COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION 
25 
According to the biological station at Fairport the annual net 
fish production is as follows: The average annual net fish flesh 
production of the Fairport farm pond, measuring 0.22 acre in 
surface area, has been for the four years from 1918 to 1921 in- 
clusive, 65 pounds, 6 ounces, or per acre 297 pounds 2 ounces. The 
maximum annual net fish flesh production has been 82 pounds, 
7 ounces, or per acre, 374 pounds, 11 ounces. The maximum an- 
nual production of fish of edible size has been estimated at 20 
per cent of the total net annual fish flesh production. The total 
annual production of fishes of the current year has varied from 
6.3 to 26 per cent of the total net production, while the bass 
were held in the pond. After these were removed and the blue- 
gills alone were held as the experimental fish, the per cent of 
the total net production of the pond based on this factor increased 
to 57.5 and 59.7 in the years 1920 and 1921, respectively. 
Forestry and the National Government 
We are opposed to the transfer of the forests and forest service 
from the U. S. Department of Agriculture to the Department of 
the Interior. The national forests have been wisely administered by 
the National Forest Service and should therefore remain in the 
U. S. Department of Agriculture. The forest is an agricultural 
crop which requires a long time to mature. Such problems as 
diseases caused by fungi and insects and the ecology all must be 
considered by trained experts and no other agency of the gov- 
ernment is so well able to take care of the problem as is the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture. A faithful steward should be re- 
warded. 
Wild Game Protection 
We commend the last session of the legislature for legislation 
in protecting the quail and we would ask that the bag limit on 
other game be materially reduced. We are pleased to note that 
the migratory bird law is respected much more than it formerly 
was. There are still violations but it is because of the inadequacy 
of the force at work to stop these violations. Wild ducks and 
geese should have larger areas in which to breed in the state of 
Iowa, and therefore ponds and sloughs should be preserved and 
owned by the state. We commend the last legislature in passing 
a law pertaining to the meandered streams and lakes of Iowa 
as a step in the right direction. We commend the quarantine reg- 
ulations of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, especially regu- 
