104 Fish and Game Warden. [Bull. No. 1. 



ing their own young. We have also placed crayfish for food in 

 the ponds where the Black bass are spawning, but we are not 

 sure, as yet, that this is a good thing to do. A few crayfish may 

 serve as food for the bass, but when there are many of them, 

 we are inclined to believe that they will kill many of the young 

 fish. When we have them we place tadpoles of the large green 

 bullfrog variety in spawning ponds. We have had good suc- 

 cess with ponds stocked after the above methods, but we are 

 not ready to say just what is the best method to pursue when 

 it comes to handling and raising the Large-mouthed Black bass, 

 as conditions vary so much in different localities and in differ- 

 ent ponds in the same locality. However, we have made up 

 our mind to one thing, and that is that it is necessary to have 

 plenty of food for both old and young fish in a pond where 

 Black bass are to be raised. It sometimes happens that most of 

 the breeding goldfish placed in ponds with the breeding bass 

 are eaten up by the bass. This is likely to happen unless the 

 goldfish are too large to be swallowed and other food is plenti- 

 ful. 



The spawning goldfish produce schools of young goldfish in 

 these breeding ponds. Many of them usually disappear before 

 the ponds are drained. These young goldfish are devoured by 

 any bass that is large enough to swallow them. Yearling bass 

 are very fond of them. As a rule, large bass do not care for 

 small fish or small minnows, and our observation goes to show 

 that they will eat larger fish, frogs and crayfish and let the 

 young fish alone when they can get the larger food. 



We have never known bass to eat tadpoles unless the tad- 

 poles were caught and thrown to them on the surface of the 

 water. Under such circumstances the bass will sometimes 

 strike at the tadpoles, but we are not sure even then that they 

 swallow any of them, for a few specimens of bass taken with 

 hook and line after the tadpoles had been thrown to them had 

 no tadpoles in their stomachs. However, during the latter 

 part of June, and in July and August, the tadpoles are usually 

 transformed into young bullfrogs. When these frogs appear, 

 as they do at a very opportune time for bass food, the bass 

 make quick work of them, as they are very fond of young frogs. 



From the spawn of Hickory shad large schools of fish are 

 hatched. These young fish are large enough in September and 

 October to make good food for the larger bass, but are too 

 large for food for spring-hatched bass. 



Intelligent versus Haphazard Methods.* 



The reader will see from the suggestions made above that 

 the fish culturist has a great many things to contend with. It 

 is necessary for him to make a good many plans for the care of 

 his fish, both young and old. These plans do not always work 

 out, but intelligent and scientific work always shows up to ad- 



* Continued on page 136, under "Intelligent versus haphazard work." 



