168 Tlurty-scvoith Annual Meeting 



Mr. Bower: I do not see how the doctor is going to tell how 

 many of each particular kind he has, if he draws the line too fine. 

 The fish will vary an inch or two in length in the small hatch. 

 Xow if we get down to quarter sizes how will we toll the number 

 of each without sorting and counting? As long as we all use 

 the same standard and strike a fair average the presumption is 

 we will have as many a little under size as over size, and it is as 

 fair for one as it is for another. I do not see how we can draw 

 the line as fine as a quarter of an inch as bass grow so rapidly 

 and unevenly. I believe it will be impracticable to separate 

 them into quarter inch sizes. I do not see how we can work the 

 doctor's plan, thought perhaps Mr. Eoot's plan of weighing them 

 is all right. 



Dr. Bartlett : But with us we separate our bass closely as to 

 size in troughs while holding them there, and I do not know how 

 you find it in your hatcheries, but certainly a quarter of an inch 

 makes enough difference in size frequently for a very rapid de- 

 struction of fish if held any length of time, and if they can be 

 separated into those sizes why cannot they be separated so as to 

 account for them l)y number? Tliis is simply a suggestion ffhd 

 simply ap])lies to my individual worlc, as I say, and I present it 

 so that it may be considered. 



]\fr. T.ydell, Superintendent, Mill Creek, Mich. : The present 

 plan suits me very well. If we sorted our bass as number one a 

 tonight, tomorrow morning they would be numlier one 1), and 

 when I say to the fish commission I have put out 100,000 num- 

 ber ones, they know they are between an inch and two inches, 

 and if you want them closer, say number two from one and a 

 half inches to two and a half inches, but do not cut it any closer 

 than half inches ; but we have no trouble under the present plan. 

 If a fish culturist can ship his fish number one, he will not wait 

 for two inches, and call them number one. I have shipped 190,- 



000 number ones this year, and not one over an inch and a half. 



1 think that would be the policy of all culturists — if they can 

 ship them and call them number one at an inch, they will not 

 wait till they are two inches. Of course it is possible when fish 

 are collected from sloughs and in a number of lengths something 



