134 American Fisheries Society. 



considered as wholly a curse but in part a great blessing. 

 They say that, somewhat like weeds in a garden of vege- 

 tables, some of the great number of species of algae are the 

 principal foods of the daphnids; which in turn feed our 

 baby bass. They tell us further that the decomposing 

 higher aquatic plants release the nitrates necessary for the 

 growth of algae. These plants (algae) are seasonal in their 

 appearance. Certain varieties, making their appearance in 

 the winter months, are followed in rotation by spring, sum- 

 mer and autumn varieties. We know nothing of a method of 

 promoting the growth of the good ones while at the same 

 time checking the growth of those that are but a nuisance. 



If nitrates, derived from decomposing plants in good 

 fish ponds, promote the growth of useful algae, perhaps 

 commercial nitrate of soda will give like results. It is our 

 intention to make an applicaton of it to the bottom of our 

 most barren pond, and then note results in algae, in minute 

 animal life, and in fish production. 



Every pond station has its own peculiar problems and 

 only through experimenting at our own, checking results 

 with those derived by similar experiments of others, is 

 progress to be made. 



Discussion. 



Mr. Titcomb: That station was a political location, was it not? 



Mr. Bullock: The station was selected in this way. Congress 

 provided for its location, with the restriction that the site must be do- 

 nated. The whole state was scoured to find a site that would be donated. 

 Many more desirable sites could have been gotten for a consideration; 

 this was selected as the best to be had as a gift. 



Mr. Titcomb: When you get something for nothing you do not 

 usually get much. Would it not be better to abandon the station entirely? 



Mr. Bullock: Well, my idea is this: While the present conditions 

 in our territory are permitted to continue; while station visitors can 

 boast of taking bream from bream beds, in numbers, for a single day, in 

 excess of our total broodstock, and others from 100 to 400 a day, I do not 

 think the public is entitled to much more consideration or expenditure 

 for their public streams; so the idea of abandoning this station and es- 

 tablishing another does not appeal to me very much. Moreover, we are 

 fairly successful in supplying all applications. Our output is now sent 

 out while fish are still in the advanced fry or No. 1 fingerling stage. 

 In this way we get a satisfactory output; even though minute fish food 

 is scarcer in our ponds than could be desired. I have said in the past, 

 and I think the same opinion is probably held by a good many of you 

 gentlemen here, that I would not exchange twenty-five two and a half 

 inch fingerlings for a can of a thousand fry. I still adhere to the belief 



