62 Til Irtij-F list AiiiKuiJ Meeting 



the extent of ])robably one and a half acres, from a farmer. 

 That is Mlu']-e we get our large-mouth hass from now, princi- 

 pallv. We have no room there to hatch them with the exception 

 of what I have hatched there this year, about 100,000. 



Mr. Titcomb : Did you ever see any large-mouth bass flirt 

 with a small-mouth bass, as described in the paper? 



Mr. Lydell : Not a particle : We had a pond where the large 

 and suiall-mouth bass were mixed up purposely — the old ones — 

 and the beds around the shore alternately were some of them 

 Spanish moss beds and some gravel; and we had two pair of 

 large-mouth bass that spawned on the gravel; although they did 

 not amount to much. Their eggs settled down in between the 

 stone and seemed to smother. On the other hand we had three 

 pair of snuill-mouth bass that spawned on this fil)er. and we got 

 excellent results from them, but I thinlc the reason they did 

 spawn there was because they seemd to clean down and try to 

 fan off that fibrous matter, and could not, but got to the cement 

 and thought it was rock, and spawned there. But we had one 

 trouble — we could not raise the nest away and screen it. If we 

 made a screen big enough to get the whole nest, we could not 

 cat ell tlie yoimg bass. 



jVIr. Titcomb : As I understand it, it is necessary for the 

 preservation of those eggs that the parent fish should fan them. 



j\Tr. Lydell : Yes, sir, I think so. 



The President: In our ponds at Minocqua we excavated 

 them there and found the spring water coming in out of the 

 gi'avcl in considerable quantities. Do you think that was a det- 

 riment or advantage? 



"Mr. Lydell: It would not bo a detriment unless there was 

 too nnicb of it. If you could get a temperature of 66 degrees 

 and keep it there, I do not think the spring water would affect 

 your bass in the least. 



Tbc Trcsidcnt : What are the l)est dimensions for ponds 

 for bass growing? 



Mr. Lydell : If I were to rebuild our ponds over at Mill 

 Creek, where 1 ha^'e tliese ]ionds, I would make them larger. 

 Our last i)ond we l)uilt is the most successful. 



The President: What is your judgment, Dr. Birge, of the 

 dimensions of our ponds at Minocqua ? 



