FOR PLEASURE AND PROFIT. 147 



disaster. As soon as the fish are outside, everything depends 

 upon 'Success in teaching them to look for their food, and 

 take it, freely ; and this important end can only be attained 

 by constant care and caraful watching. At the start, feed 

 often, feed regularly, and never give too much food at a 

 time. See also that, as far as possible, every fish gets its 

 share of food. When possible, only one, and always the 

 same attendant should feed the very young fish. If your 

 operations are on such a scale as to demand the services of 

 more than one attendant, then let each have charge of a 

 particular number of fish, and feed those, and those only. 

 Beyond doubt, the fish get to know their attendant, and will 

 feed in his presence, while, perhaps, refusing to do so in the 

 presence of a stranger. Remember, the absolutely impera- 

 tive condition of success in this stage is to coax your fish 

 to take food freely; but do not give them too much at a 

 time, or trouble will result in that direction. If your ponds 

 have been properly handled, and well stocked with natural 

 food, your task will be lessened ; but, under the most favour- 

 able circumstances, artificial food is an absolute necessity 

 where anything like a large number of fish are to be reared ; 

 and this brings us to the next important consideration, i.e., 

 the best artificial food to use. 



In previous chapters I have emphatically stated my objec- 

 tions to a horse-flesh diet, and have given reasons for those 

 objections. I plump in favour of fish-meal for yearlings, 

 and Burgess' " Challenge " fish-food for fry. My choice of 

 the latter for fry is arrived at simply because it contains a 

 certain useful percentage of properly prepared meat, and 

 my reason for nominating fish-meal as the best artificial 

 food for yearlings and bigger fish is that, although it does not 

 grow such abnormally big fish, it produces healthy stock, 

 and, in combination with plenty of natural food, forms a 

 perfect and all-necessary diet for trout. I venture to assert 

 that horse-flesh for fish in confinement is quite an exploded 

 idea, and I firmly believe that it has done more to produce 

 non-rising and consequently non-sporting fish than many 



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