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COARSE FISH CULTURE. 



Before proceeding to give you some description of the 

 various methods in which what are generally, but I think 

 incorrectly, termed coarse fish may be propagated, it may 

 be well to point out as briefly as possible the reasons why 

 they should be propagated. 



This is the more necessary because the majority of those 

 who are interested only in the Salmonidae, as a rule con- 

 sider all other fresh water fish as useless, or worse than 

 useless. As a trout angler myself, and much preferring that 

 branch of sport to any other, I am perfectly ready to admit 

 that coarse fish of almost any kind, in a trout or grayling 

 stream, are indeed worse than useless. That there are cir- 

 cumstances, however, in which coarse fish are not only 

 useful, but extremely valuable, I hope to be able in the 

 course of my remarks to demonstrate to you. 



There is a maxim, attributed I think to Jeremy Ben- 

 tham, for which I have always had great respect, " The 

 greatest good of the greatest number." I take this to mean 

 that though a thing may not be good for all, yet if it be for 

 the benefit of the majority its raison d'etre is established. 

 There are many thousands of anglers in this country, how 

 many thousands it is difficult to say, but the fact that the 

 vast majority of them are coarse fish anglers is beyond 

 question. In London and Sheffield alone there are some 

 twenty thousand coarse fish anglers enrolled as members 

 of angling clubs, and in addition to these there are many 

 thousands who fish only for coarse fish who do not belong 

 to any club. I will not enlarge on this matter of the vast 

 number of coarse fish anglers, because my friend Mr. 

 Wheeldon is preparing an exhibition handbook on the 



