, and 

 pitches the growth upon the bank as it is brought ashore. When 

 not loaded, the rake is easily floated out into the pond. To rake the 

 bottom, the operator sometimes must put his hands and arms under 

 water; and as he wades out with the rake he determines by the 

 density of the moss how far it is necessary to go to secure a rakeful. 

 Ordinarily this is about 20 feet beyond the area that was cleaned 

 with the hand raking, but farther if the weeds are not thick. The 

 rake is moved through the weeds slowly to allow the fish to escape, 

 but on reaching the open space made by the garden rake it can be 

 moved more rapidly, so that as it comes ashore, with water rushing 

 around either end, any fish that may be ahead of it will usually 

 escape into the pond. The few that may become entangled are 



Fig. 31. — Rake devised by Dwight Lydell, and in use for removing vege- 

 tation at the Mill Creek station of tlie Michigan Fish Commission. (For 

 description see text.) 



released by swift handling of the weeds as they are brought ashore. 

 After the first raking is completed a seine is used to remove all fish 

 that may be in the cleared space. Then the rake is used again far- 

 ther out in the pond, the process being repeated until the pond has 

 been thoroughly cleared of vegetation or the desired number of fish 

 have been obtained. 



At the Wytheville station a boat is employed in the removal of the 

 aquatic vegetation from portions of the pond where the growth is 

 most dense. Fastened to each end of the boat is a cleat, through 

 which is a hole about 2 inches in diameter, or of sufficient size to 

 hold a stake loosely fitted in it, the stakes being driven into the bot- 

 tom of the pond for the purpose of holding the boat steady while 

 the vegetation is being pulled by the rakes. The loosened mass is 

 then loaded into the boat. After the pond bottom has been gone over 

 in this manner the sluices are opened, and men following the water as 

 the pond is drawn pull by hand the remaining vegetation and stack 

 it in piles. If any patches of Chara are found where the fish are 

 apt to lodge, these are reached with rakes and thinned to release 

 the fisli. After the fish have been removed and while the pond bot- 



