NOTES ON SMALL MOUTH BASS CULTURE AT THE 
NORTHVILLE, MICHIGAN, STATION. | 
BY FRANK N. CLARK. 
In the Bulletin of the Michigan Fish Commission, No. 7, on 
“The Breeding Habits, Development, and Propagation of the 
Black Bass,” by Jacob Reighard, a work prepared largely on ob- 
servations made, and information collected in the spring of 
1903, at the State Hatchery at Mill Creek, Professor Reighard 
says: “For some years efforts have been made, chiefly by the 
United States Fish Commission, now Bureau of Fisheries, De- 
partment of Commerce and Labor, and by the Michigan Fish 
Commission, to artificially propagate the black bass.” ‘‘These 
efforts,” he states, “have met with many difficulties.” 
This, as will be noted, was said two years ago, and so far 
as my observations go, the difficulties still arise, and must be 
overcome by the practical bass breeder. It is, | presume, con- 
ceded that with the large mouth bass, most of the problems in 
connection with their culture have been surmounted, and a con- 
siderable degree of success achieved. With the small mouth 
bass, however, so far as my investigations go, together with in- 
formation from reading the works of others, it seems that there 
is much to be learned before arriving at a point of reasonable 
success, or where we can supply one-half the demand. 
It is true that Mr. Beeman tells us, in his report for the years 
1903-1904, to the Connecticut State Commissioners, page 28, 
that he estimated 400,000 small mouth bass fry were produced 
from a stock of twenty-five parent fish put in the ponds the fall 
before. It is probable that Mr. Beeman would revise his figures 
somewhat at the present time, or at least he would if he had the 
same kind of small mouth bass we have at the Northville 
Station. 
The following are the breeding ponds in use this spring, 
with the area of each and the number of male and female bass 
placed therein: 
174 
