Thompson. — Irrigation and Trout Culture 113 



mitted to run nut into irrigating ditches to be shoveled into wagons 

 and used for fertilizer on the fields? It does not look like a good busi- 

 ness proposition and does not look like what I should call modern 

 methods for the conservation of these resources of the state. 



I do not doubt that the parties in charge of irrigation projects will 

 not spend any more money than they have to. I do not doubt that 

 they will not find appliances, which are somewhat expensive, successful, 

 until they are forced to put them in : and you could find parallel cases 

 in other parts of the United States and in other lines of fish work, to 

 say nothing of other types of work of an entirely different character. 



It may be that the present method of irrigation and the establish- 

 ment of great basins for the storage of water gives place for the hatch- 

 ing and development of a large number of fish that would not have 

 existed under former conditions; but after all the real question comes 

 back to us, whether through irrigation an unnecessary number of valu- 

 able fish are not lost to the community, and I am frank to confess, after 

 having seen this region and having heard at first hand regarding the 

 losses, that I cannot doubt that they reach a large figure, and that 

 some way or other means ought to be taken to protect the state against 

 that loss. 



Mr. Thompson : I am very glad that Dr. Ward happened to be 

 here and bad his finger on the pulse of Colorado with respect to the 

 fish-cultural problem. Everything he has said meets with my hearty 

 approval. I do not mean to be understood as saying that all the con- 

 ditions in Colorado are what they should be; but I do claim that under 

 existing conditions there has been a very marked improvement in the 

 number of trout and in the quality of the angling in Colorado, consid- 

 ering the large increase in the number of anglers. Such being the fact ; 

 when public sentiment is properly educated, when the state authorities 

 wake up to their responsibilities and prevent this wanton waste and 

 slaughter of millions and millions of trout, Colorado will come into her 

 own, and not only Colorado, but her sister states as well. I speak of 

 Colorado, because the conditions there are better known, there is more 

 irrigation, there is more fish culture and angling. When these great 

 reservoirs, including the large state and national projects, are com- 

 pleted and properly utilized in a fish cultural way, and when, in addi- 

 tion, suitable protection is afforded our fish, which at present is not 

 the case, then will Colorado and the whole Continental Divide country 

 become in truth the playground of America. 



I received a number of letters, shortly before I came here, from the 

 passenger agents of the various railroads in Colorado, which I was 

 anxious to include in my paper, but condensing as much as I could, I 

 found their inclusion impracticable. Each one states that the angling- 

 industry is one of the big assets of their respective roads, and that it 

 is increasing in value year by year. I know through personal experi- 

 ence that they are anxious to do all they can to assist in the work of 

 propagation and protection. No one knows better than the passenger 



