How to obtain if. 235 



higher place. They should gradually do this, the best fish coming 

 out of the shoal each day and pushing up to the head of the pond. 

 When this is happening it is an encouraging sign, and as the shoal 

 is decreased in size the one at the upper end of the pond should 

 correspondingly increase. At last there will only be a few weakly 

 fish left near the outlet screen, and when it is seen that the fish 

 have well sorted themselves, it is a good plan to take these fish out j 

 and put them into a pond by themselves, or into a small stream.^ 

 They will have a better chance, and some of them will make good 

 fish, but they will not do well if left in the nursery pond, unless 

 they get a good deal of extra attention. 



Whilst the fish are being coaxed up from the lower end ' : 

 of the pond great care and much watchfulness are required, lest 

 those occupying the head waters should begin dropping down to 

 the lower end. Sometimes this will happen in spite of all the 

 attention that can be given them ; indeed, if there be many fry to 

 look after, the entire time of one man will be required for awhile, 

 and it will take all the skill and energy he can bring into play to 

 bring the little fish safely through the difficulties that beset them 

 at this period of their existence. From morning till night his 

 attention must be given to the ponds. Another man prepares the | 

 food and brings it to him in jars, and the contents of these jars 

 are placed in the feeding boxes ready for use. These feeding 

 boxes consist merely of perforated zinc boxes or cages, fitted with 

 handles about a yard long. The box containing the food is 

 dipped into the water, which immediately enters it by means of 

 the perforations. On being lifted the water runs out again, 

 carrying with it such portions of the food as will pass through the 

 perforated zinc. When done, the coarser particles may be put 

 through the chopper again, or they may be fed to the yearling fish, 

 as may be most convenient. 



The most successful plan for turning out young fry, and one 

 which I have adopted for some years, is by means of floating 

 boxes, and its success has been far beyond that of the old system. 

 Seeing how frightened the little tish were on being transferred to 

 the ponds, and how difficult it was to coax them up again and get 

 them into good order, I tried the plan of floating a hatching box 

 in the pond, and turning them into that instead of into the pond 



