﻿22 
  WATEK-POWER 
  DEVELOPMENT 
  IN 
  THE 
  MISSISSIPPI. 
  

  

  might 
  be 
  no 
  danger 
  to 
  navigation. 
  The 
  maximum 
  lake 
  level 
  is 
  not 
  

   yet 
  attained; 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  

   next 
  few 
  years, 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  gradually 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  arrange- 
  

   ments 
  between 
  the 
  company 
  and 
  the 
  property 
  owners 
  affected. 
  The 
  

   greatest 
  depth 
  in 
  ordinary 
  times 
  wiU 
  be 
  about 
  40 
  feet, 
  but 
  the 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  depth 
  will 
  be 
  much 
  less. 
  

  

  There 
  wiU 
  ensue 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  decomposition 
  of 
  old 
  land 
  vegeta- 
  

   tion 
  under 
  water, 
  but 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  waves 
  and 
  surface 
  wind 
  currents, 
  

   in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  circulation 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  regular 
  flow 
  of 
  

   the 
  river, 
  will 
  do 
  much 
  to 
  reoxygenate 
  the 
  water. 
  In 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  

   a 
  proper 
  growth 
  of 
  vegetation 
  wiU 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  bays, 
  and 
  this 
  will 
  

   form 
  a 
  most 
  significant 
  feature 
  in 
  the 
  bionomics 
  of 
  the 
  mature 
  lake. 
  

  

  Experience 
  at 
  Fairport 
  with 
  new 
  ponds 
  supplied 
  with 
  Mississippi 
  

   River 
  water 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  a 
  proper 
  degi'ee 
  of 
  aquatic 
  

   vegetation 
  is 
  greatly 
  hastened 
  by 
  artificial 
  introduction 
  of 
  suitable 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain 
  these 
  in 
  any 
  variety 
  

   from 
  the 
  local 
  overflow 
  ponds 
  and 
  slues 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi. 
  It 
  

   would 
  be 
  most 
  desirable, 
  therefore, 
  if 
  the 
  Govermnent 
  or 
  State 
  

   authorities 
  should 
  make 
  such 
  introductions 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  coves 
  and 
  

   bayous, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  maturity 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  as 
  a 
  fish 
  environment 
  might 
  

   be 
  expedited. 
  Plants 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  mussels 
  can 
  readily 
  be 
  made. 
  It 
  is 
  

   understood 
  that 
  several 
  hundred 
  young 
  bass 
  were 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  

   Iowa 
  State 
  fishery 
  department, 
  and 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Bureau 
  of 
  

   Fisheries, 
  through 
  the 
  Fairport 
  Biological 
  Station, 
  made 
  a 
  plant 
  in 
  Oc- 
  

   tober, 
  1913, 
  of 
  2,343 
  large-mouth 
  black 
  bass 
  and 
  425 
  crappie 
  infected 
  

   with 
  Lake 
  Pepin 
  muckets 
  and 
  local 
  Mississippi 
  River 
  muckets, 
  in 
  

   about 
  equal 
  proportions 
  (1,380,000 
  glochidia 
  in 
  all). 
  

  

  OPPORTUNITY 
  AND 
  RESPONSIBILITY 
  FOR 
  INVESTIGATIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  problem 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  Keokuk 
  Dam 
  may 
  well 
  serve 
  to 
  

   point 
  out 
  the 
  inadequacy 
  of 
  our 
  preparation 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  situations 
  

   of 
  the 
  kind 
  — 
  situations 
  which 
  may 
  vitally 
  affect 
  the 
  future 
  food 
  supply 
  

   of 
  our 
  people. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  alone 
  an 
  insufficiency 
  of 
  knowledge 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   perience 
  which 
  confronts 
  us, 
  but 
  a 
  real 
  negligence. 
  In 
  connection 
  

   with 
  water-power 
  developments 
  everywhere, 
  streams 
  are 
  obstructed 
  

   with 
  the 
  bare 
  and 
  indefinite 
  requirement 
  for 
  instaUation 
  of 
  fishways, 
  

   which, 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  cases, 
  become 
  inoperative 
  soon 
  after 
  they 
  

   are 
  put 
  in. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  proprietors 
  of 
  the 
  power 
  developments 
  who 
  

   are 
  at 
  fault, 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  the 
  public 
  at 
  large 
  who 
  expect 
  the 
  owners 
  to 
  

   provide 
  and 
  maintain 
  fishways 
  though 
  robbed 
  of 
  incentive 
  and 
  

   guidance.*^ 
  

  

  The 
  subject 
  of 
  fishways 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  live 
  importance, 
  and 
  one 
  requiring 
  

   thorough 
  experimentation. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  laboratory 
  ex- 
  

   periment 
  that 
  is 
  needed, 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  field 
  experiment 
  and 
  

  

  a 
  There 
  are 
  very 
  few 
  sorts 
  of 
  fishways 
  that 
  accomplish 
  the 
  purpose 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  designed. 
  

  

  