244 American Fisheries Society 



yellow perch and black bass. There is a distome which puts its larva 

 into the vitreous humor of the eye of young fish, leading to enormous 

 destruction of young fish of valuable species. For this we know of 

 no remedy at present. 



We are told that if we want to be rid of the larval worms we must 

 keep the water birds off the pond; but we cannot keep them off Oneida 

 Lake. The fish run up into the little creeks tributary to Oneida Lake, 

 with the parasite already lodged. So that we are helpless as far as 

 that goes. 



I hope the time will come when the bacteriologist can tell us how 

 to combat this distome and other very troublesome and dangerous 

 animal and plant forms, so that we will not have to depend entirely 

 on the change of water supply, because we cannot always do that. 

 Where we have a gravity flow we cannot sink artesian wells in many 

 cases. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island — Rhode Island 

 and Massachusetts especially — are so far blest by Nature in this respect 

 that we of New York envy them; and I learn that Pennsylvania also 

 has a feeling of envy toward any state which has artesian water, 

 especially to be had at such moderate depths, which can flow into its 

 troughs and hatcheries; because artesian water properly meandered 

 and brought into the troughs and ponds is the best water in the world; 

 and it is the only water, except pure spring water, which is not always 

 obtainable, upon which we may rely to be rid of these causes of the 

 terrible epidemics which have swept away thousands and tens of thou- 

 sands of dollars invested in state and governmental work. 



