The Three Secretaries 187 



ernments of the world in the field of deep-sea research. 

 The achievements of the British ship Challenger are famous 

 throughout the world on account of the magnificent series of 

 reports, published by the Government, based upon its collec- 

 tions. The material accumulated by Professor Baird's ves- 

 sels was quite as extensive, and had he lived the reports 

 would have been equally famous. 



The marine biological laboratory at Woods Hole is the 

 most extensive, and at the time of its completion was one of 

 the best equipped, in the world. Had his plans for it come to 

 fruition, it would have been without a rival among such es- 

 tablishments. 



Notwithstanding his own taste and inclinations, all per- 

 sonal work in natural history was soon abandoned to others, 

 and his own great powers of administration applied to the 

 practical side of the work a task for which he had little per- 

 sonal liking. He nevertheless did it with enthusiasm, since 

 he was convinced that the increase in the food supply which 

 he was thus rendering practicable was of the greatest impor- 

 tance to millions of his fellow-citizens. To him was due the 

 inception of what I have termed "public fish-culture," to dis- 

 tinguish it from all previous work of this kind, performed, as 

 it always had been, upon a limited scale, and for the benefit 

 of a few individuals. 



" Public fish-culture " is fish-culture for the benefit of the 

 masses. It does not depend for its effectiveness upon the as- 

 sistance of protective legislation. It is based upon the idea 

 that it is better so to increase the supply of fishes by artificial 

 propagation that protective laws are not necessary ; that it is 

 cheaper to make fish so abundant that the fisheries need not 

 be restricted, than to spend large sums of money in prevent- 

 ing people from fishing. "Public fish-culture" is essentially 

 democratic and American. In 1883 I wrote: "'Public fish- 



