How to obtain it. 235 
higher place. They should gradually do this, the best fish coming 
out of the shoal each day and pushing up to the head of the pond. 
When this is happening it is an encouraging sign, and as the shoal 
is decreased in size the one at the upper end of the pond should 
correspondingly increase. At last there will only be a few weakly 
fish left near the outlet screen, and when it is seen that the fish 
have well sorted themselves, it is a good plan to take these fish out 
and put them into a pond by themselves, or into a small stream. 
They will have a better chance, and some of them will make good 
fish, but they will not do well if left in the nursery pond, unless 
they get a good deal of extra attention. 
Whilst the fish are being coaxed up from the lower end of 
the pond great care and much watchfulness are required, lest 
those occupying the head waters should begin dropping down to 
the lower end. Sometimes this will happen in spite of all the 
attention that can be given them ; indeed, if there be many fry to 
look after, the entire time of one man will be required for awhile, 
and it will take all the skill and energy he can bring into play to 
bring the little fish safely through the difficulties that beset them 
at this period of their existence. From morning till night his 
attention must be given to the ponds. Another man prepares the 
food and brings it to him in jars, and the contents of these jars 
are placed in the feeding boxes ready for use. These feeding 
boxes consist merely of perforated zinc boxes or cages, fitted with 
handles about a yard long. The box containing the food is 
dipped into the water, which immediately enters it by means of 
the perforations. On being lifted the water runs out again, 
carrying with it such portions of the food as will pass through the 
perforated zinc. When done, the coarser particles may be put 
through the chopper again, or they may be fed to the yearling fish, 
as may be most convenient. 
The most successful plan for turning out young fry, and one 
which I have adopted for some years, is by means of floating 
boxes, and its success has been far beyond that of the old system. 
Seeing how frightened the little fish were on being transferred to 
the ponds, and how difficult it was to coax them up again and get 
them into good order, I tried the plan of floating a hatching box 
in the pond, and turning them into that instead of into the pond 
