American Fi'<]t cries Society 133 



moved with a seine. With a reserve pond or two, it is possible, 

 not only to thoroughly clean a pond, but to "winter" it : that is, 

 leave the bottom exposed for a time to the action of the sun and 

 frost. This destroys excessive plant growth and kills out destruc- 

 tive water beetles and other enemies of young fishes and is ap- 

 proved by most professional fish culturists. With a series of 

 ponds constructed at different levels, the overflow of the upper 

 ponds wull serve to feed those below. The more fall there is to 

 the water the better will be its aeration — a matter of great im- 

 portance to small ponds. It is desirable that surface water 

 caused by rainstorms 1)0 kept out of small ponds by banking up 

 or ditching. 



The following instances, among many which came under the 

 writer's personal observation, will serve to show some of the dif- 

 ficulties in the way of successful management, where ponds are 

 constructed without provision having been made for drawing- 

 down or seining: 



A certain deep lake of about two acres in Connecticut, 

 formed at great expense by damming a brook, is without any 

 provision for drawing down. The conditions prevailing in it 

 are unknown, and nothing but hook and line or some form of 

 trap-net are available for ascertaining its contents, since its bor- 

 ders will not permit the use of a drag net. In the meantime, 

 snapping turtles kill the young ducks on it each summer, and 

 there is no way of getting rid of them. 



Another pond, which could not be lowered, was believed to be 

 without fishes, until the use of a seine in one corner showed that 

 the yellow perch fry introduced two years before had already at- 

 tained good size. The presence of snags elsewhere in this lake 

 prevented the use of the net. The management of this pond will 

 always be difficult and unsatisfactory. 



A lake in the Zoological Park, stocked with yellow perch 

 fry in 1903, was represented to be without fishes, until the use 

 of a seine, sent from the Aquarium a year later, showed it to be 

 well supplied. The full utilization of this lake is however im- 

 possible, since its bottom has many scattered rocks w^hich pre- 

 vent effective seining. If the rocks had been removed origin- 

 ally, a good sized seine would sweep it from end to end. 



