54 MAKING A FISHERY. 



the men— two on each bank — as they move 

 slowly up stream, work the chain scythe back- 

 wards and forwards with a sawing motion. The 

 men must not be allowed to hurry over this 

 work, as undue speed will only result in the 

 weeds not being cut close to the bed of the 

 river and probably the work having to be done 

 again in the space of a month or so. Where, 

 however, the growth of weeds is only moderate, 

 a man on each side with a long-handled scythe 

 can cut out a wide, clear run or siding under 

 either bank, and the chain scythe worked some- 

 what quickly down stream will top the remainder 

 of the weeds sufficiently to silence the grumbling 

 of millers and others. 

 Treatment of As a rule weeds do not flourish in the deepest 

 parts of hatch holes or mill pools, but wherever 

 there is in such water anything like masses of 

 vegetation they should be cut as closely as 

 possible. It is, however, well to leave as much 

 weed as possible on any shallow gravel bars 

 below the hatch holes as tending to keep the 

 water level up during a dry summer, or when 

 the hatches supplying it are tightly closed. As 

 a rule the dry-fly purist has no particular 

 affection for this class of water, although, under 

 favourable conditions, the largest and gamest 

 fish occasionally rise well, and, what is perhaps 

 more important, take well, in some hatch holes. 



