[11] EAKLY SHAD FISHERIES OF SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. 029 



could not, and much the largest number of shad were taken there, sweep- 

 ing as the fishermen did from the foot of the falls, nearly the entire river 

 to the bar — drawing out upon the lands of my late father, where it was 

 my business as a lad every evening, after school, to be with horse and 

 wagon to receive our share of shad. No unpleasant duty, for well do I 

 remember as they came. sweeping in to the beach, the net in rainbow 

 form. The corks indicating the position where "Captain" Bennett 

 (father of the late John Bennett, esq.), would discharge his men from 

 the sea or large boat with the outer brail, and passing out and along 

 the net, on the discovery would shout, " Here's shad, boys ; hold down 

 the lead line; here's shad." True to the word, long before the main 

 body of the net was drawn up to the shore we youngsters would take 

 up the " captain's " cry, as the large shad darted back and forth between 

 the incoming net and the shore. What think you, would not a return of 

 such scenes start a shout from older heads'? 



2d. "As to the money values or rental of the fisheries." 



Of this I have no data from which to form an opinion. . As the fish- 

 eries were established by the first settlers, joining their limited means 

 with the land owners, forming a company there by common consent to 

 their children, none were rented as far as my knowledge extends. Own- 

 ers of rights would allow men who had none to fish for them on shares, 

 thus extending the benefits as far as possible. Good feeling pervaded 

 the community in those days. 



3d. " Were other fish tak§n in any considerable quantity ; if so, what 

 kinds?" 



With the exception of an occasional striped bass, or, as they were 

 then called, " Oswego bass," of large size (supposed to have been intro- 

 duced to the headwaters of the Susquehanna from that lake), none of 

 value were taken, as the nets were woven for large shad only. 



I cannot better illustrate the value and importance of the shad fish- 

 eries at that early day to the people on the Susquehanna Eiver than to 

 repeat an anecdote told me long years after by a genial gentleman of 

 New England, who in youth visited my father at his home in Wyoming. 



Leaning on the front gate, after breakfast, as the little children were 

 passing to school, each with a little basket, the universal answer from 

 their cheery, upturned little faces was " Bread and shad," " Bread and 

 shad" (corn bread at that). 



Had that fish diet anything to do with the known enterprise of that 

 generation ? If so, would it not be well to make a strong and united 

 effort to again introduce so valuable an element of brain material. I am 

 greatly pleased that our society is agitating the subject of restoring the 

 shad to the people on the North Branch, not as a luxury for the few, 

 but for all, cheap and faithful, and coming at a season of the year when 

 most desirable as food, for nowhere on this continent were finer shad 

 found than those taken from the North Branch of the Susquehanna 

 River. The long run of the pure, cold, spring-made waters of the Sus- 

 quehanna made them large, hard, and fat, nowhere equaled. 



