106 



THE GAME BREEDER 



FISH RAISING FOR THE AVERAGE FARMER. 



Since the time when primitive man 

 first discovered the edible quality of fish, 

 angling has been a favorite diversion. It 

 has been a pastime in which men of 

 wealth and those compelled to toil for a 

 living have found equal pleasure and is 

 pronounced by enthusiastic disciples of 

 Isaak Walton to be the king of sports. 



So fascinating, indeed, has this pas- 

 time been that men of wealth the world 

 over have spent large sums of money in 

 purchasing and stocking inland lakes and 

 anglers of more modest means are ap- 

 parently willing to undergo all sorts of 

 inconveniences in order to spend a day 

 with the line and rod. 



Both the State and the Federal Gov- 

 ernments have been expending consider- 

 able money in stocking inland lakes and 

 rivers in order that angling may not be- 

 come a pastime that may be indulged in 

 by the rich only, and the Department of 

 Commerce in a recent publication has 

 added to tjie piscatorial literature a 

 pamphlet setting forth explicit directions 

 whereby almost every farmer may propa- 

 gate fish at little expense. 



According to the pamphlet prepared by 

 Robert S. Johnson and M. F. Stapleton 

 of the Bureau of Fisheries, the propaga- 

 tion of fish on farms in artificially con- 

 structed ponds or in natural ponds of 

 limited area is perfectly feasible, and 

 with proper management such ponds will 

 afford "a convenient and economical food 

 supply that will justify the expense of 

 their construction of preparation and 

 maintenance. 



In calling attention to the possibility 

 for farmers of the country to establish a 

 readily accessible supply of fresh fish 

 that may be drawn upon when desired 

 the bureau emphasizes the fact that the 

 natural and favorable water areas exist- 

 ing on countless farms may be utilized 

 for the purpose. Many of these water 

 areas are now unsightly wastes, such as 

 marshes and swamps that detract from 

 the value of the land and serve no useful 

 purpose. 



The authors assert that the presence 

 of springs, lakes, flowing wells or ad- 



jacent streams are all leading incentives 

 to a fishery project and suitable sites for 

 the construction of ponds, especially if at 

 present unremunerative, should make 

 their use to such a purpose desirable to 

 the thrifty husbandman after a full com- 

 prehension of their possibilities in a fish- 

 cultural way. 



Ponds intended for the cultivation of 

 fish may be conveniently located for the 

 watering of stock or the overflow there- 

 from may be utilized for the irrigation 

 of land. In many sections of the United 

 States artificial ponds on farms are art 

 absolute necessity to serve one or both 

 of these latter purposes, and by a merely 

 nominal expenditure such water areas 

 may be advantageously utilized for the 

 growing of fish without interfering in 

 any way with the original uses for which 

 they were intended. 



In a brood pond, says the bulletin, a 

 constant water level should be main- 

 tained at all times, especially during the 

 'breeding season. The required flow, 

 which will vary with the character of the 

 soil, must be sufficient to replace loss 

 by evaporation and seepage. An amount 

 just short of overflowing the pond is the 

 ideal to be attained, as it is desirable to 

 avoid a current. 



For a one acre pond, where the sides 

 and bottom are of clay or rich loam, a 

 flow of from 30 to 50 gallons a minute 

 should be sufficient to maintain a proper 

 water level at all times, while sandy or 

 gravel soil untreated may require double 

 that amount. 



Springs are the most dependable of all 

 sources of water supply requiring the 

 minimum expenditure in preparation, and 

 being the least subject to outside influ- 

 ence. The presence of injurious mineral 

 substances can usually be detected with- 

 out expert analysis, but even pure water 

 very frequently carries abnormal pro- 

 portions of oxygen or nitrogen gases in 

 quantities inimical to fish life. 



This abnormal condition of the water 

 may be corrected by holding it for a time 

 in a reservoir before letting it into the 

 pond in which the fish are placed, and 



