% 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



uiv 12, 1680, 



college in Brunswick, Maine, my landlord, Capt. Dresser, 

 came to my room one morning with the thrilling an- 

 nouncement that an ' ' essence pedler " had taken pos- 

 session of his stable, and that ho would like rny assist- 

 ance in either routing him out or capturing him" dead or 

 alive. My chum and class mate, Dr. Henry A. Dean, 

 then of Foxboro', Mass., and I immediately repaired to 

 the stables, where wo discovered his mephitic highness 

 snugly ensconced in the old gentleman's woodpile. Being 

 of good size be was unable to entirely conceal himself 

 within, and his caudal appendage remained hanging out- 

 side, a most beautifully tempting opportunity for my ex- 

 periment. Informing my companions of what I" had 

 hoard or read, I boldly suspended the fellow by the tail, 

 after a hard struggle to extract hirn from his hole, dur- 

 ing which operation he made no sign of the deviltry 

 within him. When I first suspended him he happened 

 to be back to me, but with a quick squirm he succeeded 

 in putting himself face to face with me, when, whew : 

 heavens and earth, what a fog. I remember distinctly 

 that the atmosphere was rendered of a bluish cast by the 

 abundance of the fellow's essence. 1 remember also that 

 I dropped the scoundrel, and that he made good his es- 

 cape, leaving only his card with me, but not till he had 

 successfully mined a nice, brand-new suit of clothes. The 

 charge was, I think, quite evenly distributed from my 

 chin to my toes, the pattern being excellent and the 

 penetration amply sufficient for all purposes. Now should 

 any one have any idea of ever acting upon the informa- 

 tion so kindly volunteered by " Old Judge" I simply ad- 

 vise him to don a suit of cast-off clothing, or he will cer- 

 tainly have occasion to replenish his wardrobe. I should 

 give him Mark Twain's advice, " Don't." MEblCtJS, 



egislf §nltnr^ 



— ♦— 



ARE AQUATIC PLANTS DESIRABLE IN FISH 

 PONDS? 



Council Bluffs, Iowa, Jan. 1880. 



THERE is considerable question among piscicultur- 

 ists, as to whether aquatic plants are desirable in 

 fish ponds ; and this is certainly not a one-sided question. 

 It is contended, on the one hand, that they should not 

 be permitted, as they furnish a lodgment for dead fish 

 which thereby become concealed from observation and 

 remain in the water until putrefaction takes place, thus 

 fouling the water and subjecting the living fish to disease. 

 Also, that they afford a shelter and concealment for the 

 innumerable enemies of fish : and, again, that certain 

 portions of the plants are continually breaking off and 

 becoming decomposed, thereby fouling the water; that 

 fragments drift against the outlet screens, causing them 

 to become clogged. These are certainly potential argu- 

 ments, such as the writer is free to admit have deterred 

 him from making vise of aquatic plants. Yet lam fully 

 convinced after having given the matter full considera- 

 tion, both pro and con and by experience, that every ar- 

 tificial pond should be supplied with aquatic plants." 



It is a well known fact, that in feeding, no matter how 

 much care may be used, a large portion of the food from 

 time to time becomes wasted by reaching the bottom, 

 until in time there is such an accumulation as to render 

 the. ponds foul with the humic gas created by decompo- 

 sition, which necessitates the frequent cleauing of ponds. 

 This is known to all practical pisciculturists to tie the 

 most laborious and disagreeable work about an establish- 

 ment ; hence, anything that will lessen the necessity of 

 drawing off and cleauing ponds should be most eagerly 

 sought after. This, the writer claims, can be largely 

 done by the Use of aquatic plants. In this connection it 

 will be proper to consider how and why fish are injured 

 by foul ponds. In the respiration of fish as in that of 

 other animals, the membrane of the gill organ (the lungs) 

 absorbs the oxj'gen and gives out carbon. In the decom- 

 position of both vegetable and animal matter the forma- 

 tion and liberation of carbonic acid goes on with great 

 rapidity. The oxygen and carbonic acid gas becomes 

 mixed," whereby the oxygen becomes tainted (so to speak), 

 and the fish are unable to obtain sufficient oxygen for the 

 purpose of respiration. Now, it is a well known fact 

 that the respiration of plants is the opposite of that of 

 animals. That is to say, they take in carbonic acid and 

 give out oxygen. Hence, if we have our ponds well sup- 

 plied witli aquatic plants, they will absorb the carbon 

 respiraied by the fish and given out by decomposition, as 

 the same is taking place ; thus, in a great measure, pre- 

 venting the ponds from fouling. Almost any aquatic 

 plant is good for this purpose, but more especially tin 

 simpler forms of algce, such as conferva;. In eonnectioi 

 with aquatic plants, I would recommend having gaster- 

 opods (snails) especially the Uinncva and planot'bia (pond 

 snails). These will consume the vegetable matter con- 

 tinually given off by growing plants and the multitude 

 of spores (seeds), particularly of conferva:, which would 

 otherwise soon fill the water, I should also recommend 

 putting in the pond a few bottom-fee ling fish, such as the 

 twipenner (sturgeons). This would, iu a great measure, 

 prevent waste in feeding. By using aquatic, plants h; 

 the manner above directed the writer believes that pond; 

 would scarcely ever require cleaning, and that, perhaps, 

 by the occasional use of some harmless disinfectants 

 cleaning would never be necessary, As to this I cannot 

 now say, but I am about to make an experiment in this 

 direction, the result of which I will make public m due 

 course of time. . , 



In addition to the benefit of keeping the ponds pure, 

 aquatic plants are in a number of ways useful. They 

 help to supply the fish with food, more especially when 

 yfiung • afford them shade, and shelter them in case of 

 ailment against the rapacity of their comrades. Who 

 has not noticed when a fish in the pond is iu the least 

 ailing that almost innumerable other fish will nibble 

 away at him until the poor fellow expires, literally for 

 want of rest? In cases of this kind the aquatic plant is 

 a fine protection. . 



In conclusion, the writer will state he has two ponds 

 exactly alike, containing fish in the same quantity and of 

 the same age. The one is considerably sheltered from 

 the light and contains no aquatic plants j the other pond 

 is open to the light and filled with plants and snails 

 dimncca) In the latter the fish are .fully double the 

 size of those in the former. The fish are in perfect 

 health and the pond has not been cleaned since last 



Wm A M-vvctttb 



spring. 



Wm, A, Mynsteb, 



California Salmon for the Mississippi.— Jacleson- 

 port, Ark., Jan, SOth, —Editor Forest and Stream:— 

 Over a year ago the writer, through Forest an'd 

 Stream, called attention to the fact that on the White 

 River of Arkansas suitable waters for the spawning of 

 the California salmon could be found several hundred 

 miles nearer the gulf than on any other tributary of the 

 Mississippi. Of course no opinion was ventured as lo 



nether the waters of the Lower Mississippi could be 

 safely passed by this fish, whether the temperature of the 

 gulf was such as he could endure, or whether the food 

 iupply there would be found suitable and sufficient. 

 These" matters can only be settled by extended experi- 

 ment. A short time since I was gratified to see in some 

 of the Missouri papers an account of the planting of the 

 largerpart of 100,000 salmon in the waters of White River, 

 they having been considered by the Fish Commissioners 

 of the State more suitable than other waters of the State. 

 This is a move in the right direction, but is a vers' small 

 beginning. At least. 500, 000 young fish should be placed in 

 the stream each year for five successive years before the 

 experiment can be said to have been fairly tried. In view 

 of the difficulties in the way and the magnitude of the 

 enterprise this would not be too much. Success even at 

 that- rate would be cheap enough. Firmly believing as I 

 do that, it would not be impossible to stock Mississippi 

 waters with the California salmon, 1 am atudous to see a 

 systematic attempt made. Will Forest and Stke.vm 

 agitate the question? Salmon Roe. 



*, WlSOCfKSIN— Madisotlt Feb. 2d.— From an interview 

 with ['resident Dunning, of the Wisconsin Fish Commis- 

 sion, we learn that there will be ready for distribution in 

 the spring, at the Madison hatchery, about one million 

 brook trout fiy, and that parties desiring them should 

 immediately make application to anyone of the members 

 of the commission, or to the superintendent of the hatch- 

 ery, stating in the order the number of fry desired and 

 giving the name of the railroad station nearest to the 

 point of delivery. The superintendent will notify par- 

 ties before the day of shipment, and they are expected to 

 be prepared to receive the fry at the depot and transport. 

 them to their destination. The names and residences of 

 the commissioners are as follows: — Philo. Dunning, Presi 

 dent, Madison : J. V. Jones, Vice-President, Oshkosh: C 

 L. Valentine, Secretary, Janesville : H. W. Welsher, Su 

 perintendent, Madison ; Mark Douglass, Melrose ; John 

 F. Antisdale, Milwaukee : C. Hutchinson. Beetown. 



Rovur. 



Nebraska.— The fish utrm of Messrs. Romine & 

 Decker, on the Platte River, two miles from South Bend, 

 is thus described by a paper of that State:— Mr. Romine, 

 sometime ago, conceived the idea of hatching fish in tin 

 beautiful clear spring water, which fiows from the big) 

 bluffs on his farm to the Platte River. He therefore pro 

 cured some of the best spawn he could find, and. pivpar 

 ingat considerable cost a fine pond, placed them there 

 in. Their healthy progress, and Mr. Romiue's success 

 in cultivating the finny tribe, drew the attention of those 

 interested in this business, and in a short time, spawr 

 was sent to Mr. Romine to be nursed under bis care inu 

 fish. He then took in with him his present partner, Mr 

 Decker, a gentleman who had some knowledge of fisl 

 culture, and their joint efforts are as follows : They havt 

 now hatched 90 per cent of the 200,000 spawn receirei 

 from the U. S. Fish Commissioner. This spawn was re 

 eoivedin Oct., 1870, and they have in their hatching de- 

 partment now, 100,000 spawn. 50,000 of which are living 

 fish, swimming about, and are in good healthy condition 

 Thcv have in their lower pond 1,000 two year old trout, 

 Which weigh about one and a half pounds. They have 

 also in the second or middle pond about 10,00" year] 



trout, v h'ch weigh al out one pc 



eight months old. all injthe finest healthy i 



two beautiful springs oi clear 



the different sluices leading 



water at the main outlet I 



speaking with Messrs. Roiniiu 



them that their facilities are c 



they can accommodate and cull 



id. also 2a,0H0 about 



nth 



Tb 



,o IhO p< 



&Deck 

 npar; 

 rate 



nto 

 he body of 

 riches. ' In 

 learn fron 

 atively wasted, a: 

 vith care and suc- 

 cess ten times the amount or number they now hav 

 the natural facilities they have at their place are not 

 near utilized. A more beautiful place or a better oppor- 

 tunity was never presented for the culture of all kinds of 

 fish than that of Romine & Decker, and we trust that 

 our fish commissioners will do their best to have thost 

 line natural advantages for fish culture fully taken ad 

 vantage of. What is now wanted there is the spavi n of 

 the Cernian carp fish, and BUCh other fish as grow to a 

 large size. 



* Early Methods. — (Jniiieij, 111.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream :— I have been much amused at the discussions in 

 regard to inventions in fish culture and to see how many 

 persons claim mv inventions. 1 am a modest man, and 

 do not often care to see my nam., in the newspapers, but 

 as I regard Forest and STREAM in the Iightof a Scien- 

 tific record of fish culture, I am tempted to break silence, 

 For the benefit of future historians of fish culture I 

 will say that in 1880 1 took spawn by the dry method, 

 which is now credited as a Russian discovery. In 1835 I 

 used glass jars with wire beams coated with gas tart. 

 hatching the eggs of the California salmon, and the fol- 

 lowii 

 I do 



j year I used the cones for hatching the graylii 

 iot care particularly about pressing my claims lo 



nventlons and merely state them in the eau-e Dt 

 :tnd correct history, as" my work has over been for 

 od of the people, and I have never cared to make 

 eroly personal matter nor to cater for cheap noto- 



truth 

 the go 

 it a m 

 r'.ety 



In a former number of your purer you gave a descrip- 

 tion of my fish ponds under the head of "A Su 

 Fish Culturist." That is true, I have been a most suc- 

 cessful one, and I say it .modestly, 1 have been a source 

 of ideas to others in the business, which they have •••■' 

 always acknowledged: but I am pleased . 

 adopt them, I at one time owned 500 miles of nets 

 ' 'nt of fishermen on Lake Superio. 

 ben the Country was wild, and once 

 the woods alone" wolves and owls kept 

 terror, and I thought 1 should be de- 



employed s 

 the earlier day 

 while camping h; 

 me awake and it 

 voured every mo 

 If I had been t 

 other country would b 



p then some other man in some 

 ve had to do the fish batching. 



I have been making some experiments in crossing the 



catfish with the fresh-water muscle, a thing which the 



men who are called scientists say can't be done, but I 



ave done it. I am sorry that I have not got the young 



res to show you, but Ihey are m the Illinois River" some - 



here. SETS PEWUNS, 



Forest and Stream at the Berlin E 



United Slates Commission Fish and FisJu 



gton, D. C, Feb. 4th— Editor Forest and 



ot unlikely that the U. 8. Fish C 



si, 



hibilion at tl: 

 hat relates to the tis 

 and it has occurred tc 

 hil.it abound file, 



UUSST AND STUI'.AM 



unecled with the p: 

 America. The volui 

 afterward, though i 

 them to a prominent p 

 Your. 



Berlin Inte 



me iLat'pos's 

 complete fr. 

 as one of tl, 

 .-ogress of fish 

 ul.l be 



-:u\o:-..— 

 — Wash- 

 earn;— l\ 

 my make 



t 



uhl 



rlibw 



Hional Exhibition of 

 sot the United States, 



l.ly yon mi-Id like to 

 m the beginning, of 

 I journals indirectly 

 culture and fishing in 

 returned to America 

 .referable to present 

 ry in Europe. 

 Htexceu F. BAIP.d. 



Production and ConsOmftIOH of Fish.- -The follow- 

 ing figures were quoted by Congressman Morton, of New 

 York', in his speech advocating the appropriation of 

 $80,000 to enable the United States to be represented in 

 the International Fishery Exhibition in Berlin, next 

 April. The figures show the compa m t i re production and 

 consumption of fish by the leading nations of the w or) 1 1 :— 

 -liixu'i' Annual 



I'rnttuct. i 'ell in. ,. ■...■ 



No. way . i ' " i l,UtO,i(W 



France K,S07,0ffl i..:..:.,'. 1 -:, 



L'nite.l States s.'sv. n s fl 



Great Britain I,' US.sUU fl,42(i;O0u 



S«Cfi0,l CO 



The United States 

 worth. 



sported, in 1874, about $3,200,000 



— ♦ — 



rXSJl IN SEASON IN FEBIU'AKY 



SOUTHERN WATERS, 



Pompano, Tittchinotuscarolinwi. 

 Drum ttwo Bptioles). Family 



G roupor, JCinntjjhclinir: vltirltw. 

 Trout (blauli bassi. t ■ . ■. ■ - 



(teatrartu*. 



.-.' nOtuhisus. Striped ll.iss, oi- Kocklish, Rnr- 

 ■ iKciUaux. cu.illnminx. 



*iii-tfiix tmiba- Tuiluvtisl., iWfili-.miw naltatrix. 

 liltiek litis.-, Mirn.pti fits siUiiiui- 

 dot ; 

 Red Snapper, Lvljnmts VlttcKfiirdti, 



GAME AND FISH DIRECTORY. 



It\ sending reports fur the FOREST ASH s.kkam Directory of 

 Game an.l Fish Resorts, our correBpouQOUts are requested to give 

 the following particulars, with tueh othel Information iu< they 

 may deem of value: f=Uilc,'I\iwn. (.'oiinly : means Of access; Hotel 

 and other tu'enmmndtitions; Gaum and Its Season ; Fish audits 

 Season ; Boats, G-uldes, ete.; Name of person to address. 



sist in a moose 



slaughter, as 



Nature will bea 



t legislation i 



obtained a spe 



imen each of 



owls recently. 



The hotel at 



Lake has char 



ged hands, a 



repair, das well 



as the increas 



is now owned b 



y the Conn. K 



ul 



Tiie Conxf.cticct Lakhs..— .vciv/.-u' Lake, X. JI..Feb.— 

 -Winter very mild : no prospect of snow enough i" as 

 are inclined to \va s . 

 protection. I have 

 • haw It and acadian 

 ill- t of ( 'onnecticut 

 I be enlarged and 

 ig prospect demands, It 

 er I. umber Co. 



Eihv. Norton. 

 Yermost— Bemningipn, FSb.Mh.* tfhe trout fishing Sot 

 next spring bids fair to be good. At the present w mine, 

 all the streams are clear of ice. The brooks this winter 

 have kept pretty high, which is a good sign here. The 

 spawning beds last fall were covered with trout: I 

 counted torty on one bed, the smallest of which would 

 weigh half a pound. The .season hero opens the 1st of 

 May, but as a general thing the water is not low 3 ... •:. 



...;l ..K^...f +K^ i"*t, Tl,,,,-., ;~ ~.t., 



lishii 



la 

 trout, 



mil about the lath. The 



:■ ti 



1 tin 



ut he 



ilh bait, of 



i tin 



.oka and ponds, 



i w. 



ghl 



■ lell Mill! 

 Main 1 '.ranch, and the 

 terest in the fishing U 



MASHAflir-l-.li.s— .V 



ably mild weather up I 



Th. 



the' fishermen from this vioin 

 god ai.il tatltOg on the ledges < 

 Baj and off ot Westpott. Tw. 

 one thousand (1,000) 

 Brown's Ledge. Owing to the 



and want of ICO, the eel fishery has been pi..p.nli-.nate!v 

 light. Smelts ant! a few herrings have Dppeaw A. 



Goni HA 



I bave taken 

 .lit. and have 

 eve from the Ben- 

 the troul from the 

 lot seem to be enou«b in- 

 topp.-.l. (.;. I-. i). 



d. Feb, U/o-The remark- 

 l Of February has enabled 

 ity to take large lares of 

 t the mouth of Buzzard's 

 men in one daj In -■ wet .. 



pounds Of lie. Bfi fit h '11 



nii.l weather 



^Angling Pftrajssy— Chaiho 

 N. P.. t>eb. 601.— The annua 



for the election of officers a 



took place on Mtmdl 



was chosen President for the 



Secretary and Treasurer, O. 

 and V. . M. K. Furrows, Wei, 



The prizes olfe.v I tSl 

 (Russia leather), for the il 



.) \'illarje, Culinnbiit Co., 

 meeting of OW Utile club 



d the awarding of prizes 



:-, Feb. 8d : T, K. Furrows 



■nsiiiug year; C. D. Hieok, 



el, A. J. Fellows 



re three fly toohs 

 AsthasK taken within 



iius of seventy miles of the village. They w% 



■.led 10 A, .I. fellow. O. M, Whyland and C. D. 



Hicolc. The 

 acter. Th 

 men all pi 

 j p. ech-ma 

 Therefore, 

 (tbr« pou 

 took tb 



Bible eha 



i llC gelille- 



I 



l* proof, poi I : to their ieci r.l. 



WB, who CffUgbt Ha: Jar.".',-I basS 

 ii '.■ all:, n lo the d 



Mr. Whyland the second, which, of 

 third man of a choiee, though not 



eourse, dept'h I 

 of a book. 



The prizes put up tor me coming season i ; ■ 

 of a bamboo telescope rod donated to the club by cat 



-ident. and a waterproof braided silk line. 



It was estimated thai over 100 pounds tri trout had 



, ,.,, | !.,_,, by the club dining the last season out tf 



■ , - I I ! | I ■ . - ' . ..'..■ ' 



evening in the co ... oh i troi I ... pei beindulgetl 



in by the ... I their wives; the UWt to beiUr- 



,/!,,_- rluh from their own hooks and I 

 ready the most zealous members are polishing their 

 green-hearts, and inspecting their braided silks, snells. 

 and flies in anticipation of the event, Hi>.. j 



