96 Thirty-Third Annual Meeting 
the German carp, except as to that one thing; I am not calling 
it names; I am stating the hard, cold fact that the legislature of 
Pennsylvania has practically declared it an outlaw by prohibit- 
ing the planting of it any longer in our waters. 
Dr. Johnson: I cannot enter into an argument like this and 
call myself anything but a neophyte; but perhaps I stand on a 
fair, even ground, and for once I can heartily coincide with the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania, and I take issue at the sweep- 
stakes expressed by the gentleman from New York. It is true 
that if we begin to exterminate a dangerous factor it would seem 
to me, as in medicine and in surgery, it is necessary to take per- 
haps one evil at a time, and take what appears to us to be the 
greatest evil. If we attempt to kill out every sort of fish that 
eats spawn, in a very little time we would have nothing left but 
water. 
I do not take issue against the German carp, because in the 
first place he is a foreigner. He has been introduced in this 
country, and there was no necessity of it, as far as I can find by 
reading, or by hearing you gentlemen speak of it. 
Now I believe it is right to declare war against him. I am 
looking at it, gentlemen, not alone from the standpoint of being 
interested in a very humble way in the propagation or culture 
of other fishes, but I am looking at it a bit, I might say, from 
the standpoint of a sportsman. In New Hampshire where I 
have established a series of ponds which I will speak to you 
about later, I have seen the brooks depleted, I have seen the 
ponds bereft, not through enemies piscatorial, but for the want 
of good laws. I have seen on the other hand, I should say, as 
great a need in some of the ponds of some of the smaller fish, 
which no doubt eat spawn when they have a chance, but in turn 
they are preyed upon by the fish that we call our game fish of 
America, by the fish that appeals to the sportsman who goes to 
the woods simple and solely for the recreation, and I hope not 
for the kill alone. Every protection offered to our game fish 
in any state I should heartily recommend. If we find that in 
the various experiments that we have succeeded in eradicating 
such an evil as the German carp has proven itself to be, then we 
can begin with other species and slowly but surely relieve our 
