PEOPAGATION AND DISTEIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1923. 87 



14,000 sunfisli {Lepomis cymiellus) and 400 crappie. The output of 

 all of these fish was without doubt materially reduced through the 

 ravages of a large number of pike, wliich were not discovered until 

 the water was lowered to make the collections for distribution. 

 These fish are believed to have gained access to the ponds through 

 the supply pipe from the spring. 



ORANGEBURG (S. C. ) STATION. 

 [G. W. N. Browx, Superintendent.] 



The output of fish from this station, amounting in round num- 

 bers to 435,000, represents the most successful year in its historj^ 

 The great bulk of the production consisted of fr}' and fingerling 

 largemouth black bass, the distributions of which were in excess of 

 400,000. Most of the remainder were sunfish, with a few finger- 

 lings each of the warmouth bass and catfish. 



The most serious obstacle encountered during the year was the 

 flooding of a portion of the pond system by the heavy rains oc- 

 curring in July, 1922, and the consequent loss of a considerable 

 number of young fish. Other than this, natural conditions were in 

 the main favorable to fish culture and a change in methods is be- 

 lieved to have been a material influence in producing good results. 

 Instead of confining the brood bass in two or three ponds during 

 the winter, as heretofore, involving a second handling in the spring, 

 the fish were apportioned among the breeding ponds immediately 

 after the conclusion of tlie annual cleaning of the ponds, and were 

 allowed to remain undisturbed to the end of the spring spawning. 

 During the winter they were given all the food they would take, 

 and their condition at the beginning of the spawning period was 

 much better than under the old system of frequent transfer and 

 handling, 



A catfish pond, 3 feet by 30 feet in dimensions, divided by screens 

 into three compartments to permit of a free circulation throughout 

 its length, was constructed and 1 pair of catfish placed in each 

 compartment, it being the intention to follow up the experiment of 

 hatching in troughs instituted recently at the Fairport (Iowa) bio- 

 logical station. 



The overflow of the levees early in the year necessitated prompt 

 action, the work involving the excavation of a deep ditch and the 

 construction of a levee in order to divert the flood waters and 

 save the pond system. The levees between the two reservoirs were 

 then raised to a height sufficient to guard against a recurrence of 

 damage during periods of excessive rain. Two spillways were con- 

 structed — one at the outlet of the main reservoir leading into the 

 drain and one at the small upper reservoir. The recent erection of 

 a steel-wire fence around the reservation has added greatly to 

 the appearance of the station and will afford pasturage for the 

 station horse. 



An interesting experiment was made during the breeding season 

 to test the possibilities of artificial propagation as applied to the 

 black bass. On March 5 a nest of approximately 4.r)00 freshly laid 

 eggs was carefully removed from one of the ponds and placed in a 

 trough on a cheesecloth-covered iv?i\. The eggs were found to run 



