38 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH A>;D FISHERIES. 



without corapciisatioii. This otJ'er was accepted for a term of two years. 

 Large black bass for spawning purposes were taken from the bay and 

 put in the pond, and later collections of young l)ass were made and 

 placed init. The pond, which is about 400 feet long and from 50to7ofeet 

 wide, is fed by a spring, aud, although a crude affair, is much better than 

 the ordinary live-boxes for holding tlie fish collected. 



The superintendent of the station secured the use of a large surface 

 water pond at Baldwin Park, near Quincy, into which several hundred 

 si)awning crappie were put. The pond is well filled with young, but 

 owing to its nature and location it has been dillicult to remove the adult 

 fish, and the ultimate success of the experiment is problematical. 



The distribution of fish from the station during the fiscal year was 

 as follows: 



In addition to these, large numbers of bass, crappie, perch, sunfish, 

 catfish, and hundreds of thousands of the coarser species were saved 

 by removing them from the drying ponds and returning them to the 

 Mississippi aud Illinois rivers. The usual method of collecting has 

 been to use a small-meshed seine in the ponds and lakes formed by the 

 receding waters of the rivers after an overflow. The fish wanted for 

 distribution were selected from the catch, and when practicable the 

 residue were returned to the river. 



The seines used arc 100 yards long, C feet deep, and one-fourth, one- 

 half, and three-fourths inch in mesh. A two wheeled cart, built with 

 a platform like a railroad truck, is used to carry the small b )at, cans, 

 and seines out into the bottoms, and to brir.g the cans of fish from the 

 ponds to the river. Large skiffs with three pairs of oars are used to 

 transport the entire outfit from Meredosia or Quincy to such points as 

 may be determined for the work. The cans are made of galvanized 

 iron and hold 30 gallons each. Crabs are used to haul the seines, as 

 the moss is often so heavy as to make work by hand very difficult. 



Neosho Station, Missouri (W. F. Page, Slterintendent). 



During the fiscal year there were constructed at the station two ponds 

 for the culture of bass, one with au area of 23,000 square feet and the 

 other 4,500. A woodshed, 10 by 20 feet, for the storage of fuel and 

 heavy outdoor tools was built, and the railroad spur was converted 

 into a double-end switch. Certain necessary repairs were also made to 

 the ponds, flume, hatching-house, and residence. 



