134 Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting 
Mr. Atkins: Well now, really, I have not gone so far as to 
consider that. In fact I have not yet introduced into actual 
practice any rule which would delay the feeding at all, but | 
have allowed the fish to be fed as soon as they wanted food, ex- 
cept the experimental lots. I think I ought to study that a Lt- 
tle further and see if there would not be a positive advantage in 
withholding food for several days. 
Dr. Birge: Would it not be possible to put screens into the 
troughs so that the control fish and the fish you are experiment- 
ing on, should have each the same amount of water surface ? 
Mr. Atkins: Wouldn’t they have in the same trough ? 
Dr. Birge: Yes, and as the fish died could you not put in a 
wire screen, for instance, to cut these fish off from part of the 
trough, as they get fewer in number, so that you will have just 
so many fish to the square foot ? 
Mr. Atkins: Yes, I think that would be worth while, so that 
as the fish died off the space could be lessened ; and then I would 
hardly expect the same results, because I think the great growth 
shown by these fish that fasted so long, was very likely owing ta 
the main to having so much extra room. 
Dr. Birge: That is true of invertebrates, that they will grow 
much more rapidly with more space. 
Mr. Titcomb: I would suggest that in further experiments 
you consider the volume of water and make the control experi- 
ments exactly alike. Have the dimensions of the trough for each 
experiment the same, and the volume of water the same; and 
as you increase the volume with the growth, if you do, keep a 
record of that. And this suggests what Dr. Birge has said: One 
thing you want to bring out in connection with this experiment 
is, What is the actual number of trout of a certain age or size, or 
other fish, like the salmon, which can be carried in a foot of 
water to best advantage. That is a point which we ought to be 
able to publish in our fish cultural books as well as the other. 
That would come in with your experiments very nicely, I should 
think. 
Mr. Atkins: Yes. 
