Owiun' to its location and the ciiaractrr of its waters, our State is so 

 situated as to make the breeding of trout and kindred varieties neces- 

 sarily <T failure, but there is no good reason why we should not avail 

 ourselves of the splendid opportunities offered by the Chicago parks, 

 and establish a hatching house and rearing ponds for white fish and 

 lake trout, and participate in the work of repopulating the great 

 lakes. We say particiiiato in advisedly, as heretofore wo have only 

 been lookers-on when that kind of work was being done. The states 

 of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota are all doing what they 

 can to increase the product of these waters, while the LI. S. Fish 

 Commission adds a very large percentage of the plants. Of this work 

 there can be no criticism. It is of the i^eople and for the peojjle, 

 furnishing employment to large numbers of the fishermen, and to the 

 people of the several states good, substantial food at such prices as 

 to make its consumj^tion very large. Very few people in the State, 

 not directly interested in such matters, have any idea of the amount 

 of fish that daily goes into consumption as food, and cheap food, be- 

 cause in hundreds of cases, it costs merely the labor of the individual 

 in taking it from the water. If the number of people who take jjerch 

 from Lake Michigan at or near Chicago could be accuratelj^ estimated 

 and a record of their catch made, the aggregate would seem incred- 

 ible. In one day, on one part of the lake front. 2260 people were 

 counted fishing with hook and line. An average catch of three 

 pounds each, and tliat would not be large, would give nearly 7,000 

 pounds of good food, easily obtained. At all jjoints along the i3rin- 

 cipal rivers of the State, fishing with hook and line for the purjiose 

 of procuring fish for individual consumption is constantly going on, 

 and large numbers of fish are taken. With these facts in view, it 

 seems to be the part of wisdom for those engaged in protecting the 

 fish interests of the people of the State to devote their energies 

 chieriy to such methods as will insure the greatest return for the 

 least amount of cost, and we believe the plans we have in view for 

 the erecting and maintaining of suitable hatching stations for the 

 propagation of the carp, buffalo and other common fishes, and at the 

 same time propagate the finer varieties to such an extent as may be 

 practical, will give to the people of the State many thousands of 

 pounds of good, cheap food, as well as increase the supply of game 

 fishes for the pleasure of the angler and the epicure. 



We have a number of places in the State where the establishment 

 of such hatching houses could be easily and cheaply accomplisheil. 

 At Elgin, on the grounds of the State Hospital for the Insane, are 

 ponds already constructed which could be adai)ted for the purpose of 

 breeding ponds, and a lioiise built for a summer house is so located 

 and constructed that the lower part or basement could be used for 

 hatching purposes without interfering with its ordinary uses. Be- 

 sides the practical and economical results to be gained, the plant 

 would form a very attractive feature, and add greatly to the interest 

 and ])eauty of the grounds. Here millions of carp and buffalo coulil 

 be propagated and reared until sufficient size to turn into the Fox 

 river, the upper dam on that river being only about twenty miles 

 above the institution. Earlv in each season, hundreds of thousands 



