Aug. 2, 1888.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



4 



29 



NATURAL POOD FOR YOUNO FISH. 



BY M. E; o'flRlEN. 

 [Read before the American Fisheries Society j 



THE subject "natural food of fish" is one that has received 

 but meagre attention from the older naturalists; and 

 ,'onr knowledge regarding this most important factor in fish- 

 ' culture is but in its infancy, merely a passing glance having 

 bestowed on it by both naturalists and fisheulturists of the 

 present day. Undoubtedly much good work has been done 

 within the last five yea,rs toward investigating the food of 

 the various species of marine food fish, the result of examina- 

 tions made on fish caught by steam trawlers and line boats; 

 but in reference to fresh-water species, migratory and non- 

 jnigratory, as far as T am aware, little effort has been made 

 Tn this direction. 



The present system of aiding the growth and development 

 of fish by supplying them with various kinds of artificial 

 foods, such as liver, coagulated blood, vegetables, etc., may 

 produce results of a kind, but it is a system open to many 

 objections. 



First, it is unnatural. Second, it has a tendency to render 

 the water putrid, and consequently injurious to fish. Third, 

 r 'it favors the Introduction of disease. Fourth and last, but 

 Mlot least, it entails a great deal of expense. 

 - The reslllta of Slick artificial feeding are found not to cor- 

 ffespond to its cost, dud this fact deters many people from 

 engaging in the rearing of fish who would otherwise do so, 

 njA.il the results of artificial feeding are based more oi' less on 

 hypothesis, because in making experiments the natural 

 'food, both animal and vegetable, has in most cases nowhere 

 "been investigated or taken into account. Now, I am sure 

 no one will deny that it is better, if possible, to stick to the 

 natural food, and give the powerful productions of nature 

 i a chance of exercising their beneficial influence, < What 1 

 * wish to bring before your immediate notice is this: "That 

 at a comparatively small cost, conditions closely approxi- 

 mating those of nature cau be established, under which con- 

 ditions various forms of natural food will live, thrive and 

 multiply, so as to afford a continual increasing supply of 

 nutriment to the fish." 



For the past two years 1 have been making investigations 

 to find if possible some means by \vhich T fish, confined in 

 email ponds could be supplied with natural food. My first 

 step was to find out what the fish fed upon, and this led me 

 to examine the stomach contents of numerous fish during 

 the different seasons of the year. T confined my investiga- 

 tions to that most interesting class — the salinonida! (Salmo 

 fontinulis aud Salmo irideus). What may be termed a 

 post-mortem examination was performed— slitting the fish 

 along its ventral or belly aspect, thus exposing the alimen- 

 tary 'tract, I tied two ligatures, one around the gullet, the 

 other round the intestine near the pyloric, or lesser end of 

 the stomach. Removing the portion between the two liga 

 tltres, I opened the stomach aud extracted the contents, 

 placing them mi a white plate, These I examined both by 

 aid of the uakod eye and microscope, then deposited them 

 in a glass vial containing rectified spirits, and affixed a 

 Seal and label indicating the kind of food aud date of ex- 

 amination. Thus at the end of the season 1 had quite an 

 array of bottles containing different species of natural fish 

 food, 



The majority of the food belonged to the invertebrate 

 type, including Various species of Crustacea, insecta, worms, 

 leeches aud niollusca. Some of these the fish seemed to 

 prefer at a certain season of the year to the exclusion of 

 the others; thus I found the ordiuary univalve shellfish 

 (Limnma stagnalijs). a very frequent customer during the 

 summer months, a decided favorite with both the Salmo 

 foiitinal is a ad Salmo irideus. This shellfish exists in enor- 

 mous quantities in the lakes and quiet pools of rivers and 

 is greedly devoured by Che trout. They feed on aquatic 

 plants on whose stems they creep, and come occasionally 

 to the surface to respire. In their reproduction the 

 same Jiminaaa is capable of serving at the same time 

 as a male for a second, and as a female for a third 

 and by this connection of one individual with two 

 others a continuous chain of some length is not un frequently 

 produced. The number of eggs is prodigious, and they are 

 deposited on stones, stems of plants, etc., in elongated 

 masses enveloped in a glary substance, very much similar 

 in appearance to that which surrounds the ova of the frog. 

 In their adult condition they love to crawl about on a 

 gravelly bottom. Other genera, such as planorbis, cytilus 

 and ancyllus, used to turn up on various occasions. Those 

 niollusca are a valuable source of nutriment to fish, having 

 a double function, being composed of two parts, viz.: the 

 fleshy portion or animal, which is a delicacy in itself, and 

 its outer covering or shell, which, from its containing a 

 large portion of carbonate of lime, promotes the strength 

 and growth of the fish. 



Of Crustacea, the common fresh-water sand-hopper {Gam- 

 marus pulex) was invariably to be found. It abounds in 

 almost all springs, ponds aud rivulets, swimming near the 

 bottom on its side. It feeds principally on dead material, 

 and, like, the iimoasa, reproduces itself in enormous quanti- 

 ties. As a diet, it seems to cause a deeper color in the flesh 

 of the fish. Most of the larger trout like to feed on material 

 more in proportion to their size; thus, in the summer months, 

 the frog and tadpole are particularly sought after as a bill 

 of fare. Various species of insecta both in their larval and 

 adult conditions, worms and a small brownish black leech, 

 are also in my list of stomach contents. 



Now, as an adjunct to a fish pond, it seems to me that 

 some of the above types could be reared in such quantities 

 as to form a good and economical source of nutriment for 

 fish. These lower types undoubtedly require certain condi- 

 tions for their healthy existence, and what I propose is this: 

 Trenches, or basins, should be dug in close apposition Avith 

 the ponds, and, if necessary, communicating with them. 

 These basins to be supplied with spring water by means of a 

 pipe connected with the main spring. One should be de- 

 voted to shell culture,, another to insect culture, and a third 

 to Crustacea, and so on. 



These various foods could be transferred by means of a 

 fine net, or better still, by a running stream of water com- 

 municating with the fish pond, or means could be estab- 

 lished whereby these forms could creep from the basin into 

 the pond. By this method the fishculturist would know 

 exactly how much food the fish were getting, and he would 

 also be able to arrive at some estimate as to the compar- 

 ative nutritiousness of the various forms of natural food. 

 Suitable conditions could be produced whereby insects about 

 to deposit their eggs might be attracted, and soon the basins 

 would swarm with larvae, which form an excellent food, 

 especially for young fish. As in human economy the food 

 of the child requires to be different from that of the adult, 

 so in like manner does the food of the young fish require to 

 be different from that of the adult fish. 



One word more, and that is regarding the frog. Should it 

 be admitted into the arena of fiskculture? I think so. The 

 damage it does to small fry can be kept within limits. A 

 small pond could be constructed with an arrangement to 

 prevent its escape, and in this pond the cultivation of the 

 tadpole could be prosecuted, and for a time an abundant 

 supply of stronger rood would be afforded for the larger fish. 

 Should the above experiments be tried and meet with suc- 

 cess, they will establish the economic value of natural food 

 as opposed to the artificial system of feeding; increase the 

 number of fisheulturists, and, in addition, afford a means of 



studying the life history of these lower forms, in connection 

 with which are many points of great scientific interest requir- 

 ing elucidation. 

 South BF.Nn, Neb. 



Mr. Mather remarked that he agreed with Mr. O'Brien 

 that natural food was the best; but the trouble was to pro- 

 duce it in quantity sufficient for the daily food of a, hundred 

 thousand fry. He had a reservoir, about 300 by 30ft., which 

 supplied the hatchery, and here he usually planted about 

 6,00(» trout fry, which found sufficient food during the sum- 

 mer, and outgrew those which were fed on clams and mus- 

 sels, which, by the way, is the best food he ever used, and in 

 October he drew this reservoir down and took out from 1,500 

 to 8,000 fine young trout; but it was doubtful if the water 

 would grow many more. 



THE NEW YORK COMMISSION. 



COMMISSIONER SHKRMAN went to inspect the work 

 I done on the new hatchery at Mill Creek, Hamilton 

 county, and found the work progressing well, The hatch- 

 ery is on the old State road leading to dessup's River. The 

 part from Newton's Corners to the hatchery was so dilapi- 

 dated last year as to be actually dangerous to traverse with 

 a wagon. By concert between the highway commissioner 

 and the. hatchery force it has been put in good order and is 

 now safe for all kinds of wheeled vehicles. 



The building stands on solid granite rock on the small 

 island just below where an old mill once stood. The foun- 

 dation walls are laid in water lime cement out of this rock, 

 blasted from adjacent boulders. The dam which is to fur 

 nish the water supply is but a hundred feet distant, up the 

 creek, and the water'has a fall of fifteen feet to the hatch- 

 ery. It is built of timber, across a narrow gap in the rock 

 and but ten yards of masonry are needed to make, the whole 

 dam a solid work of rock. Water is conveyed, from the 

 dam through a six-inch wrought iron pipe, which delivers it 

 directly into the distributing troughs. The building is of 

 wood 45 by 35 in ground dimensions, with a hip roof, and is 

 three stories high, with a two story addition 86 by 16. The 

 first floor of the main building is for the hatchery troughs, of 

 which there are to be forty, each twelve feet long by 14 inches 

 wide and six high; the Whole to have, a capacity for two 

 millions of trout spawn. There are also to be glass hatch- 

 ing jars capable of eontaini ug five millions of spawn of white 

 or frost fish. The equipment of the hatchery is to be in all 

 respects equal to that Of the other State hatcheries. 



The. second story is to be fitted up for the superintendent 

 and accommodation for hoarding the employes. It is also 

 to contain a workshop, where the mechanical operations of 

 the hatchery are to be done. An elvator is to be placed in 

 the addition, by means of which fuel, provisions, etc, are 

 to lie hoisted to the second floor. The third floor is to be 

 devoted to storage purposes, but can be fitted up into lodg- 

 ings if needed. The building is first rough boarded and 

 covered, roof and all, with waterproof felt paper. On this 

 the shingles and clap-board siding are placed. Inside the 

 whole is to be ceiled or plastered in the best manner. The 

 hatching room is to be "heated by a portable furnace set up 

 on the same floor. 



All the work is to be complete by Oct. 1, and as soon as 

 the trout begin to spawn in the neighboring lakes and 

 streams a sufficient force is to be set at work spawn gather- 

 ing. It is estimated that 1,000,000 of brook trout spawn 

 may be gathered in this vicinity. An equal amount of 

 salmon trout spawn is to be procured from the great upper 

 lakes. Frost fish spawn in almost unlimited numbers may 

 be obtained in November from the large lakes in this and 

 the adjacent townships. 



r Mt Mmnth 



Dogs: Their Management and Treatment in Disease. By 

 Ashmont. Price $2. Kennel Record and Account Book. 

 Price S3. Training vs. Breaking. By S. T. Hammond. 

 Price $1. First Lessons In Dog Training, with Points of 

 all Breeds. Price 25 cents. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Aug. 22 to 24— Third Animal Show of the American Fox- 

 Terrier Club, at Saratoga Springs, N. Y. (Including all terriers.) 

 Entries close Aug, 22. H. P. Frothingham, Secretary, 2 Wall 

 street, New York. 



Aug. 27 to 31.— Toledo Dog Show, Toledo, O. H. E. Cook, Super- 

 intendent. 



Sept. 4 to 7.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Michigan Kennel 

 Club, Detroit, Mich. H. E. Cook, Superintendent. 



Sept.- 11 to 14.— First Dog Show of the Buffalo International Fair 

 Association, at Buffalo, N. Y. C. VV. Robinson, Secretary. 



Sept. 18 to 21,— First Annual Dog Show of the Syracuse Kennel 

 Club, at Syracuse, N. Y. Howard B. Kathbone, Secretary. 



Sept. 24 to 27.— Fifth Dog Show at London, Out. C.A.Stone 

 Superintendent. 



Sept. 25 to 28.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Bristol Park 

 Agricultural Society, Bristol, Conn. Entries close Sept. 22. C, 

 F. Barnes, Secretary. 



Oct. 9 to 12.— First Dog Show of the Virginia Field Sports Asso- 

 ciation, at Richmond, va. B. H. Grundy, Secretary, Room 26, 

 Shafer Building. Entries close Oct. 1. 



Oct. 23 to 26.— Second Annual Show of the St. Paul and Minne- 

 sota Kennel Club, at St. Paul, Minn. J. E. Stryker, Secretary, 

 Room 93 Globe Building. 



Nov. 6 to 10.— Dog Show of the Richmond County Poultry and 

 Pet Stock Association, in connection with Augusta National Ex- 

 position at Augusta, Ga. II. Madden, Superintendent. 



Feb. 12 to 15, 1889.— Fifth Dog Show of the New Jersey Kennel 

 Club, at Jersey City, N. J. Geo. L. Wilms, Secretary, 142 Monti- 

 cello avenue, Jersey City, N. J. 



Feb. 19 to 22, 1889.— Thirteenth Annual Show of the Westminster 

 Kennel Club, New York. James Mortimer, Superintendent. 



Feb. 26 to March 1, 1889.— Second Annual Show of the Renssalaer 

 Kennel Club, Troy, N. Y. Alba M. Ide. Secretary. 



March 5 to 8, 1889.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Albany 

 Kennel Club, at Albany, N. Y. Geo. B. Gallup, Secretary. 



March 12 to 15, 1889.— Second Annual Show of the Fort Schuyler 

 Kennel Club, Utica, N. Y. James W. Dunlop, President. 



March 19 to 22, 1888.— First Annual Dog Show of the Maryland 

 KemW Club, at Baltimore, Md. VV. S. Diffenderffer, Secretary, 



March 26 to 29, 1889 — Fust Annual Dog Show of the Massachu- 

 setts Kennel Club, at Lynn, Mass. D. A. Williams, Secretary. 



April 2 to 5, 1889 - First Annual Show of the Rochester Kennel 

 Club, at Rochester, N. Y, Harry Yates, Secretary, 



Aprils to 12, 1889.— First Annual Dog Show of the Mascoutah 

 Kennel Club, at Chicago, 111. John L. Lincoln, Jr., Secretary. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Sept. 11.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Manitoba Field 

 Trials Club. Derby entries close July 1. All-Aged entries Aug. 1. 

 Thos. Johnson, Secretary, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 



Nov. 1.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Indiana. Kennel 

 Club, at Bicknell, Ind. P. T. Madison, Secretary, Indianapolis, 

 Ind. 



Nov. 19.— Tenth Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field Trials 

 Club, at High Point, N. C. (Members' Stake, Nov. 15.) W. A. 

 Coster, Secretary, Saratoga Springs, N. Y. 



Dec. 3.— First Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field Trial 

 Club, at Amory, Miss. T. M. Brumby, Secretary, Chattanooga, 

 Tenn. 



Dec. 10— Second Annual Field Trials of the American Field 

 Trials Club, at West Point, Miss. C. W. Paris, Secretary, Cincin- 

 nati. O. 



Jan. 14, 1889.— Sixth Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Coast 

 Field Trial Club, at Bakersneld, Cal. N. P. Sheldon, Secretary, 

 320 Sansome 9treet, San Francisco, Cal. 



COURSING. 



Oct. 15.— Third Annual Meeting of the American Coursing Club 

 at. Great Bend, Kan. F. K. Doaii, Secretary, 1310 Olive street, St 

 Louis, Mo, 



C. R.-SPECIAL NOTICE. 

 HTHE AMEF N KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration 

 of pedig: etc. (with prize lists of all shows and trials), is 

 published e\ month. Entries close on the 1st. Should be in 

 early. Entr: iks sent on receipt of stamped and addressed 

 envelope. Rey Iteration fee (50 cents) must accompany each entry. 

 No entries inserted unless paid in advance. Yearly subscription 

 S1.50. Address "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 2832, New 

 York. Number of entries already printed 6435 . 



CHESAPEAKE BAY DOGS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



To the true sportsmen there is nothing more sad or dis- 

 couraging than to kill game and be unable to retrieve 

 it, whether it is deer, grouse, quail or ducks. There is 

 the sad thought that he has taken life and done no one 

 any good. But it is in water fowl shooting that the largest 

 per cent, of dead or crippled game is lost, the nature of the 

 grounds or waters they frequent are such that a large per 

 cent, of ducks knocked down are never retrieved. It is a 

 common question and reply, "Well, how many did you get?" 

 "Oh, I got about a dozen and downed twice as many more 

 that I could not get, we had no dog that was good for any- 

 thing and had to leave them." Who has not heard a con- 

 versation similar to the above and taken part in it as well? 

 I know I have many times and never when I have so lost a 

 duck or goose have I not wished I had missed it clean, no 

 matter how nice a shot it was. 



I tried setters for retrieving, but never saw but two that 

 were reliable at all times and alas! I owned neither of tbein. 

 Spaniels are too small and short legged for work in. deep 

 mud and water among wild rice and sedge. About eight ecu 

 months ago a friend and myself concluded we would try 

 the Chesapeake Bay dog, so I bought a female puppy of that 

 breed and my friend a dog of the famous Maxwell's Point 

 strain. Both have now grown to be splendid animals, the 

 female weighs about fifty-five pounds and the dog about 

 seventy-five; they are strong, well built and able to go any- 

 where. One day this spring my bitch retrieved a wing-tip- 

 ped goose that weighed twelve pounds from at least two 

 hundred yards from shore, goiug and returning through 

 slush and floating ice; and that too in deep water; and she 

 brought him in alive and without mutilating. 



Now, I am not much of a dog trainer, and did not know as 

 I should succeed any better than I had done with setters, 

 but I found that about all the training required was to 

 make them obey, for they take to retrieving and carry iug as 

 naturally as a setter does to pointing or as a duck does to 

 water. They are very easy controlled. I have never struck 

 mine a blow, more than a slight slap with the hand. They 

 are emphatically a one. man's dog, knowing and caring 

 nothing for any one but their master, very intelligent and 

 affectionate, but have lots of sand and are excellent watch 

 dogs. They are as crazy at the sight of a gun or an old 

 canvas hunting coat as the highest strung setter, and are 

 tireless. I fecMike shouting Eureka! I hunted but little in 

 the spring of 1888, but got quite a lot of ducks, and not one 

 duck that myself or son "downed" was lost, and not more 

 than half a dozen the fall before. Now there is some, sport 

 for me in duck shooting, for I know if a duck comes in range 

 and I hold the old Fox right I shall have that duck. No 

 more dead ducks to feed crows and other vermin, uo more 

 cripples to crawl off and die a lingering death. I feel more 

 like a sportsman and less like a savage. But why is it that 

 we see so few of and hear so little about this grandest of all 

 retrievers? It is but seldom we see them mentioned in the 

 reports of dog shows or in your advertising columns. 

 Wherever ducks are shot there should the Chesapeake Bay 

 dogs be found. Those who have never seen them work do 

 not know what a good duck dog is. E. A. Palmer. 



Blair, Neb. 



BEAGLES AS PETS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In the constitution, by-laws, etc., of the American Pet Dog 

 Club, just published, I 'find a list of dogs "recognized by the 

 American Pet Dog Club as house or pet dogs." In the said 

 list appear beagles and spaniels. 



If it suits the A. P. D. C. to merely regard, as far as they 

 are concerned, the said two breeds of sporting dogs as pet 

 dogs it can not be prevented, but the injury that will arise 

 will come from inducing some to pollute the dignity of the 

 breeds by using them merely as pets, instead of putting them 

 to their legitimate work in the field, and thereby decreasing 

 the hunting instinct in themselves and their progeny. 

 While the A. P. D. O, I think, no doubt mean well in what 

 they have done, I must, in my official capacity, condemn and 

 protest against the said club usurping the functions of the 

 American English Beagle Club as stated under their head- 

 ing "objects of the club," wherein they say, "In any and all 

 bench shows given by and under the auspices of this club, 

 the standard'of merit as laid down by Stouchrnge shall he 

 inflexibly enforced by the club, and observed by the judges 

 in making awards [italics mine]. No person shall be a judge 

 who shall not subscribe to, and agree to be governed by such 

 standard." 



As the American English Beagle Club is the recognized 

 authority here on the breed, its standard and judges being 

 used by the various shows, it will be seen at once that the 

 part taken by the A. P. D. C. can only work harm instead of 

 good, as its action certainly must be antagonized by the A. 

 E. B. C. Having read the "objects of the club," I am led to 

 believe the club had nothing in view but the welfare of the 

 breeds taken up and that their action regarding the beagle 

 was one of innocent over-zealousness. Were they to include 

 beagles in the list and in so doing indorse the rulings of the 

 A. E. B. C. the case would appear differently. The directly 

 opposing the workings of the A. E. B. C, as they have, as 

 shown in the quotations above is, I believe, the result of 

 ignorance of the breed in question they are pretending to as- 

 sume authority over. 



Therefore, with all due respect I ask the A. P. D. C, would 

 it not be better to include in your list of breeds merely such 

 as legitimately come within your province; certainly not to 

 include any breed of sporting dogs, and particularly so those 

 already protected by a proper specialty club? 



The A. E. B. C. would appreciate the mere recognition of 

 their breed and indorsement of their club and its rulings by 

 the A. P. D. C. were it not for the fact that even such re- 

 cognition by a pet dog club would even prove an injury to 

 the breed as shown above by encouraging the keeping of 

 beagles for pet dogs, and consequently dulling the hunting 

 instincts in themselves and their progeny and in other ways. 



I would respectfully request the secretary of the A. P. D. C, 

 to call the attention of the matter to his Club and advise me 

 as to what action, if any. is taken. 



Herman F.'Schellhass, President A. E. B. C. 



MANITOBA FIELD TRIALS.— At a meeting of the 

 Manitoba Field Trials Club, July 20, it was decided to run 

 the trials at Morris on the same grounds that were \ised last 

 year. Mr. M. B. Walls, of Chatham, Out,, has been selected 

 as judge. The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, upon 

 presentation of club certificate, will transport dogs free. 



DEATH OF BOB. — Glranby, Conn.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: A short time ago my other dogs killed my stud 

 beagle Bob (imported Ringwood— imported Music). Bob 

 was the finest hunter I ever saw, and although weighing 

 under lllbs. has several times run a fox about 3ti hours, and 

 he was the best rabbit dog I ever owned.— N. Elmore. 



