H MY PLAN OF MIXING GROUND-BAIT. 



very different thing from casting in five or ten at a time, 

 as big as large oranges. 



For casting in loose, in eddies, either gentles, scalded 

 greaves, or chopped worms, may be used ; but these baits 

 are likely to attract barbel to the swim also ; pearl-barley 

 and rice may also be thrown in loose. 



This is my plan for mixing ground-bait in a swim not 

 too swift. I first get a three-quart basin, put into it 

 refuse crusts broken up ; it goes against my grain to cut 

 up good loaves. The basin should be somewhat more than 

 half full to allow for swelling ; pour hot water in it sufficient 

 to soak the whole thoroughly, cover it up with a plate to 

 keep the steam in ; let it soak for two hours or more, then 

 break it all up so that there be no lumps nor hard bits in 

 it, as if these be not broken thoroughly, they come away and 

 float up to the top of the water, and are wasted ; then put the 

 mass into a strainer, and squeeze out as much water as you 

 can ; then boil about two-thirds of a pint of common broken 

 rice, and let the water drain from that too ; put both into 

 half a peck of fresh bran, and scatter over it about a large 

 breakfast cup and a half of flour or meal, to make it more 

 adherent ; work it all up together thoroughly. Then take 

 a number of small stones, each about the size of grape shot, 

 or say an inch in diameter, and on to each stone press and 

 squeeze ft good big handful or more of the compost, work- 

 ing and squeezing it till the ball is quite tight and hard. 

 The stone serves to sink the ball and to keep it on the 

 bottom, and the ball breaks up gradually and disperses 

 down the swim, a portion still remaining behind to keep 

 the fish in the swim. If the bait is too moist, the balls 

 will break in halves, and leaving the stone at the bottom 

 come up to the surface and float away, or will break up 

 and disperse too soon, and therefore the drier the bait is 

 consistently with proper adherence the better. There is 

 no ground-bait that ever I have tried that equals this. It 



