324 With Rod and Gun in New England 



table and necessary to the progress of civilization, although the conditions 

 might have been ameliorated by the construction of fishways and the pre- 

 servation of our mountain streams from the deleterious effects of sawdust 

 and refuse. 



Vermont has not alone suffered ; it is the same story in New Hamp- 

 shire, and throughout New England. History is repeating itself in all the 

 newer States, although in some instances their legislatures are profiting by 

 the experiences of their older sisters, and have enacted protective laws 

 before their fish and game have been wholly destroyed. 



The observance of the game-laws depends largely upon public senti- 

 ment. Sentiment in favor of laws of this character seldom obtains popular 

 support until the protected objects, be they fish or game, are quite scarce. 

 The goose that lays the golden egg must be destroyed before the owners 

 realize their loss. It is a noticeable fact that the portions of Vermont 

 where the protective laws meet the least favor, are the portions in which 

 the fish and game are most abundant. The situation to-day is better than 

 it was ten years ago. 



While there are many streams which can never be restored to their 

 former conditions or be made in any way productive, the State is full of 

 good trout streams. These streams are being stocked annually with the 

 product of the State and National hatcheries. While the character of 

 some streams is constantly deteriorating, a larger proportion of them are 

 improving for two reasons: — First, the hillside farms, which should never 

 have been farms, are again growing up to forests. In some instances 

 these farms have been purchased for summer homes, with a fish, game and 

 forest preserve as the result. The second reason is the fact that there are 

 fewer small saw-mills. The larger mills use steam-power and burn their 

 sawdust and refuse for fuel. 



Our mountains and hillsides are dotted with lakes and ponds, nearly 

 all of which were originally the habitat of the trout. Their natural con- 

 ditions have not suffered as much as the streams and brooks. Many of 

 them in the past were stocked, unwittingly, but with good intentions, with 

 fish less valuable and less desirable than the trout. Some farmers intro- 

 duced horn-pouts into trout ponds. While this did not mean extermi- 

 nation of trout, it did not improve the fishing. Others introduced a worse 

 evil, in the form of pickerel, which meant the utter extermination of trout 

 in a few years. In many instances the pickerel thrived as long as the trout 

 lasted, but afterwards the ponds did not furnish sufficient natural food for 

 their sustenance. This form of indiscriminate stocking was stopped by 

 legislation ; then the bass fad, which extended throughout New England, 

 and was taken up quite generally by fish commissioners, spoiled many 

 more trout ponds. The first reason for introducing bass was to destroy 



