Miscellaneous. 313 



into the lake. Please set us all right on this point that 

 1 have heard discussed so long." 



Then the following appears: "I find in Bulletin U. 

 S. F. C., Vol. VI., p. 341, a paragraph upon the 'water 

 bloom" of ponds, from which I quote: 



" 'Lower forms of algae, of the varieties Nostocha- 

 ceae, Oscillariae and Chroococcaceae, occasionally pro- 

 duce by their astonishingly rapid, growth the so-called 

 'water bloom' (Wasserbluete), and transform the water 

 into a blue-green mass resembling oil. Sometimes 

 this 'water bloom' causes the death of all the fish in a 

 pond ; in other cases only certain varieties die, and 

 frequently the fish are not at all affected by it. So far 

 no experiments have been made with the view to ascer- 

 tain which of the algae forming the 'water bloom' ex- 

 ercise an injurious' influence on fish. It is therefore 

 very desirable that careful observation should be made 

 in this respect.' 



"In the United States no doubt similar effects are 

 produced by related forms of algae. It is usually stat- 

 ed that the seeds of certain water plants float at the 

 surface of ponds and make the water cloudy until fer- 

 tilization increases their specific gravity, when they 

 sink to the bottom and continue their development." 



The German authority quoted is Dr. Berthold Ben- 

 ecke, formerly living at Konigsberg. 



This last writer is close to the facts, and it may be 

 that in some cases, unknown to me, the water may have 

 resembled oil. But now comes Judge J. S. Van Cleef, 

 of Poughkeepsie, N. Y., who is closer yet, and hits the 

 bulls-eye in the following remarks : 



"I think that I can answer quite fully your question 

 in regard to what you call the 'blooming' of ponds, but 

 which is more commonly called 'working or clouding.' 



