NETTING. 91 



preferred, and a sensible keeper will avoid any 

 bearing a bad character or suspected of poach- 

 ing. It is, of course, of advantage to employ 

 the same men from year to year. It must be 

 remembered, too, that being more or less wet 

 through all day, they are entitled to wages on a 

 proportionately liberal scale. The best plan is 

 to fix a daily rate of wages, to include beer, as 

 it is a great mistake to have anything to do 

 with providing this liquid refreshment. Country- 

 men fall into the error of imagining that fre- 

 quent draughts of malt liquor or spirit tend to 

 raise temperature, and hence are apt to indulge 

 somewhat freely on these occasions. Probably 

 no amount of medical or other evidence would 

 convince them of the well-known fact that, 

 although for the moment alcohol or beer appa- 

 rently raises the temperature, yet in the end it 

 tends to lower it, and that therefore anything 

 beyond a moderate allowance increases the 

 discomfort of remaining in the water. The 

 water level having been lowered as much as 

 possible, and all nets and gear brought to 

 the upper end of the reach to be netted on 

 the particular day, all is ready to commence 

 work. 



Someone, the head keeper for choice, should improved 



. . method of 



be invested with full authority to direct every- netting a 

 thing, and it should be forcibly impressed on all 



