128 PRACTICAL TROUT CULTURE. 



of time others in the same pond had not attained 

 over one-third this size, and, strange to say, the 

 smaller were almost invariably males. The aver- 

 age size is perhaps that represented on the opposite 

 page (Fig. 25). We have heard of half-pounders 

 at the age of one year, but have never seen them. 

 It may be that some of our fish-raising brethren 

 will think that the sizes represented in our figure 

 are too small, but let them average the contents of 

 a pond containing say ten thousand, and we think 

 that they will agree with us in our estimate ; and 

 should we even be found to have erred in this 

 respect, we would rather under than over-rate. 

 Fish stories are proverbial, and we have seen pub- 

 lished accounts of fish-farms which plainly showed 

 that these stories were not confined to wild fishes. 

 Too frequently heavy discount must be allowed on 

 stories of fishes of wondrous size or in marvelous 

 numbers ; and the visitor to a fish-farm of which 

 glowing accounts have been published, is too often 

 sadly disappointed at the great discrepancy be- 

 tween the published account and the reality. 



