AN EXPERIMENT IN FEEDING YOUNG 



LARGE MOUTH BASS 



By E. N. Carter, 

 U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, Bullochville, Ga. 



The result of an experiment in providing natural food 

 for young large-mouth blass bass at the Cold Spring, 

 Ga., station of the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, may be of 

 interest to the members of this society. 



Dr. Hugh M. Smith, in his very interesting book on 

 goldfish culture as practiced in Japan, tells of the methods 

 carried on there of manuring ponds for the purpose of 

 providing the minute life upon which daphnia, etc., 

 thrive. "The essential point," says Dr. Smith, "is the 

 fertilization of the pond, so that the growth of the min- 

 ute animals and plants that serve as the immediate and 

 ultimate food of the crustaceans may be greatly stimu- 

 lated." 



One of the methods, and the only feasible one at this 

 station, is the spreading of fresh horse manure over the 

 bottom of the rearing pond at the rate of about 100 

 bushels to the acre. This is left exposed to the sun for 

 about a week before the filling of the pond with water 

 Dr. Smith writes: "In a few days the color of the water 

 becomes decidedly green from the presence of unicellular 

 algae in great abundance, and in 2 to 4 weeks the water 

 fleas exist in such numbers that they will support many 

 thousand young goldfish with constantly increasing ap- 

 petites." 



Having decided to give this plan a trial with young 

 bass, commencing May 19th, the writer had fresh horse 

 manure spread over the bottom of one of the rearing 

 ponds, Pond D, 32/100 of an acre in area. The manure 

 was spread near the outlet and in the deepest portion of 

 the pond. Each day thereafter, for four days, all manure 

 available at the station stable was spread in the same 

 manner over the balance of the pond. On the seventh 



