THE ANGLER AND HUNTSMAN 105 



along the banks toward the other end of the pond he scat- 

 ters the food with his hand or a large spoon, strewing it ov- 

 er as wide a water surface as he can. The fish soon learn 

 to follow him, and are thus prevented from rushing togeth- 

 er in a small space and injuring themselves. 



"The proper amount of food for a daily ration will de- 

 pend upon the size of the fish and the prevailing water 

 temperature. A lot of 1,000 rainbow trout ranging from 5 

 to 6 inches in length, in a water temperature of about 50 to 

 60 degrees F., will require approximately 4 pounds a day, 

 while an equal number of 8-inch to 12-inch fish, under the 

 same temperature conditions, should have about 12 

 pounds. As the fish increase in size the food supply must 

 be increased accordingly, but in cold weather the amount 

 consumed will not be as large as during the summer months. 

 The feeding should be done in the late afternoon, so that 

 the fish will acquire the habit of searching for natural food 

 in the pond in the early part of the day, 



Pond Capacity: 



"On account of the diversity of local conditions, it is 

 very difficult to estimate with any certainty how many 

 fish a pond will maintain. The general statement may be 

 made, however, that a 1-acre pond having a flow of 200 

 ua lions of water per minute at a temperature ranging from 

 50 to 60 degrees F., should carry from 8,000 to 10,000 year- 

 ling trout, provided it is well stocked with aquatic vegeta- 

 tion and the fish are regularly fed. A pond of this capac- 

 ity possessing the requisites stated, and with the addition 

 of minnows or other small aquatic animal life, should sup- 

 port 1,000 yearlings without the aid of any artificial food. 



"Such a pond should support 25,000 fish 3 inches long, 

 and would rear them to the yearling age, although 10,000 

 3-inch fish would probably produce better results at the 

 end of a year. Stocking a pond with fish is similar to 

 stocking a pasture with stock, and the same care must be 



