Brown. — Adjustment of Bnvironment vs. Stocking. 135 



endeavor to master the riddles the solution of which will enable 

 more fish to exist in a given area of a given type of water. As 

 this is a very large subject, I merely wish to touch briefly upon 

 certain salient points, which, if fixed in mind, will perhaps be of 

 aid in future investigations. 



In the accompanying Lake Table of Progressive Factors con- 

 trolling the production of small-mouth bass under natural (unde- 

 veloped) conditions (Table I) I have endeavored to itemize the 

 principal factors making up the environment in a lake where the 

 fish cultural object is the maximum production of small-mouth 

 black bass. The two groups are identical, but those at the top 

 represent the dependent factors or those which are benefitted or 

 otherwise influenced by the controlling or possibly limiting factors 

 in the left hand column. All of the controlling factors directly 

 influence various items in the other group as indicated by an X 

 in the column beneath the item affected. The direct influence, as 

 easily seen by consulting the table, is, however, little, if any, greater 

 in importance than the indirect results which come about by multi- 

 plied action through the enormous number of reactions which make 

 up an ecological environment. An attempt to diagram the influence 

 of a single factor, such as turbidity, through the factors which it 

 aflfects, then through those which they affect and so on and on, if 

 only to the end of each cycle, will easily convince anyone as to 

 the complexity of aquatic environments, and how impossible it is 

 to disturb one element therein without bringing on readjustment 

 almost throughout. 



There can be no doubt that the rate of production of any 

 species in lake, pond or stream is determined and regulated by the 

 balance existing in the environment betwen those forces which are 

 favorable to and those which are against increase. Therefore, 

 if we can study and adjust the situation to extend and intensify 

 the favorable factors and at the same time eliminate or minimize 

 those which are untoward, the fishes must increase because that is 

 all they can possibly do. We should not doubt, at least for the 

 present, that the laws governing aquatic life are absolute. There- 

 fore, the more of these laws we learn the more complete will be 

 our control over the destiny of our fishes. 



In a preceding paragraph I refer to controlling or limiting 

 factors. The reason for this dual nomenclature is that of the factors 

 which control production in any given body of water, only a few 



