How to obtain it. 243 



charged, and it becomes available once more for fish-cultural pur- 

 poses. Much may also be done for the improvement of the 

 water, by encouraging the growth of suitable plants in and about 

 the margins of the ponds, and in the raceways between them. 

 Having all in thorough working order, there is little to fear as the 

 season goes on. The most critical time with a young fish is 

 about a month after feeding commences. At this stage a consider- 

 able loss often takes place, and it may arise from several causes. 

 The food given has often much to do with it. It will be apparent 

 to anyone that such delicate little creatures as young trout, when 

 fed on artificial food, may very easily get their stomachs disordered. 

 This undoubtedly often happens, and a great mortality is the result. 

 Some thirty years ago I found this out by losing a lot of 

 young trout fed almost entirely on boiled yolk of egg. They 

 were as nice a looking lot of fish as I ever saw, were feeding well, 

 and grew up to a certain point, when they sickened and began to 

 die off wholesale. In a week I had lost four-fifths of them. I 

 attributed the loss entirely to the food, and although now I use a 

 large quantity of eggs each season for feeding very young fry, yet 

 by judiciously varying the food the mischief is avoided. During 1 

 the first few weeks they require very careful handling indeed, and 

 their future depends upon the way in which they are managed at I * 

 this time. 



I Some food is too rich for them in quality, and this is the case 

 with yolk of egg. I fed another lot of fish entirely on chopped! 

 worms, and they did very well, the food being much more natural, I 

 and the amount of earth and grit which it contained being highly 

 beneficial to them. Over-feeding with too rich food is, therefore, 

 to be avoided, and the more natural food that can be given the 

 better. Sometimes, when a few weeks on the feed, some of j 

 the fish may be seen to be getting very thin and " lanky " I 

 looking, with heads large in proportion to their bodies. This is a 

 sign that something is wrong. It may arise from starvation, but 

 that starvation may be brought about in the first place by in- 

 judicious feeding. These fish will probably die, although if not 

 too far gone they may be cured by placing them in a raceway 

 where there is a good ripple and plenty of natural food. This 

 will cure them when nothing else will. 



