American Fisheries Society. 141 
all ages, and is a more potent factor in the destruction of fish 
food than any agency mentioned. 
All of you are doubtless familiar with the loss of fish life 
from the causes enumerated, but there is a source not generally 
suspected that is the cause of untold havoc and destruction, 
whereby millions of fish and fry perish annually. This is all 
the more lamentable as it could be so easily prevented. I allude 
to the wholesale destruction of fish life through the operation of 
irrigation ditches. It is very discouraging to fish culturists in 
the western states, after hatching and rearing fry and yearlings 
with much care, labor and solicitude, to have them stranded on 
the meadows and grain fields of the selfish or thoughtless 
rancher. It seems to be impossible, by argument or reasoning, 
to impress the average legislature in the west of the importance 
of screening irrigation ditches at the intake. The only objection 
raised is that it would be too much trouble, or take too much of 
his time, for the rancher to keep the screen clear of leaves and 
trash. This objection, however, is a mere subterfuge, for during 
the season of irrigation in the summer the streams are free of 
trash. 
But to meet and overcome this objection I devised a very 
simple affair, as some of you may know, that would be just as 
effective in keeping fish out of the ditches as a screen, and one 
that would need no attention after being put in place. It is an 
eight-bladed paddle wheel of simple and inexpensive construc- 
tion, to be placed in a short flume at the intake of a ditch, with 
enough fall to create sufficient current to operate the wheel. 
No fish will pass it while it is in motion. Its cost is but little, if 
anything. but were its use compelled by law it would deprive 
the rancher of his winter supply of salted trout, and of a val- 
uable fertilizer in the shape of trout fry. 
I have made two efforts to have the use of the device made 
compulsory by incorporating such a provision as a section of 
the game and fish laws of Montana. But both times the com- 
mittee on game and fish cut it out for the reason that it might 
jeopardize the rest of the pending bill, the principal feature of 
which seemed to be to create a fund for the payment of the 
game wardens. As the present law now stands, a resident of 
Montana must procure a license to fish, and pay for it; but in- 
