4 An Angler's Paradise. 



considerable outlay in stocking waters." It is here that the mis- 

 take has been made, through mismanagement, for the waters 

 referred to have probably not been stocked at all, as stocking is 

 understood to-day. Possibly a quantity -of unhealthy or badly 

 grown fry have been turned out to die, or, it may be, have been 

 killed by the operation, or turned out in places which were totally 

 unsuited for them, and, as might be expected, no improvement 

 has followed. Such failures as these have undeservedly brought 

 discredit on the work, and they have unfortunately had the effect 

 of retarding its progress. 



2. The time was but a few years ago when even fish culturists 

 of experience, who were looked up to by others as such, were 

 frequently not rewarded by successful results to their many 

 experiments. 



Upon these latter failures, however, is now built up a mass 

 of knowledge which has enabled us to bridge over the many 

 difficulties of trout culture, and to overcome what at one time 

 appeared to be insuperable barriers to the further progress of this 

 interesting study. The tendency of late years has been for a 

 great reduction in the prices of our products, but all this time fish 

 as an article of food has -been getting dearer. The cause is 

 obvious, and the remedy is obvious, and the sooner it is applied 

 the better. Do with fish what is done with cattle and with 

 poultry, and the benefit accruing will be very great. Every 

 country house with a water supply should have its fish ponds, for 

 the purpose of supplying the kitchen as well as for angling. This 

 work is now being taken up, and where it is properly carried out 

 the results are highly encouraging. Existing ponds have been 

 utilized most advantageously, and in other cases new ponds have 

 been made on approved principles, and the success of the latter, 

 where properly managed, has been very great indeed. 



By way of illustration I may mention a pond which I con- 

 structed, which measured about ninety feet by thirty and averaged 

 about five feet in depth. Out of this pond was taken over seven 

 hundred pounds weight of trout. These fish had occupied the pond 

 for three years, and for a year previous to their introduction a very 

 small one had contained them. Now multiply the area of the 

 pond by fifteen and the result is four thousand five hundred 



