5G TJiirtif-Firsf Aiiiimd Meeting 



another pond. Then I refill the pond and pnt in my fry, now 

 a])OTit one-half to three-quarters of an inch long. The water in 

 the ])ond is thick with Daphnia and other Crustacea and these do 

 not go out when the water is drawn off. The fry feed on them 

 and the su])ply is usually sufficient — hut if it gives out, a fresh 

 sup])ly may l)e gathered from one of the other ponds and placed 

 in the nursery ]iond. As the young hass grow they eat not only 

 the Daphnia but young Corixa and doid)tless other aquatic ani- 

 mals. 



In 1!)01 fry one-half to three-quarters of an inch long were 

 introduced into the nursery pond on July l"3th, on August oth 

 they Were seined out and shi]i]ied and were then 'I to 3 inches 

 long. They had had none l)ut the natural food I In three 

 months these fish, under the same conditions are 4 to G iiiclu's 

 long. 



7. I have spoken so far of the small mouth and it remains 

 to say something of the targe nioiitli. with which my experience 

 is more limited. It is less necessary to resort to pond culture 

 with them since, owing to the haliit of the fry of keeping in a 

 close swarm, they may be readily seined from their natural 

 waters shortly after they have left the nests. 



In culturating them in ponds 1 use the shielded nests already 

 descrilx'd, — but make the bottom of some fibre, preferably Span- 

 ish moss l);'(lded in cement, similar to those used by Stranahan 

 described in the report of this Society for ]9(»(>. This imitates 

 the natural nest bottom and gives better results in our locality 

 than the gravel nest. I do not place screens about the nests, 

 since the young fry are so small that it is difficult to hold them 

 with a screen and since they may readily be taken with a seine 

 wlieu wanted. I allow the large mouth fry to leave the nests 

 with the parent fish and seine them when wanted. 



Finally. T will sum u]) what seem to me to l)e im])oi'tant 

 points in ])ond culture of small mouth ])lack bass. T assunu' the 

 ponds to be constructed, as is usual, on the model of a natural 

 ])ond with ;1 central kettb' nnd shallow shore' region. Thev 

 sbouM be well gi'owu u]) willi watei' ])lauts and should bi' su])- 

 plied with lake oi' bi-ook wntei'. 



I. Fish sliould be so fed (with minnows) as to be in good 

 condition in the s])ring. 



