REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 47 



cessful the fish were released in rearing-ponds, together with several 

 thousand more which had been captured from time to time. 



About two weeks later, when the fish were nearly an inch in length, 

 the experiment was repeated by transferring 1,500 bass from the ponds 

 to a trough. This time the fish were easily trained to take artificial 

 food. They were first given chopped or ground fish, and afterwards 

 prepared beef heart. After the first two or three days they devoured 

 this food ravenously until about the tenth day, at which time they 

 began to die, and although eating well and apparently in the best of 

 health, the death rate steadily increased from day to day, until the 

 loss reached over 100 per day. On the fourteenth day the remaining 

 fish in the trough, about 900, were released in the rearing-ponds. The 

 cause of the mortality is not known, but sufiicient success followed the 

 feeding of artificial food to warrant taking up the experiments another 

 season, in the hope that the cause of the mortality would be ascertained. 



The brood stock of rock bass were transferred to their summer 

 ponds about the middle of April, and nesting began the latter part of 

 the same month. By the middle of May the ponds were well stocked 

 with young fish, and at the close of the year there is every prospect of 

 a large crop. 



The following improvements at the station were made during the 

 fiscal year: The superintendent's residence was painted, a water tank 

 for supplying the transportation cars with water at the railway siding 

 was erected, and pipe connections made with it and with a Rife hydraulic 

 ram for supplying the tank with water. A cooling tank for mush and 

 two tanks for culling fish were also constructed, besides several other 

 minor improvements. 



Edenton Station, North Carolina (S. G. Worth, Superintendent). 



This is one of the new stations, all constructions having been made 

 since 1899. It is in first-class condition as a shad-hatching station, the 

 third successive season of operations having this year been concluded. 



Within the year two tidal ponds were constructed, which will dem- 

 onstrate the value of this class of ponds for producing black bass and 

 crappie for stocking interior waters. The bottoms of these ponds are 

 from 3 to 5 feet below the surface of Pembroke Creek, wire screens 

 in the gatewaj^s permitting such change of water as the irregular wind 

 tides send in or draw out. The ponds can be emptied when desired 

 at the rate of 1,200 gallons per minute by means of a centrifugal 

 steam pump economically operated. 



The shad-hatching season of the present year was marked by its 

 short duration, being practically confined to twenty -two days between 

 April 14 and May 8. Adult sliad were less abundant than usual by 

 one-half. It is believed I)}' the station superintendent that this scarcity 

 was caused by the destruction of the young in the prolonged and violent 

 hurricane which beat directly upon the Atlantic coast August 18-21, 



