PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1921. 61 
they are included in the station’s output. The experimental work 
connected with the spawning of the rainbow trout will be continued 
over a series of years, the operations next year to be conducted at 
Erwin, Tenn. With this end in view 416 of the adult fish involved in 
last season’s work have been transferred to Erwin. 
The output of brook trout from the station was reduced to negli- 
gible proportions by an apparently infectious disease which attacked 
the fry shortly after incubation was completed. Eggs from commer- 
cial hatcheries to the number of 274,000 were received, but because 
of this trouble only 30,900 fry were available for distribution. The 
output of this species also included 1,900 No. 4 fingerlings carried 
over from last year’s hatch. 
The largemouth black bass, usually prolific at this station, pro- 
duced very few young. The brood stock consisted of 194 fish, and 
during April 60 nests were counted in one pond. <A sudden drop 
in temperature had the effect of destroying all the eggs deposited, 
and the few fry produced were the result of a later spawning. ‘The 
distribution of rock bass consisted of 14,060 fingerling fish Nos. 2 
and 8 produced from 230 brood fish, while 10,325 sunfish comprised 
the output from a stock of 200 breeders of that species. Adult 
crappie to the number of 47 were carried through the year, but so 
far as could be ascertained the fish did not spawn, nor have they been 
known to take food. Of the 20 catfish transferred from the Cold 
Springs (Ga.) station last year only 5 remained at the end of June, 
1921. Because of the rather dense growth of vegetation in the pond 
in which they were carried nothing could be learned as to any pos- 
sible spawning activities. A consignment of 500,000 pike-perch eggs 
received from the Swanton (Vt.) hatchery was successfully incu- 
bated, and the resulting fry were planted in New River, Va. 
With the view of increasing the efficiency of the work at the 
Wytheville station, particularly in connection with trout propaga- 
tion, further repairs and improvements were made in addition to the 
new water-supply system installed last year. The more important 
features of this improvement were the demolition of the old wooden 
building used as a nursery and the construction of a new two-story 
building 56 by 36 feet. ‘The building is of concrete to the window 
sills of the second story and of frame construction above that. It 
will contain 60 standard troughs—20 on the first floor supplied with 
brook water and 40 on the second level—which may use either brook ° 
or spring water, or a mixture of both as may be desirable. An en- 
larged settling tank and filter are also in process of construction for 
the correction of the turbid condition to which the spring water is 
subject for long intervals after heavy rains. 
WORK OF POND FISH-CULTURAL STATIONS. 
Climatic conditions play an important part in all branches of fish 
culture, but the success or failure of a season’s work at a pond-cul- 
tural station is peculiarly susceptible to temperature changes in the 
spring. If the weather in the early spring is warm, the spawning 
activities of the fish, particularly the basses, are hastened. Should 
this condition be followed by a period of falling temperatures, it 
inevitably results in the desertion of the nests by the adult fish and 
the loss of practically all the eggs produced. 
