48 FISH—CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
BEDFORD, O., May 25th, 1883. 
I do not believe it possible for me to write a paper to be read at the 
A. F.C. A.,as requested by the Executive Committee. 1am suffering 
at this moment indescribable torture, and last night was a night of 
dreadful suffering. Were I able to write a paper, it would be on the 
topics named by you in your letter. 
My attention was first called to artificial methods of propagation of 
fishes by seeing a notice in a newspaper of the methods employed by 
the two fishermen of the Vosges. I saw, or thought I saw, in this 
discovery one of the most important discoveries of modern times. 
And I at once determined to make the same experiments, but not 
with the remotest view of making money by it, but simply to demon- 
strate an important discovery. The history of my experiments are 
all recorded in the book I sent you a few days since, also in the pub- 
lished proceedings of the old Cleveland Academy of Natural Sciences. 
My experiments were eminently successful. I exhibited both young 
and old fish at two of our State fairs, one at Cleveland and one at Cin- 
cinnatl. 
This was, no doubt, the beginning of breeding fish by artificial 
methods in the United States. When we look at what has grown out 
of these experiments through the active agency of the fruitful brain 
of Professor Spencer F. Baird, we begin to realize the value of this 
discovery. I have never regretted the hard work, precious time, nor 
the money it cost me to make the experiments. I believe that arti- 
ficial fishculture is only in its infancy at this time. When we consider 
the vast extent of our inland waters, our mighty inland seas, great 
rivers, down to the little streamlets and springs, we can guess what 
will follow. Hoping you may have a pleasant and a profitable 
meeting, I am truly yours, 
TL. GARLIGK, 
Mr. Phillips read extracts from the book mentioned, and a vote 
of thanks was given to Dr Garlick, the pioneer of American 
fishculture. 
