the lofcis ill traiLsit being- merely noniiual. Croppie, and many 

 of the other varieties, could not be carried at all, at , that 

 time, though later the croppie became one of the best to trans- 

 port. 



As before stated, Ave have had the use of three of tlie T^. S. 

 Fish Commission cars to transpoi-t our fish. The transporta- 

 tion of the cars has, in the main, been furnished free by the 

 various railroads over which our routes laid. The work accom- 

 plished would have been simply impossible had it not been for 

 this generous assistance. 



By another season we hope to be able to arrange our boat, 

 the steamer ''Lotus," so that fish can be carried any distance, 

 by the use of pumps and attachments which will supply a con- 

 stant stream or jets of water over the fish while they are held 

 in tanks, arranged for that purpose, along guards and fore- 

 castle of the boat. By this means we hope we shall not be 

 compelled to confine our operations to any one locality, but be 

 able to mov'e from place to place, on both rivers, and cover a 

 much larger territory. As it is, we are compelled to work 

 within towing distance of some point which can be conveniently 

 reached for loading. 



In this connection, we would ssly that a party of men, work- 

 ing under the direction of Mr. D. J. Webb, for the Fish Com- 

 mission, rescued and put into the river, near Rapids Cit^', 111., 

 441,700 fish, in twelve days' time. A report of the work will 

 be found under head of Fish Distributed. 



In the proper place in this report will be found tables, show- 

 ing the extent of the work of distribution of native fish, and 

 where the plants have been made for the past two seasons. 



CAKP. 



The demand for carp has not been so great during the last 

 two yeai-s as in those preceding, although our list of applicants 

 was still large. 



The success attending the introduction of cai-p culture in Illi- 

 nois cannot be estimated in dollars and cents, and has never 

 been fairly placed before the people. Adverse criticism has, in 

 many instances had the effect of creating an undue prejudice 

 against the fish. Lack of care, and ignorance as to methods 

 of culture have done much more to cause the impression that 

 carp are not profitable to raise. Still, the facts are that a 

 ver^' large number of those who prepared ponds for their recep- 

 tion, and gave them ordinary care, are successfully producing a 

 profitable supply of fish, every year, as food, — and good food, — 

 at a trifling comparative expense. In addition to this, evidences 

 are numerous to show that our streams are full of these fish, 

 and they are entering into the supply of food at almost every 

 point where fish are taken for market. Hundreds of very large 

 carp have been taken this season from the pools along the lUi- 



