44 American Fisheries Society 



(d). Experiments in Artificial Feeding of River Fishes. — In order 

 to supplement the work carried on in the ponds, artificial feeding 

 experiments are in progress this year with fish held in troughs and 

 tanks. In order to have clear water at all times the supply for 

 these troughs is taken from one of the earth ponds, the water of 

 which scarcely becomes roily even during the periods of the greatest 

 turbidity of the Mississippi. 



The fish which are being used in these feeding experiments 

 are: fingerling, yearling and two year old buffalo-fish, fingerling 

 and yearling channel catfish and fmgerlings of the European 

 Carp. The food consists of meal, dried and ground mussel meats, 

 beef liver, cheese and ground table scraps. The amount of food 

 fed the fish daily is weighed and notes of the weekly increase in 

 weight and size are recorded. 



Another phase of our work is brought out in the co-operative 

 plan instituted this spring with the Crystal Lake Club, of Burling- 

 ton, Iowa. This Club owns a lake of about 1,200 acres in the 

 Illinois lowlands opposite Burlington and is interested in increasing 

 the productivity of the water by propagation. Accordingly we 

 are working with them, have diked and screened off small areas 

 of the lake as breeding grounds and have stocked them with bass, 

 crappie and sunfish. Evidence is already at hand indicating that 

 a good hatch has been obtained. 



This lake has been formed in the levee district and is wholly 

 cut off from the river, except that water may enter through a 

 12-inch pipe at a 7 ft. stage of the river. This lake is quite typical 

 of other conditions along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers 

 and the results that may be obtained by our efforts should be 

 applicable to other places. While this co-operative work is con- 

 cerned with game fishes the same scheme should be applicable to 

 other food fishes as the buffalo, catfishes and carp. 



