Part III.] Pond Fish Culture. Ill 



to stock the ponds with the proper kinds of life that will serve 

 either directly or indirectly as food, and to encourage the 

 growth of this life in the ponds by producing the proper con- 

 ditions for its development. In other words, we hope to raise 

 in the ponds themselves natural food enough for the growth 

 and development of the young fish. 



General Note on the Black Bass. 



We have given more or less information in Part II of this 

 bulletin, which we have continued in Part III, on the Black 

 bass. This is the most important and highly prized game fish 

 found in Kansas waters, and is the fish above all others that 

 is eagerly sought everywhere by lovers of the rod and line, 

 both for the pleasure of catching it and because it is an excel- 

 lent table fish. We have given more or less in detail the life 

 history of this fish because, in a general way, it represents 

 the whole sunfish family, including the crappies and sunfishes 

 proper, which are common in most of the ponds, lakes and 

 rivers of Kansas. Nearly every person in Kansas who writes 

 to the department for fish wants Black bass. 



Fish for Distribution and for Food. 



At the Hatchery the idea is to raise and grow a number of 

 young fish for distribution in the ponds and lakes and streams 

 of the state, so we make our plans to do this, rather than to 

 raise fish to proper size for food purposes. If we were raising 

 fish for food purposes it would be necessary for us to change 

 our plans. We would have breeding ponds such as we have 

 now, and other ponds where fish could be raised to a certain 

 size for food purposes. This subject we will treat of in 

 another place in this bulletin. 



THE CRAPPIE. 



By reference to Part II of this bulletin the reader will find 

 that there are two kinds of crappies — the dark- and the light- 

 colored forms — which are described as two distinct species, 

 though in general appearance they are much alike. The dark 

 form in some localities is known as the "Strawberry bass," 

 and is the one which we propagate here at the State Fish 

 Hatchery. It does well and is very prolific, and in our judg- 

 ment is one of the very best pond fishes. It is a very quiet fish 

 and one that is not seen very much. The old ones are not often 

 seen playing and feeding along the shore, as is the habit of the 

 Black bass and the Green and Bluegill sunfishes. As a rule, 

 these fish seem to keep under cover and to the deeper water, 

 and it is only occasionally that they may be seen. 



Their Spaivning Habits. 



Their spawning habits are thought to be somewhat similar 

 to those of the Black bass. Unfortunately, thus far we have 

 been unable to get any good observations on the spawning 



