262 Flow to obtain it. 
trout are seldom travelled. Not that there is any very real 
difficulty with them when in the care of an expert; it may be 
resolved more into one of cost. I have never met with any serious 
casualty in conveying large fish, but the labour and constant 
attention necessary are often considerable. The care of so-called 
large trout continues to be very much the same as they get 
older, and I have often compared the work of the fish-farmer with 
the work of the sheep-farmer. The trout are now counted, herded, 
sorted, marked, spawned, dipped, etc., very much the same 
processes that sheep are put through, and each requires its own 
peculiar attention. 
Let us take a pond of three-year-old trout in hand in autumn. 
A net must first of all be run through it. Let it be a fine-meshed. 
one, say about thirty-two meshes per foot, counting from knot to 
knot. It is true a much coarser net will hold the fish, and will 
be lighter and easier to work, but the larger the mesh the greater 
is the danger of some of the fish getting their heads fast. Unless it 
is as I have described, when one mesh gets broken the hole is big 
enough for a trout to get his nose in, and he will not be to blame if 
he does not soon get his head forced through. When a fish gills 
himself the best course is to cut the net away and liberate him ; 
the net is easily mended, the fish is not, and he is sure to be 
injured if not speedily released. The size of the net used must 
of course depend upon the size of the ponds. Take care to have 
it deep enough. It should be at least twice the depth of the 
water. This causes it to bag more, and with some good weights 
on the bottom rope it will work very well. A couple of extra 
heavy weights are required for each end of this rope, that is for 
the bottom corners of the net, and when hauled through the pond 
it should be done slowly, so as to avoid lifting these weights off 
the bottom. When the place for lifting is reached, it should be 
done as quickly as possible. With a fine-meshed net which is at 
least twice the depth of the water, and in length sufficient to 
sweep the pond, two-thirds of the fish should be enclosed at the 
first haul, if the work be adroitly done. It is best worked by four 
persons, although it is often done by two. Any one can work the 
upper or cork line, and a couple of boys do very well. The 
bottom ropes should be managed by two men who understand 
