6 FISH PONDS ON FARMS. 
The chemically complex substance known as protein is an essen- 
tial constituent of food, the most important tissues of the body, other 
than the skeleton, being principally composed of it. Most human 
beings derive their needed protein from the flesh of animals, and in 
practically all civilized communities the greater part of it is supplied 
by meat and poultry. In the United States the main dependence in 
the past has been on meat—beef, mutton, and pork—which, owing to 
the large areas available for grazing and the low price of corn, could 
be raised in quantities great in proportion to the population. 
These conditions no longer prevail, and shortage of the meat 
supply, with resulting high prices, is now a general condition. As 
a substitute for meat fish offer many advantages. Pound for pound 
it contains as much protein as meat, and in some cases more. It there- 
fore affords the same class and grade of food material as beef, mut- 
ton, and pork. 
Unfortunately, those actively engaged in farm work rarely have 
the opportunity to fish in neighboring lakes and streams, and more 
distant excursions, involving several days’ absence from home, are 
usually beyond consideration. The need is apparent, therefore, for a 
readily accessible supply of fresh fish that may be drawn upon when 
desired—a source as dependable as the smokehouse or the poultry 
yard. 
UTILIZATION OF WASTE LANDS. 
The Bureau aims especially to influence the utilization of the 
natural and favorable water areas existing on countless farms which 
at the present time are being put to no use, many of them consti- 
tuting unsightly waste spaces that detract from the value of the 
land. The presence of springs, lakes, flowing wells, or adjacent 
streams are all leading incentives to a fishery project, and suitable 
sites for the construction of ponds, especially if at present unre- 
munerative, should make their use to such a purpose desirable to the 
thrifty husbandman after a full comprehension of their possibilities 
in a fish-cultural way. 
Ponds intended primarily for the cultivation of fish may be con- 
veniently located for the watering of stock, or the overflow there- 
from may be utilized for the irrigation of land. In many sections 
of the United States artificial ponds on farms are an absolute neces- 
sity to serve one or both these latter purposes, and by a merely 
nominal expenditure such water areas may be advantageously utilized 
for the growing of fish without interfering in any way with the 
original uses for which they were intended. 
At the outset the main object of the amateur farmer fish-culturist 
should be the production of a food supply for home consumption. 
