86 Thirl n-siflh AinntuI Mrrlin;/ 



|ii'()<!uci' aiiipliiixitls for fisli-food at llic pi'opcr lime and in satis- 

 raetory quaiility. But as to the other food-animals that come 

 into this question, they cannot be had in quantity until it is too 

 late for fry-1'eeding. Under present conditions therefore we are 

 imperatively referred to artificial food when the problem is to 

 feed a somewhat larger number of fry. 



Food for Fiii(/('rliii(/s tnnl YearJiiu/s. 



Doubtless live food is best, and those establishments which 

 have a specially favorable location, that is, in a region where, on 

 account of the mild climate and fertile soil, natural food exists in 

 large quantities, of which, in particular, insect larvae form ri 

 chief part, undoubtedly thrive best when they reject artificial 

 foods and maintain their stock of yearlings on natural food. 



This sort of rearing may be much helped by introdu(ang in 

 quantities, living natural food, which, according to the situation, 

 may be collected from brooks or produced in special pools. It 

 is to be especially noted here that for this purpose, the common 

 fresh-water shrimp, (Gammarus pulex), may be collected in 

 quantities and introduced into the ponds from small ditches 

 leading from trout brooks and well stocked with water plants. 

 Here, too, these shrimps are able to increase abundantly among 

 the plants, if they find the necessary food, so that if a brood 

 stock of them is once established a succession of them is assured, 

 even when the ponds are more crowded. 



Further, the artificial introduction of snails into ponds is of 

 great importance. The fittest for this purpose are the small and 

 middle-sized Limnaeas, which are found in trout brooks in quan- 

 tities, on ]>lants and on the bottom, and which may be easily 

 gatlicred with a dip-net and transferred to the ponds. Here they 

 often increase so that they cover the entire bottom. If these are 

 not directly eaten by fish in their first summer or first year (be- 

 cause in mature form they are usually too large) their eggs as 

 well as the young snails furnish an excellent trout food. Then 

 too the snails are an especially good means of disposing of the 

 excrcnunt and food-waste on the bottom of the pond. Snails 

 kept in iuind)crs are desirable for keeping fish ponds clean, as 

 thev are also eliosen and kept in aquariums for this purpose. 



