1882 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
325 
The Black Bass, Northern and Southern. 
Those who are fond of fishing do not need 
to be told what excellent sport the Black 
Bass affords, or that it is a fish well worth the 
catching. Indeed it is regarded as a general 
rule, that the better the fish, the greater the 
sport in catching it; a saying, the truth of 
which is strikingly attested by the trout, 
that easily stands first with both fisherman 
and epicure. The Black Bass, though less of 
a game fish than the 
trout, is a strong 
biter, and takes the 
bait with a vigor that 
gives the greatest 
pleasure to the ang¬ 
ler. While this fish 
usually runs from 
one to two pounds in 
weight, it has been 
known to reach eight 
pounds; this is un¬ 
usual, and even a 
iour-pound bass is 
xare. On account of 
its excellent quality 
as food, the fact that 
it will live in small 
ponds, will breed freely, and protect itself 
from nearly all enemies, the Black Bass 
is a popular fish for stocking waters that 
are unfitted for trout, and much has been 
■done within the last twenty years in in¬ 
troducing it in waters formerly occupied by 
inferior kinds of fish. The young weigh 
from four to eight ounces when a year old, 
and after that increase a pound and a half 
■each year. We have spoken of the Black 
Bass, as if there were but one, and most 
sportsmen and dealers in fish do not recog¬ 
nize any difference between the fish of the 
northern and the southern localities. Natur¬ 
alists, however, make of these two or more 
distinct species. There has been, among 
naturalists, a great deal of confusion regard¬ 
ing the two species, and Dr. Henshall, in his 
work on the 
Black Bass, 
devotesmany 
pages to the 
matter. In 
restoring the 
early nomen¬ 
clature, he 
makes two 
species, the 
Small-mouth¬ 
ed Black Bass 
of the North¬ 
ern andWest- 
■ern lakes, (Mi¬ 
cropterus dol- 
mieu, figure 
1), and the 
Barge-mouthed Black Bass (Micropterus 
■salmoides), a more Southern species. When 
the two are compared, the southern species 
will be found to have a head much longer in 
proportion to the body ; besides this, the two 
differ in the number of spines in the dorsal 
and other fins. It inhabits streams, rather 
than lakes and ponds, and occurs from the 
Ohio, southward, down the Mississippi Basin. 
It is said to have been unknown in the rivers 
of the Atlantic States before it was brought 
there. A little over thirty years ago, a con¬ 
ductor on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 
caught a number of the southern species in 
Wheeling Creek, and, placing them in the 
water-tank of the locomotive tender, brought 
them east, and liberated them in the Poto¬ 
mac. There they multiplied rapidly, and the 
river and its tributaries, for a distance of 
some 180 miles, are abundantly stocked with 
them. Since then, the southern species has 
been introduced into more northern rivers, 
the Schuylkill and the Delaware among 
others. So far as furnishing sport, or as a 
food fish, there does not appear to be any 
difference between the Northern and the 
Southern Black Bass. The Black Bass are 
taken by the use of minnows and other live- 
bait, by trolling with spoon-bait and other ar¬ 
tificial contrivances, and also by artificial 
flies. Many a farmer’s boy has caught a good 
mess of this excellent fish by the use of 
grass-hoppers, or even earth worms, with¬ 
out resort to any of the arts of the angler. 
Breeding Geese. 
BY D. Z. EVANS, JR. 
With suitable facilities, breeding geese is 
profitable, and many a farmer’s wife has se¬ 
cured home comforts from thiB source. It is 
useless to breed geese with too little room ; 
they must have their liberty to do well, and 
be furnished with large grass runs, as they 
are great graziers. Their weakness for fruit, 
and their ability to trample down small fruits 
and vegetables, makes them undesirable 
where there are fruit and vegetable planta¬ 
tions. They must be kept away from young 
chicks, or they will soon destroy them, 
especially during the hatching season when 
they are unusually cross and combative. 
(Selection of Breeding Stock. 
Choose only those free from all defects, 
either individual, or hereditary. It is the 
rule with good breeders, to keep the same 
birds two or three years successively for 
breeding, as the progeny is usually stronger 
and healthier from such stock, than from 
younger ones. The ganders, however, rapidly 
depreciate with age, and also early pair off 
with single females. In these cases, a young 
and vigorous gander is substituted. It is best 
to make the selection for breeding in autumn, 
just before culling out for fattening, or sell¬ 
ing stock to others. No amount of persua¬ 
sion, or tempting high price, should induce 
the breeder to part 
with his best birds, 
for if he desires to 
steadily improve his 
flock, no matter 
whether it is of so- 
called common birds, 
or thorough-breds, 
he must take his 
pick first, of the very 
cream of the flock. 
Hatching and Rearing 
If geese are set 
early, two broods 
can be obtained from 
each bird,thus secur¬ 
ing large flocks for 
each season’s sales. 
The later hatched birds, generally having 
favorable weather, will make good weights by 
late fall,especially if given extra care and food. 
These late birds make excellent eating about 
Christmas time. The goose usually makes 
her own nest, though it is well to help her a 
little. She is a careful and constant mother, 
but her love for the water must be restrained 
until the goslings are a few weeks old, for 
many dangers, in the form of rats, snakes, 
turtles, etc., lurk at the water’s edge. 
Feeding and Fattening. 
Goslings do not require much extra feed, 
if they can get all the fresh and tender grass 
they want, and unless this can be supplied, 
breeding geese is not profitable. For the 
first few weeks some food must be given; 
this should never be corn-meal, for nine- 
tenths of the 
mortality 
among fledg¬ 
lings, of the 
various kinds 
of domestic 
fowls, can 
readily be 
traced to 
feeding corn- 
meal. Cot¬ 
tage cheese, 
in which red 
pepper (Cay¬ 
enne,) has 
been sprink¬ 
led, is a very 
good food, 
and a quantity of fresh onion tops, chopped 
up fine, is relished by them. Stale bread 
soaked in fresh milk, makes an excellent 
food for all young birds, and the way they de¬ 
velop when fed liberally with it, will astonish 
any one who has not before tried it with his 
fowls. The greater part of the management 
of geese, consists in keeping them (the 
goslings) free from dampness while they are 
still “ downy,” guarding them from the at¬ 
tacks of rats, cats, weasels, and other of 
their enemies, in housing them well at night, 
and in giving them a fresh grass run as often 
as possible. When they become fully feath- 
Fig. 1.— small-mouthed black bass (Micropterus dolmieu). 
Fig. 2.— large-mouthed black bass ( 31icropterus salmoides). 
