82 Book of the Black Bass. 



cording as to whether the conditions for their growth were 

 favorable or otherwise. The maximum weight of the small- 

 mouth form of the north and west may he said to be four 

 or five pounds, and of the large-mouth form, from six to 

 eight pounds, though there are rare exceptions to this rule. 



In the warm waters of the southern states, which pre- 

 serve a more equable temperature than those of the north- 

 ern states, the large-mouth black bass grow to an immense 

 size, their maximum weight, in Florida, being from twelve 

 to fifteen pounds. 



In northern waters they do not grow nearly so large, 

 six to eight pounds being the limit. Under conditions 

 and circumstances favorable to their growth they will in- 

 crease in weight, as before stated, about a pound a year; 

 but under adverse circumstances or unfavorable conditions 

 their growth is much slower ; therefore, no rule of general 

 application can be established from any single instance, or 

 as the result of any exclusively local test or experiment. 



The growth of black bass is aifected not only by the 

 supply of food and temperature of water, but also by the 

 extent of range. Bass in small ponds do not thrive so 

 well, nor grow so fast; the smaller the extent of their 

 range, the slower will be their growth, and, indeed, this is 

 true of any other fish; for it is well known that fish con- 

 fined in aquaria, in springs or wells, grow so very slowly, 

 that their increase in size is hardly appreciable from year 

 to year, even though their supply of food be abundant. 



An equally well-attested fact is, that the largest bass 

 are found in the largest bodies of water, or where the 

 range is extensive; extreme depth of water seeming to be 

 more favorable to their growth than mere extent of sur- 

 face. For example, I know of several shallow lakes in 

 Wisconsin, where the bass seldom grow to exceed two 



