﻿58 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  were 
  raised 
  and 
  liarvested. 
  lu 
  September 
  a 
  carload 
  of 
  bass, 
  crappie, 
  

   and 
  other 
  fishes 
  indigenous 
  to 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Eiver 
  were 
  collected 
  and 
  

   shipped 
  to 
  Atlanta 
  for 
  exhibition 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  

   aquarium. 
  The 
  other 
  cars 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  from 
  Quincy 
  

   were 
  ordered 
  to 
  Neosho 
  and 
  Leadville, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  collection 
  was 
  

   discontinued 
  until 
  the 
  following 
  spring. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June, 
  1896, 
  7,750 
  black 
  bass 
  were 
  collected 
  and 
  

   distributed 
  to 
  applicants 
  in 
  Wisconsin 
  and 
  Michigan. 
  During 
  the 
  

   fiscal 
  year 
  the 
  station 
  furnished 
  for 
  distribution 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Fry. 
  

  

  Yearlings. 
  

  

  Black 
  liass 
  

  

  Cr.appie 
  

  

  Wiirmoutli 
  bass 
  . 
  

  

  AVliitebass 
  

  

  Yellow 
  perch 
  

  

  Pickerel 
  

  

  Carp 
  

  

  18, 
  637 
  

  

  51 
  

  

  200 
  

  

  20, 
  000 
  

  

  ;!, 
  100 
  

   1,550 
  

   7,008 
  

  

  Total 
  . 
  

  

  20,000 
  j 
  30,546 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  these, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  carp, 
  buifalo, 
  sunfish, 
  percli, 
  

   etc., 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  drying 
  ponds 
  and 
  liberated 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  near 
  

   the 
  i^oints 
  wiiere 
  the 
  men 
  were 
  working. 
  During 
  the 
  very 
  hot 
  weather, 
  

   when 
  it 
  was 
  impracticable 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  bass 
  to 
  the 
  live-boxes, 
  entire 
  

   days 
  were 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  saving 
  of 
  these 
  coarser 
  fishes. 
  

  

  From 
  experience 
  gained 
  in 
  past 
  years 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  that 
  

   to 
  conduct 
  work 
  successfully 
  at 
  this 
  station 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  provide 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  ponds 
  not 
  liable 
  to 
  overflow, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  collections 
  of 
  bass 
  

   and 
  crappie 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  water 
  

   begins 
  to 
  recede, 
  and 
  held 
  therein 
  for 
  distribution 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  

   and 
  fall. 
  The 
  fish, 
  j^articularly 
  the 
  bass, 
  should 
  be 
  carefully 
  assorted 
  

   as 
  to 
  size, 
  as 
  the 
  sizes 
  vary 
  greatly, 
  and 
  when 
  kept 
  together 
  in 
  a 
  limited 
  

   space 
  the 
  smaller 
  ones 
  invariably 
  fall 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  ones. 
  

  

  In 
  August 
  the 
  superintendent 
  was 
  authorized 
  to 
  construct 
  five 
  ponds 
  

   at 
  Meredosia, 
  on 
  land 
  leased 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Eay. 
  The 
  site 
  selected 
  was 
  on 
  

   a 
  hill 
  about 
  40 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  its 
  base 
  being 
  500 
  feet 
  

   distant 
  from 
  Meredosia 
  Bay. 
  The 
  excavations 
  were 
  made 
  2 
  feet 
  greater 
  

   than 
  the 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  finished 
  ponds, 
  which 
  were 
  20 
  by 
  8 
  by 
  6 
  

   feet 
  deep. 
  The 
  sides 
  were 
  lined 
  with 
  well-dressed 
  cypress 
  2 
  inches 
  

   thick, 
  and 
  filled 
  in 
  with 
  black 
  dirt 
  from 
  an 
  Indian 
  mound 
  near 
  by. 
  The 
  

   dirt 
  was 
  deposited 
  in 
  layers 
  4 
  inches 
  thick, 
  being 
  well 
  puddled 
  and 
  

   tamped 
  ; 
  the 
  bottom 
  was 
  treated 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  8 
  

   inches, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  2 
  inches 
  of 
  clear 
  saud 
  and 
  G 
  inches 
  of 
  screened 
  

   gravel 
  were 
  spread. 
  The 
  sides 
  and 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  lining 
  were 
  securely 
  

   fastened 
  to 
  posts 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  coated 
  with 
  coal 
  tar. 
  Evidently 
  

   the 
  dirt 
  from 
  the 
  mound 
  had 
  originally 
  been 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  lake, 
  as 
  it 
  

   resembled 
  cement 
  in 
  its 
  action, 
  becoming 
  so 
  hard 
  when 
  wet 
  and 
  tamped 
  

   that 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  to 
  cut. 
  The 
  water 
  for 
  the 
  ponds 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  35 
  feet 
  in 
  pure 
  sand, 
  being 
  forced 
  into 
  the 
  tanks 
  8 
  feet 
  above 
  

  

  