KIFTKENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 79 



there we were talking about this same thing, and we dredgecJ in 

 our lakes to find the fish food, to see of what it was composed, 

 to see if that was the cause of the epidemic in the fish. In the 

 conversation he said to me, " Mr. Dunning I find in dredging 

 in one haul more fish food tlian I would in Lake Geneva." It 

 is mere nothing there, and the cause of the fish not doing any 

 better I think is for the want of the food. Now, Mr. Fairbank, 

 in the lake you speak of, you will find vour fishing is rather 

 crude for a body of water as large as that. 



Mr. Fairbank. — There is good black bass fishing there. 



Mr. Dunning. — They are not as plenty as thev should be 

 and they lack food, and it is a lack of the food more than any- 

 thing else. 



Mr. Fairbank. — Oh, there is an abundance of food for the 

 black bass, and for the other fish that are indigenous to the 

 place. 



Mr. Dunning. —Now, in our lakes, Madison — we are sur- 

 rounded by lakes there, we have had the lake troui annuallv, 

 and they were put in. We got discouraged because they were 

 put in in unlimited quantities and we didn't see anv result, but 

 we continued to put them in and they began to show themselves. 

 A year ago last season, and this last season, and this winter they 

 have been caught in quite good numbers, because people have 

 learned to knmv how to fish for them. There have been a great 

 many of these fish caught by people who didn't know what they 

 were and they put them back, supposing they were dogfish, not 

 being a fish they had been in the habit of seeing in our waters. 

 Last fall during the spawning season of the trout, I took as 

 many as five, that were partially digested from the stomach of 

 a pickerel, from half a pound to nearly a pound. I took five. 

 Now I account for that in this way. The trout were spawning 

 at the time and the fish taking advantage of it took them. 



Mr. Fairbank. — Have the fishermen taken any salmon trout 

 of any size in your lakes ? 



Mr. Dunning. — Oh, yes, weighing 3 lbs. to 3j4 lbs. 



Mr. Fairbank. — That is very encouraging, but vour lakes 



