American Fisheries Society. 81 



young trout and some old ones. 1 had hopes 1 could exclude 

 all other fish, but to my utter astonishment the selections were 

 not properly made, and 1 find 1 have all sorts of fish, peculiar 

 and indigenous to the country. Mr. Ravenel told me that the 

 rainbow would probably live in a temperature of 6o, but for the 

 reason that the water would become warm very soon after com- 

 ing out of the artesian well, which is about a thousand feet away, 

 1 didn't venture to risk it. What I have come here to find out is, 

 whether I could risk putting the rainbow in that water that is 

 fed by water of 6o degrees temperature? 



I would like to know if bass are cannibals As 1 say, it is 

 a purely selfish interest on my part, outside of a public one. 1 

 have raised bass from breeding to a pound and a half and a 

 pound and three-quarters, and I have had two or tliree thousand 

 fish taken out of there by fishermen. 



I want to know another thing, if some gentleman will give 

 me the information, whether bass are in any danger from bull- 

 heads and carp? 1 also want to know whether I am in danger 

 of overstocking this forty acres of water v^diich has neither inlet 

 or outlet. I want to know what proportion I can expect to 

 raise from breeding, and whether I am in danger of overstocking 

 this place and making it an offensive place. 



Mr. Peabody : We have a number of gentlemen who can 

 give you a great deal of information. You will find out a great 

 deal of that information from books written by Dr. Henshall. 



Mr. Whitaker : I think the society is to be congratulated in 

 having just such questions proposed. It touches the practical 

 side of fish culture. I felt when I introduced the doctor, that 

 the society would be very glad to hear from him. He has sug- 

 gested enough to warrant us in giving him some information, 

 if we can. I think there are those here who can give the infor- 

 mation he asks for, I want to say that I had prepared a paper 

 touching on this very point, but I find I have left it at home. It 

 touched on the question of overstocking waters; it touched 

 on the question of the proper places in which to plant fish ; it 

 touched on the question of the attempt to exterminate native 

 species from lakes by netting. Very many people feel that they 

 would like to know whether they can take a given water and 

 stock it ad infinitum and make a success of it. I suppose it is a 

 pretty well established fact that nature sets up a pretty correct 

 natural balance between varieties of fish in all waters. Many 

 of the states have beautiful lakes to which people resort for 



