among- all of those interrogated, I only found one who did not 

 prouoiiiicp them good food. True, the fxreater number of them 

 were ]ieoi)le who wanted meat, and took them for that purpose. 

 The carp has found a place on the table of more homes in Illi- 

 nois, this season, than any otlier fish in our waters, with the 

 possible exception of the buffalo, and at less cost. It has been 

 of more value to the poor than any other fish produced in our 

 waters, and, in our opinion, that is what the Commission is for, 

 to assist in producing the most food, for the greatest number, 

 at the least expense. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



The scope of our distribution of native food fishes for past 

 two seasons has been more extensive than before. We have 

 been able to successfully carry fish for longer distances, having 

 arranged, on our steamer "Lotus," a pumping apparatus for 

 aerating purposes, that enables to keep a constant stream of 

 water, in the form of a spray, into the tanks in which they are 

 carried. The tanks are arranged upon the guards, outboard, 

 on each side of the boat, and have a carrying capacity of about 

 two carloads. It is possible, now, to carry or hoid fish several 

 days, with but a small percentage of loss, should it be found 

 necessary to do so. This gives us better fa.cilities for working- 

 over a much larger territory than heretofore. Elsewhere in this 

 report will be found a list of streams stocked. 



One matter in this connection should not be overlooked, and 

 it is one not generally noted, the general impression being that 

 it is only the waters planted which receive the benefit of the 

 w^ork, while the fact is that, in taking and selecting a thousand 

 bass, crappie or other fish suitable for distribution, we must 

 handle from fifty to one hundred thousand other fish, from 

 which we make our selection; true, most of them are the com- 

 moner A'arieties of fish, yet all, in a sense, are food fish or food 

 for fish, and of these are placed in nearest deep water, making 

 the rivers, lakes and streams, in localities over which we work, 

 richer by these thousands than would have been the case other- 

 wise, as they must all have perished by drying of ponds during 

 the summer, or the freezing of same during the winter. 



In order that a fair estimate might be made of the number 

 of fish that were rescued from drying ponds, I instructed our 

 general foreman at Quincy to make an estimate of one week's 

 work in this vicinity, and keep an account, as nearly as might 

 be, of the number of food fishes taken, and varieties. He sub- 

 mits the following report: 



S. P. Bartlett, Secretary, Quincy, III.: 



I herewith hiind you my report of flsh saved and put into the bay and 

 rivers September 5, (i, 7, 8, 12 and 13. 



On the 5th we worked the ponds and cut-otTs alonj? Wood's Slougrh. We 

 took out and put into the river 8,000 sun fish, 5.000 chaunel cat. ."145 bhick 

 bass, 1,500 crappie. 150 wall-eyed pike, 10,oOO bull pouts, .3,000 ring perch 

 and a very large number of buffalo aud gizzard shad, which were impos- 



