LXXXIV REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Fish cultural operations were conducted on the same lines as in the 

 previous year. Ponds X, Y, Z, and W were used for the propagation of 

 large-mouthed bass and crapi)ie, and two of the 80-foot stock i)onds were 

 devoted to the culture of rock bass. Owing to the limited amount of 

 space and the poor results attained at other stations in the propagation 

 of the small mouthed bass, work with that fish was discontinued. At the 

 beginning of the fiscal year the bass ponds appeared to contain a great 

 number of young iish, and it was then thought there would be a good 

 crop for the fall distribution, but in July they commenced dying in large 

 numbers, probably on account of the scarcity of natural food. An 

 ettbrt was made to collect natural food for them from the river bottoms 

 along the Maquoketa River, but the supply was insufficient. The ponds 

 were then drawn down and the fry i)lacedin troughs, and an effort was 

 made to feed them chopped beef and liver, but for some reason they 

 did not thrive on it, possibly because of their weak condition when 

 transferred, and only a few were saved for the fall shipments. These 

 were distributed to applicants in Iowa. 



Early in April the adult bass were placed in the breeding-ponds, 

 and on May 8 the first nest was discovered in pond Z. The temper- 

 ature of the water at this time was 61°. IS'ests were seen in the other 

 ponds on the lOth, and on June 3 the first school of young fish was 

 observed in pond Z. Schools were subsequently observed in the other 

 ponds. Quite a number of nests built in the mud near the edges of the 

 ponds contained fungused eggs, and these proved a total loss. The 

 indications at the close of the year are that the output will be larger 

 than that of the previous season. A lot of 3,000 young bass, 1;^ inches 

 long, have already been taken from pond Z and placed in troughs, and 

 the experiment of feeding them maggots is being tried. Up to the end 

 of June several of the bass were still spawning. 



The adult crappie were placed in pond W in April. They nested in 

 May, and on June 21 two schools of young fish made their appearance. 

 This iiond contains an abundance of natural food, and it is thought the 

 results will be fair. 



During the summer of 1898, 1,183 rock bass were taken from the 80- 

 foot stock-i)onds, this number being the result of the spring spawning. 

 In the spring of 1899, 30 adult rock bass were collected from the river 

 and placed with the adults already on hand, 27 being ])laced in each of 

 the two rearing-pouds. The fish were seen spawning late in June. 



On July 1 there were 79,598 brook-trout fry on hand. These were 

 held until September with a loss of 21,348, when 60,000 were distributed 

 to applicants in Iowa, and the balance held for brood stock. During 

 the summer 700 adult trout were collected, making the total number 

 of brood fish 1,184. The first brook-trout eggs were secured on Nov- 

 ember 1, and collections continued until the 4th of March, 286 females 

 yielding 246,278 eggs, an average of 861. These produced 67 per cent 

 of fairly good fry. The small percentage hatched is attributed to the 



