836 
THE TROPICAL 
AGftlCULl^URIST. 
[June 1, 190]. 
Fishing Club will apply to the Government i^gent 
of this Province for licenses to fish in the streams 
here, — Tours faithfully. 
E. Macluee, Hony, Secy., M. F. C. 
Ml- T Fare asked what the orij^inal agree- 
ment was. 
Mr Feaser said it was that KlOO should be 
paid to the Ceylon Fishing Club annually and 
that Maskeliya should get a certain proportion 
of the fry. Now they had their own Fishing 
Club, Maskeliya wants to fish in its own streams 
without payin£{ any license wiiatever. 
Mr Masefield said they could not get on, 
unless the.y purchased fry. 
Mr Frasice said the question was whether it 
was their own or Maskeliya water that they 
fished. 
Mr Fare said it was the Ceylon Fisiiing Club 
water and that they had only a rigiit to a certain 
proportion of the fiy. Tliey wanted now to tish 
for a license of K5 and pay nothing to the Club. 
A long discussion ensued as to Government 
claims on streams running througli private pro- 
perty, Mr. Farr stating that fishing from a balloon 
was permissible to licensees on a stream running 
through private property but not from the banks'^ 
The Government claim, it was mentioned, applied 
to all streams above 4,000 feet elevation , and all 
such streams, Mi-. Farr stated, were leased to the 
Ceylon Fishing Club. 
Mr. MASEii-iiiLD proposed, and Mr. T Faer 
seconded, a resolution that the flon. Secretary, 
do write to the Maskeliya Fishing Club to explain 
how the matter stands and that their status is the 
san.eas that of other members of the Fishing Club. 
Mr. Bagot.— That letter from Maskeliya was 
evidently written under a misapprehension. 
LIMIT OF FISH KILLED PEE SEASON. 
Mr. Feaser, at the Chairman'* request, then 
brought forward his motion "That the limit of 
fish killed by any one member during the current 
season do not exceed 50 in number." 
Me. Feasee said.—" You all know that some 
members have, felt aggrieved more or less because 
of their being disadvantageously placed in com- 
parison with other membeis of the Club and 
because they could not get a fair look-in in this 
Club. Members living in or near Nuwara Eliya 
kill d very larj^e number of fish in a year. Of course 
we have tried to limit tnem before and get extra 
subscriptions out of them, buc the thing fell 
through this year and we must keep up the sup- 
ply. I propose, therefoie, that some limit should be 
placed on the number of fish killed by each mem- 
ber and a fair limit would, I think, be 50. 
Me T Fare. --How would y^ir restrict them? 
Mr Feaser.— We must call for returns from 
each member. We must trust to the honour of 
members. There is no other way. 
Mr Bagot. — Has any one taken fifty fish iu 
one season ? 
Me Fraser.— Yes, Mr Farr got 78 last year. I 
am not aiming at him particularly, though. 
Mr Bagot — Was pleased to hear it had been 
done. 
Mr Masefield said he thought that fish caught 
in the lakes should be excluded. Trout was, of 
course, the onl.y fish meant in the resolution. 
[Mr Frasei- assented.] He thought that 50 would 
be a very good number for this season and that 
there sihould be a limit for every season fixed yearly. 
Mr T Faer opposed Mr Fraser's motion. He 
did not see how the membeis could be controlled. 
At the Horton Plains there was a register 
book and each man coming in could hardly fail 
to register his catch each day. There should, if 
the motion were carried, be a board of bailiffs 
appointed — two of them at least — and they should 
go up to each man and register his catch after 
a day's fishing, going to the houses of members 
if need be. Tney had a flagrant case of poach- 
ing to deal with that very day and, unless proper 
control of members were exercised in Nuwara 
Eliya as elsewhere, it was not fair to the whole 
Club. If one man could be dishonest, the whole 
rule fell to the yround. 
Mr Masefield agreed that watchers should 
note who was fishing each day and make a point 
of getting their register for the days fished. 
Mr Fare read a letter from Mr Cuff in which he 
suggested that a daily limit should be imposed. 
With this the meeting unanimously disagreed. 
Mr Cuff also wished the size of the fish cauL'ht 
to be increased to twelve inches. 
Mr Masefield said he had seen no watcher in 
Nuwara Eliya lately. 
The Chairman said he had been engaged in the 
trout-house. — The opinion was expressed that at 
least one other watcher should be employed, when 
this was the case. 
Places were suggested for sundry register-boxes 
to be kept, the idea being Mr Farr's. Mr Fraser 
mentioned scandal corner as the most suitable 
place for the Nuwara Eliya stream. Mr Masefield 
urged that the Managing Committee could ar- 
range these details. 
Mr Feasee's motion was then carried, the 
iNuvvara Eliya and Banack- Plain lakes being 
expressly excluded from this new rule limiting the 
number of fish caught for the current season to 50. 
A flagrant case of poaching. 
MrMASEFiELDsaid that the watcher's duty would 
inclu.iethe Wu.iching for fishing for trout witb 
worms. Such a case had been seen of late and he 
asked Mr. Johnson to give the facts. 
Mr. Johnson said that he had seen Mr. 
(a member, whose name was mentioned, but not 
to be published) fishing for trout about two or 
three weeks ago in the Barrack Plains, with 
worm bait, just where he was going to fish. 
He warned the offender it was against the rules, 
though he hadn't them with him ; but agreed 
not to report him, as Mr. professed ignorance 
of them. The float ran away as the.y were speak- 
ing and a big trout was landed with the worm- 
bait. Last Sunday he had seen Mr. fishing 
just below the big white bridge on the Govern- 
ment Road. His own podian pointed out the 
"gentleman who fished with worms" and he accosted 
Mr. again, saying he would report him this 
time. Mr of course asked him not to, and asked 
what would come of it. He said that would be 
for the meeting to decide. That was all the story 
he had to tell. 
Mr, Farr :— A very bad case. 
Mr. Masefield.— He must be asked for an ex- 
planation, and (if this is unsatisfactory) resig- 
nation of menibership. 
Mr. Bagot. — Yes, without further explanation. 
He has a whole salmon roe he uses, too ; and 
invites his friends down to join in his huge 
hauls. With salmon roe it is even worse than 
with worms. 
