72 Trout Culture. 



checked, the best and most natural way of 

 rearing is to confine them in a portion of the 

 open stream, say about 100 or 150 yards long, 

 by wire or zinc screens fixed at each end ; 

 there they can range about, gather much food, 

 from amongst the water plants, and from the 

 grasses and shrubs overhanging the water. 

 They must, however, have plenty of shelters 

 into which they can retreat when danger of any 

 sort threatens : these should consist of drain 

 pipes, half-round tiles, bits of slate supported on 

 stones, and great " burrs " from a brick-field, 

 these last, especially in the case of older fish, all 

 impede the operations of poachers, and afford, 

 also, a welcome shade from the heat of a 

 summer sun. 



Before, however, an open stream is used for 

 fry, all the weeds and mud should be re- 

 moved, and the height of the water carefully 

 noted, as weeds have a great tendency to heap 

 the water up and give it an artificial height, 



