American Fisheries Society. 137 
Mr. Titcomb: The extent of it. 
Dr. Bean: The extent is much less than it was a few years 
ago, and the policy of the commissioner is in line with Mr. 
Titcomb’s suggestion, that the brown trout should never be 
planted in any waters that have brook trout. Beaver Kill River 
illustrates the bad effects of this method. A friend of mine, 
a very expert angler, told me he got ten brown trout to one brook 
trout in the Beaver Kill; the cause of that is unquestionably (at 
least in the minds of the anglers, and it seems reasonable) that 
the brown trout destroy the brook trout. If they do not, they at 
any rate destroy the food of the brook trout, which amounts to 
the same thing. So that the work of New York now is very much 
reduced in volume, and there is a continual desire on the part of 
the commissioner to refuse applications and in fact he does pos- 
tively refuse applications for brown trout to be planted in brook 
trout waters. They are suitable for some waters, undoubtedly, 
waters which contain no other trout, and have done very well 
there. But this year there is a very grave difficulty with the 
brown trout, which is no doubt familiar to most of you, and that 
is the ulcer disease which has broken out in some places, particu- 
larly in streams which are polluted with drainage from manure 
heaps; and it is so fatal that there is a very strong inclination 
to discontinue absolutely the use of such streams in the future 
for all race and pond work at stations, beheving that unless the 
head waters can be controlled, so that the cause can be absolutely 
removed and the waters be disinfected by quicklime or in some 
other way, it is useless to attempt to remove that bacillus which 
causes the ulcer disease and destroys the brown trout. 
Mr. Titeomb: Does it infect the other species ? 
Dr. Bean: None except the brook trout. The rainbow trout 
is Immune thus far, but it is very fatal to the brown trout. 
Mr. Whish: Once again the lay brother finds a chance to get 
back at the scientist. We have had in this society several con- 
fessions during past years which have evidently been good for 
the soul, and I have just chuckled over them. 
Tt all comes, in my judgment, from trying to get something 
foreign in place of something which is native born, believing 
