132 



the relatively low percentage of results by artificial 

 treatment of adhesive eggs." 



To refer back to the annex pond: After concluding 

 to allow the natural spawning to proceed without inter- 

 ruption, the fish continued bedding, and when the 

 fry were nearly at the point of rising, the fish that 

 remained to guard the beds wevQ driven out and the 

 pond screened against the parent fish and to prevent 

 the escape of the young. After rising and scattering 

 they were scapped up as wanted for shipment. Total 

 results of this pond for the season, 16,000 fry, all taken 

 from five beds, as three beds were unproductive. 



This year there are eight beds in the annex and 

 one in the connecting racewa3^ Six of these beds are 

 now black with fr}^, and will yield 20,000 to 30,000. 

 There are thirty adult bass in the pond. The water is 

 a little colder in this pond than in the lower one, hence 

 the fry are a little later in rising. 



The perfect success of the little side pond, both last 

 year and this, indicates the st3de or s^'stem of ponds 

 best adapted to the culture of small mouth bass. The 

 storage pond should be quite large and of good depth — 

 say four to eight or ten feet deep. Plenty of boulders 

 should be provided, for shade during the summer and 

 to hover around, as the bass is wont to do while in the 

 torpid condition of its winter retirement. This pond 

 should have no gravelly shoals or margin to encourage 

 bedding, but should be nearh^ surrounded with small 

 shoal ponds, each connected with the main pond by a 

 short raceway, and made as inviting as possible for 

 spawning purposes. No fear need be entertained that 

 the fish will not seek the side ponds at the proper 

 time. It is demonstrated that, with a suitable water 

 suppl}', the cjuestion of propagating small mouth bass 

 on a scale to provide for large and effective distribu- 

 tions, is reduced to the simple proposition of providing 

 the ponds and breeders. 



