Foods and Feeding of Fishes 145 



what the sportsmen expect us to do, and we are spending their money. 

 They are perfectly satisfied that we do spend it in that direction pro- 

 vided that we show them some results for the expenditure. 



Other species of fish that we are propagating and rearing are the 

 yellow perch, the bluegill, and the catfish — that is the bullhead. 



Mr. Adams: Before you leave the question of the bass, what do you 

 thi ik of the plan — leaving out the wishes of the fishermen of Penn- 

 sylvania — of collecting up in ponds that have a liberal supply of bass, 

 the fry that are say half an inch long, and planting them in other 

 ponds? 



Mr. Buller: If you can get them half an inch and over I think it 

 would repay you. 



Mr. Adams: Do you think that in the long run that would be as 

 profitable as to carry on the usual bass culture work that has taken place 

 in many States? 



Mr. Buller: Of course, bass culture work is very expensive, and I 

 am putting that before the Pennsylvania sportsmen as strongly as I 

 can. We have a mailing list in our office of 560 Fish and Game 

 Associations in Pennsylvania v/ith w^hich I am closely in touch all the 

 time. I am frequently called upon to talk to these people and I try to 

 impress it upon them that the artificial propagation of bass is a very 

 expensive and a very difficult thing and that they need not expect, at 

 least for some years to come, that the State of Pennsylvania will be able 

 to distribute small mouth bass in the quantities that they distribute 

 other fishes. I have impressed upon them the fact that bass fishing is 

 increasing, in spite of the great number of fishermen, in our streams that 

 are suitable for bass, but I attribute that to the season that we have on 

 the bass more than to any restocking of the streams. We positively re- 

 fuse to plant any bass in any small lake in Pennsylvania, because in 

 every case where either the small mouth or the large mouth bass has 

 been introduced into the lakes of our State the rest of the fishes having 

 been destroyed. Our small lakes are not suited to the bass. They are all 

 on top of the mountains ; the water is absolutely pure — they are what we 

 call "hell holes" — no visible inlet to any of them. 



Mr. Hart: What kind of minnows do you feed these bass on? How 

 do you raise them, and what does it cost? 



Mr. Buller: What we raise in our ponds at the hatchery are the 

 banded or striped minnows. Most of the minnows that are fed to these 

 bass are taken from such lakes as are in close proximity to the hatchery. 

 These are principally the little shiner — golden and silver. 



Mr. Burnham : Do you get the best results from small mouth black 

 bass breeders collected in the spring, or from those collected in the fall? 

 Mr. Buller: The collection in the fall is the safest. We have oc- 

 casionally in the spring of the year received our bass too late. If it is 

 possible to get them in the fall and you have the proper storage for them, 

 I think it is best. 



