174 Modern Fishculture in Fresh and Salt Water. 



some, but they were not fish that had been moved at 

 spawning time nor were a large proportion in any one 

 pond barren — just a few individuals here and there. 

 (See chapter on "Feeding Adult Trout.") 



When I sent out my circular to trout breeders to get 

 their ideas question No. 8 was : "In your experience do 

 you find that a female trout spawns every year ?" The 

 answers were varied. Here are some : 



"Usually I have found a few exceptional cases of 

 barren females." — Livingston Stone. 



"Yes, with very rare exceptions." — W. L. Gilbert. 



"Can't say."— W. F. Page. 



"I think they do until nine years old." — E. F. Boehm. 



"I do."— Monroe A. Green. 



"No, the brook trout especially." — E. M. Robinson. 



"Some certainly do, as we find in the Adirondacks. 

 Two large deformed brook trout come to the same bed 

 and spawn every year." — J. G. Roberts. 



"When healthy and sufficiently fed, not overfed nor 

 underfed, I think they do. Insufficient food will retard 

 the development of the eggs. I am certain that over- 

 feeding as the breeding season approaches also has d 

 bad effect."— R. O. Sweeny, Duluth, Minn. 



The evidence in the case shows that some trout may 

 be permanently barren, while others may skip a year 

 now and then or be biennial spawners, as some claim the 

 salrnon to be. It would be interesting to clip off the 

 little adipose dorsal fins from all barren trout and see if 

 they spawn the next year or if they are permanently 

 Ibarren, 



