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



graham bread, oatmeal and corn chop, with green vegetable 

 matter, and in this way they could be put in good condition for 

 table use in a short time. Goldfish handled in this way might 

 be made to supply a considerable amount of good, wholesome 

 food in places where it might not be possible to handle other 

 fish to advantage. 



We spoke above of raising catfish and sunfish in the same 

 pond with goldfish. The catfish and sunfish would eat many of 

 the goldfish. This might be an advantage in some respects. 

 The goldfish are so very prolific that it is usually necessary to 

 have some fish with them that will reduce their numbers; 

 otherwise there would soon be so many of them in a pond that 

 they would not do well. Indirectly they can be converted into 

 other fish, such as bass, crappie, sunfish, and catfish. Catfish 

 and goldfish did well together in some ponds that we experi- 

 mented with at the State Hatchery. Both these fish can be fed 

 on the same kinds of food, and the catfish will eat the small 

 goldfish when the latter get too numerous. 



MINNOWS. 



There are several species of minnows, perhaps as many as 

 two dozen kinds, in the ponds and streams of Kansas. In 

 classification the German carp and some other large fish belong 

 to the Cyprinidse or minnow family. They will be considered 

 in another place. The common creek and pond minnows grow 

 in size from two to perhaps six or seven inches in length, and 

 are full-sized fishes when they attain these leng-ths. There is 

 no more delicate or sweeter fish in the world for table use than 

 some of the larger minnows, for instance the larger shiners 

 and chubs. 



They are as large as smelts, sardines and some other fish that 

 are used for food, and considered great delicacies. Some of 

 these large minnows are as fine when fresh and fried crisp and 

 brown in bacon fat and butter as any speckled trout. How- 

 ever, like the trout, they are of not much economic importance 

 when considered as food fishes. Their chief function in the 

 animal kingdom seems to be to supply food for other varieties 

 of fish. They are very productive, and can be found in almost 

 any stream where there is living water. 



It is of great advantage to have them in streams, because 

 they supply much food for the game fishes. In their growth 

 and development they gather together a great amount of 

 minute life that otherwise would remain as nothing more than 

 waste in the water. 



However, the large-mouthed minnows are sometimes very 

 destructive to the fry of other varieties of fish. Even such 

 a game and pugnacious fish as the Black bass is frequently 

 kept mighty busy guarding its eggs and young from the at- 

 tacks of schools of minnows. We have observed schools of min- 



