11 



with the means at our disposal. Whenever a stream is crossed by a 

 railroad, or a lake near such road can be reached, we have in- 

 structed that such streams be stocked with the young native fish. 



The winters of 1884-5 were so extremely severe as to have become 

 matters of history. As a consequence, great damage was done to 

 fish. Ice very thick, covered with a heavy blanket of snow, and 

 for such long periods, could not be otherwise than most disastrous 

 to fish. We inspected in the spring following the winters named 

 quite large lakes, where, judging from the dead tish in sight, every- 

 thing in the lake had perished. Last winter was followed by. an 

 unusually hot summer and long season of drouth, causing a great 

 number of the lakes, sloughs, etc., to dry up, and make work plenty 

 for our little party. We have been quite severely criticised for the 

 great loss of fish, the press in some sections claiming that proper 

 attention to the drying sloughs and ponds bad not been given by 

 the Commission, and that a greater number of men should have been 

 employed to prevent so great a loss by the rapid drying up of the 

 lakes. "We can only say we did what we could. Our State has a 

 river frontage, taking the meandering course of the Mississippi inio 

 "Consideration, of about five hundred miles, its valley filled with lakes 

 and sloughs, and to have successfully saved and transplanted the 

 milhons of fish that perished during the recent summer would have 

 taken thousands of men and hundreds of thousands of dollars, and 

 have then been only imperfectly accomplished, as with the ther- 

 mometer showing 120' in the sun, in some places when gangs were 

 at work it was with the utmost difficulty that fish were carried 

 ■even a quarter of a mile from the slough when taken to tlie nearest 

 ■deep water, without great loss. Some idea may be had of the diffi- 

 culty experienced and the great eaie necessary to be used, when fish 

 had to be transported long distances to shipping point, and then by 

 rail to interior points, twelve to twenty-four hours often necessary 

 to complete trip. These seasons, however, do not (!ome often, but 

 when they do they in turn, we think, furnish additional argument 

 in favor of greater and more effective means being provided to 

 gather, save and utilize such fish as nature furnishes us from her 

 great hatching houses, and puts, as it were, at our feet to take and 

 use. This, of course, could be had to a largely increased extent 

 were sufficient means at our disposal. 



The lakes, ponds and low places along the larger rivers were not 

 the only ones affected by the drouth, many of the smaller streams 

 drying up completely, and others getting so low as to kill the fish. 

 We have seen the bottoms of sloughs and large watercourses dry 

 and dusty this season, that during a knowledge of many years 

 standing have never before seen less than two to two and one-half 

 feet of water in before. 



The fish in private ponds throughout the State suffered greatly, 

 and quite a mimber of those cultivating fish report a loss, many 

 having applied for a supply of fish to restO(;k, feeling quite encour- 

 aged by the showing made previous to losing the fish, and not at 

 all discouraged by such loss. 



It has been quite a difficult matter to successfully transport the 

 native fish this season, even with the greatest care and with addi- 



