312 Modern Pishculture in Fresh and Salt WaieY. 



few questions concerning the working of ponds, and 

 the method of fishing the ponds when in that condi- 

 tion? I very much des4re to solve the problem of the 

 whys and wherefores of a pond's working. What is 

 the cause of a pond's working? What good does it 

 accomplish ? How does it affect the habits of trout or 

 any fish? What is the best method of fishing during 

 the pond's working? 



"I have been for the last three years on Lake Twit- 

 chell, near Big Moose, in the Adirondacks, during the 

 latter part of August and the first part of September. 

 Last year the condition of the lake was exceedingly 

 bad, an old guide saying he had never seen any lake in 

 such a condition. What I term the workings were all 

 over the bars and were from 3 to 5 or 6 feet tall, grow- 

 ing to within a few inches of the top of the water. 

 They were of a substance somewhat yellowish in color, 

 and of a thick, slimy nature. After a heavy wind the 

 shores would be covered with a lot of black stuff 

 washed ashore. 



''The trout in this water were slow and sluggish, 

 and not particularly anxious to please the fisherman 

 with a rise to his cast. \Vhen opened they had no visi- 

 ble traces of the food they were feeding upon, and 

 they were very fat and in a good condition. It was 

 their custom to break water at sunset, but this year 

 they would even forego that sport. What caused this 

 inactivity ?" 



Mr. L. O. Crane also wants to know about the 

 "specks" in the lakes and ponds during July and Aug- 

 ust, when the fishing is poor, and adds: "Some say 

 the specks are caused by the lakes fermenting ; others 

 say they are caused by a plant blooming in the bottom 

 of the lakes, and others by the blow from trees coming 



