78 Thirtii-scvciitli Ainnial Meeting 



say that we have one of the most attractive spots in Texas, apart 

 from the pleasure Ave are oiving' to sportsmen, and the economic 

 good we are doing. It is an oasis, yon might say, in the midsc 

 of this sunlnirnt country, at least it looks and feels that way 

 to me. 



DISCUSSIOX. 



John W. Titcomh, Washington, D. C. : T note what Mr. 

 Leary says about his total failure in the attempt to propagate 

 the 1)lue channel catfish. The liureau has attempted to propa- 

 gate this species of catfish at five or six different pond stations 

 and carried the l)rood stock for a nundjer of years without any 

 result wliatever. Apparently the fish spawn in a rapid flowing 

 stream or in the current of a stream under the river. ]\Ir. Worth 

 has made some experiments, and ^Ir. Leary's failure is not the 

 only one. I think the value of his jiaper would be enhanced if 

 he would explain, as I am sure he can, why the crappie is a fail- 

 ure there. 



Mr. Leary : In the first place, the conditions for crappie are 

 not such as they usually breed under. Crappie usually breed in 

 roily water, and our water is clear. I have succeeded, however, 

 in raising crappie by introducing carp with crappie, which roil 

 up the water, and I have raised some thousands of crappie in 

 that way. I have also resorted to nearby cattle tanks and stock- 

 ed them with crappie, and I have got fair results from stocking 

 such ponds. These ponds are supplied by rainfall and tlie water 

 seems entirely suited to their propagation. 



Mr. S. G. Worth, Beaufort, X. V.: It would appear that the 

 spotted catfish has been actually propagated l)y tlie government. 

 Siiice 1 was in Tennessee engaged in that work under Mr. Tit- 

 cond), [ have discovered that the annual report of the United 

 States Fish Commission for 1892 and 1893 shows that Dr. Ru- 

 dolph Hessel, late superintendent of the carp ponds, Washing- 

 ton, hatched thirteen hundred of those fish ; and they were dis- 

 tril)ute(l tlirough tlie central station, of which I was then in 

 charge, and are recorded in the talde of distribution by tlieir 

 name and also by the scientific name, and in view of the juinici'- 

 ous failures that have taken place, it is rather encouraging to 

 think tliat some were actually hatched, and especially under Dr. 



