AGRICULTURE. 487 



stretched across a stream and left there until morning, when it would be 

 taken up, and most generally a lot of several kinds of fish would be found 

 entangled in it. 



The kinds of fish usually taken with the hook were perch, catfish, and 

 bass. Those taken with a seine were suckers, buffalo, and gaspergoo. The 

 gill net caught them all alike. 



Of perch there were several kinds, and they were found in all the streams. 

 The goggle-eye, yellow perch, black bass, wide-mouth, barred, short-ears, long- 

 ears, and red-eye are some of the species I have seen. 



There are two kinds of suckers and two kinds of buffalo. 



Of the catfish there are four kinds, channel cats, yellow cats, mud cats, and 

 shovel-billed cats. 



There are in the rivers a few eels, but they are rare. 



There are several kinds of gar fishes. They are seldom used for food ex- 

 cept when they are very small. 



We found excellent fishing for cats in the Colorado River, some of the fish 

 in that stream reaching the weight of eighty pounds. The best size for use 

 are those weighing from three to six pounds. 



The San Saba River and its tributaries are full of bass, catfish, perch, and 

 suckers. The Brady was the finest stream found on our trip for perch. We 

 also took there a great many channel cats and some striped bass. 



The Concho rivers are clear streams and have abundance of yellow cats, 

 perch, suckers, and bass. 



The Salt Fork of the Brazos River is not so good for fish, yet we found 

 some catfish there. The streams that run into the Salt Fork of the Brazos 

 River are generally clear and have a great many fish. The Clear Fork of the 

 Brazos is a good stream for fish. Pecan Bayou, from head to mouth, is a 

 good stream for perch, black bass, suckers, and catfish. 



We have always been enabled to supply ourselves with plenty of fish when 

 we had the time and the inclination to catch them. 



FISH CULTUEE. 



This industry has never received the attention in the northern part of the 

 State that its merits demand. It has always been thought that there was 

 not water enough in that part of the State to warrant the experiment. An- 

 other reason is the want of a market convenient. Another excuse pleaded 

 by the people for their neglect of the matter is a want of knowledge on the 

 subject of fish culture. 



It has been asserted on good authority that more pounds of good food 

 could be produced in a given time from one acre of a well stocked pond than 



