184 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
MANY TROUT DIE IN IRRIGATION 
DITCHES 
(From the Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Portland, Oregon.) 
Thorough tests of devices to prevent fish from entering irrigation 
ditches are to be made by Forest Service officers, who say that thou- 
sands of the trout placed in Western streams by the Government are 
killed through being carried into the ditches and washed out on 
the fields. There are not less than 1200 irrigation projects on or near 
the National Forests, and in many places the loss of trout is very 
heavy. The amount of water used in irrigation, it is said, often deter- 
mines the advisability of artificially stocking the streams, 
The Government annually plants large quantities of fish fry in 
the streams of the National Forests. Last year over 1,100,000.were 
planted in Colorado and Wyoming alone. This was done to render 
the forests more attractive to the public by affording good fishing. 
Where much of the water is used for irrigation, unless the ditches 
are screened, the trout enter and are washed out onto the fields. 
While fish are said to make good fertilizer, officials think that trout 
are too expensive to be used for that purpose. 
A number of devices for screening the ditches are in use, and 
while two or three have been found to be fairly effective, most of 
them are said to be unsatisfactory. It is asserted that this subject 
presents an excellent opportunity for inventors, since a successful 
screen will be sure to be widely used. Under present conditions, 
officials are slow to recommend that the trout be placed in streams 
where they are apt to be led off into the irrigation ditches. 
ANGLING ALONG THE STREAMS OF 
WALLOWA COUNTY 
By Deputy WarpEen Geo. W. MITCHELL. 
I will endeavor to give the readers of.the Oregon Sportsman a 
brief description of the angling streams of Wallowa County. 
Entering the Wallowa Valley, either by train or wagon road after 
leaving Union County, one first reaches the Wallowa River, which 
runs almost the entire length of the valley, with many tributaries 
emptying into it from both sides. Tracing our steps along this beauti- 
ful mountain stream, we reach first what is known as Bear Creek, 
flowing into the Wallowa from the south. This tributary breaks forth 
from the Blue or Wallowa range of mountains, carrying a flood of 
clear, cold water almost half the volume of the Wallowa itself. 
Advancing on up the Wallowa, the next stream of importance is the 
Lostine, or South Fork of the Wallowa. One can travel a distance of 
thirty miles along this stream, with many smaller tributaries rolling 
down from the mountains to the thirsty valley below. All these 
streams are notable trout streams and give the angler much delightful 
sport. 
Near the headwaters of the Lostine River we find numerous small 
mountain lakes, which have been stocked with trout of different spe- 
cies and which are furnishing great sport for the angler who happens 
