W*  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
995 
Nature  Notes 
Tree  Toad  or  Tree  Frog 
Are  a  tree  toad  and  a  tree  frog  the 
same  thing?  If  not,  what  is  the  differ¬ 
ence?  I  think  that  there  is  a  difference, 
but  many  people  think  there  is  not. 
Lacona,  N.  Y  .  H.  s. 
The  question  of  tree  toad  or  tree  frog 
is  a  matter  of  definitions.  If  the  only 
anipials  entitled  to  the  name  toad  are 
members  of  the  group  called  by  scientists 
the  genus  Bufo,  then  the  tree  toad  is  a 
frog.  If  the  name  frog  is  restricted  to 
members  of  the  genus  liana,  then  the 
tree  frog  is  a  toad.  The  name  tree  frog 
or  tree  toad  is  given  these  creatures  be¬ 
cause  they  have  more  or  less  resemblance 
to  animals  with  a  better  right  to  those 
names.  The  frogs  belong  to  the  group 
which  scientists  call  Ranidse,  the  toads 
to  the  group  Bufonidse,  and  the  tree 
toads  to  a  group  of  equal  rank,  the 
Ilylidse.  Strictly  they  are  neither  frogs 
nor  toads. 
One  of  the  important  points  which  sep¬ 
arates  the  tree  toads  from  other  groups 
is  the  possession  of  sticky  pads  on  the 
toes,  which  make  it  possible  for  them  to 
climb  around  in  the  trees,  and  even  hang 
on  the  lower  side  of  the  leaves  without 
danger  of  falling.  There  are  two  main 
groups  of  the  tree  toads;  one  in  which 
the  foe  pads  are  large  and  well  developed. 
These  live  in  the  trees,  and  are  well 
known  in  most  parts  of  the  Northeastern 
United  States.  In  the  other  group  the 
toe  pads  are  small,  and  these  animals 
live  mostly  in  the  grass  of  our  swamps. 
The  “Spring  peepers’  are  examples  of 
this  class.  They  are  little  fellows,  with 
bodies  hardly  an  inch  long.  They  are  so 
small  and  know  so  well  how  to  hide  that 
it  is  very  hard  to  find  them.  There  are 
often  many  salamanders  (which  are  often 
called  “lizards”)  in  the  swamps,  and 
they  are  easier  to  find  than  the  little 
peepers.  The  result  is  that  many  coun¬ 
try  people  say,  when  they  hear  the  chorus 
in  the  Spring.  “The  lizards  are  calling 
tonight.” 
In  the  region  about  Lacona  there  are 
at  least  two  species  of  tree  toads  or  tree 
frogs;  one  that  lives  in  the  trees  and  one 
that  lives  in  the  swamps,  and  one  is  as 
right  in  calling  them  frogs  as  toads,  but 
not  exactly  right  in  either. 
ALFRED  C.  WEED. 
A  Small  Fish  Pond 
I  have  recently  purchased  a  farm,  and 
on  it  I  find  a  reservoir,  10  ft.  6  in.  by  0 
ft.  6  in.  by  5  ft.  6  in.,  built  of  brick  and 
lined  with  cement.  It  was  formerly  used 
for  irrigating  purposes,  but  I  would  like 
your  opinion  as  to  the  possibility  of 
using  it  for  raising  fish.  It  is  fed  by  a 
good  spring.  How  many  fish  could  it 
safely  carry,  and  where  could  I  get  the 
fish  ?  M.  H.  S. 
Bridgeport,  Ohio. 
A  cistern  of  the  size  indicated  could  be 
used  for  raising  fish,  but  it  would  not 
keep  very  many.  If  it  were  well  stocked 
with  water  plants  it  might  furnish 
enough  food  for  the  minnows  and  other 
'water  animals  needed  to  support  one 
large  bass  or  trout.  By  artificial  feeding 
it  might  support  25  or  30  game  fish  of 
fair  size.  It  is  too  deep  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  of  water  to  furnish  the  great¬ 
est  amount  of  natural  food.  A  pond  10 
ft.  wide,  19  ft.  long  and  having  an  aver¬ 
age  depth  of  2  ft.  would  hold  about  the 
same  amount  of  water,  but  would  sup¬ 
port  a  larger  fish  population.  Possibly 
the  “good”  spring  would  furnish  enough 
water  for  a  larger  pool. 
It  is  easy  to  feed  a  large  number  of 
fUh  in  a  small  enclosure  and  keep  them 
fairly  healthy,  but  they  are  not  usually 
so  good  for  eating  as  fish  kept  under 
more  natural  conditions.  The  problem  of 
providing  natural  food  for  crowded  fish 
has  not  yet  been  solved.  It  is  being 
studied  by  many  scientists,  and  the  re¬ 
sults  so  far  attained  promise  well. 
One  man  is  studying  the  possibility  of 
raising  bloodworms  on  the  milk  refuse  of 
creameries  and  cheese  factories.  He  has 
found  how  to  change  this  offensive  ma¬ 
terial  into  the  natural  food  of  brook 
trout,  but  has  not  found  how  best  to  feed 
it  to  the  trout. 
Another  man  has  spent  some  time 
studying  the  possibility  of  producing  fly 
maggots  for  feeding  fish,  without  the 
need  for  keeping  large  amounts  of  rot¬ 
ten  meat.  In  this  case,  too,  it  is  the 
question  of  getting  the  maggots  in  shape 
to  be  fed,  after  they  are  grown,  that  has 
not  been  solved. 
The  usual  feeds  for  fish  kept  in  small 
enclosures  are  ground  liver  or  ground 
meat  scrap,  or  one  or  both  of  these 
mixed  with  meal.  It  is  not  generally  be¬ 
lieved  that  fish  fed  in  this  way  have  the 
delicate  flavor  of  fish  which  can  get  their 
natural  food.  Perhaps  some  of  this  feel¬ 
ing  is  not  warranted  by  the  facts,  but  it 
is  sure  that  the  food  has  an  effect  on 
both  the  flavor  and  texture  of  the  meat 
in  many  cases. 
There  are  many  persons  in  all  parts 
of  the  Eastern  and  Central  States  who 
raise  fish  for  sale  to  those  who  wish  to 
stock  ponds.  Most  of  them  raise  trout, 
some  black  bass,  and  a  very  few  raise 
other  fish,  such  as  perch,  crappies,  blue- 
gills,  etc.  The  United  States  Bureau  of 
Fisheries  at  Washington  can  give  ad¬ 
dresses  of  firms  near  you  where  these 
fish  are  for  sale.  Alfred  c.  weed. 
Raising  Goldfish 
Several  of  us  have  become  interested 
in  raising  goldfish.  If  we  could  be  as¬ 
sured  that  it  is  not  too  difficult  a  propo¬ 
sition  for  a  suburbanite,  we  feel  that  it 
would  be  an  interesting  hobby  for  us. 
Will  you  give  the  depth  necessary  in  a 
circular  concrete  pool  4  ft.  in  diameter, 
also  depth  of  soil  and  quantity  of  fertil¬ 
izer?  Will  you  also  suggest  some  books 
on  the  subject  we  could  refer  to. 
North  White  Plains,  N.  Y.  M.  N.  G. 
The  raising  of  goldfish  is  too  large  a 
subject  to  be  discussed  fully  in  such  an 
article  as  this.  Methods  vary,  from  the 
keeping  of  a  few  pairs  of  one  of  the  com¬ 
moner  varieties  in  a  pond  and  seining  out 
the  young  ones  occasionally,  to  the  very 
complicated  methods  employed  in  the 
production  of  some  of  the  fancy  kinds. 
The  simplest  way  is  to  keep  the  fish  in  a 
pond  which  is  well  filled  with  water 
plants,  perhaps  fertilizing  it  in  the  man¬ 
ner  suggested  by  Prof.  Embody  on  page 
895.  A  modification  of  this  method 
would  be  to  use  very  fine  nets  to  catch 
the  crustaceans  so  that  they  may  be  fed 
to  the  young  fish  in  tanks  or  in  other 
ponds.  When  the  fish  are  more  than  an 
inch  long  they  can  be  fed  young  mos¬ 
quitoes  which  have  been  produced  in  bar¬ 
rels,  tubs  or  cement  pools.  A  small 
amount  of  skim-milk  or  other  creamy 
refuse  added  to  the  water  will  make  it 
more  attractive  to  the  mosquitoes.  (This 
suggestion  originated  with  Prof.  Em¬ 
body.) 
There  are  many  commercial  goldfish 
farms  in  this  country,  some  of  them  with 
many  acres  of  ponds.  Most  Of  them  raise 
the  commoner  varieties  which  can  be  pro¬ 
duced  very  cheaply  and  sold  in  large 
quantities  at  a  low  price.  A  few  estab¬ 
lishments  are  producing  fancy  stock,  and 
selling  it  at  a  larger  price.  Some  of  the 
very  best  of  the  fancy  varieties  are  so 
delicate  that  they  have  not  yet  been 
brought  to  this  country. 
A  concrete  pool  4  ft.  in  diameter  would 
not  care  for  many  fish,  unless  fairly  deep. 
If  the  fish  are  to  stay  in  the  pond  all  the 
time  it  should  have  a  “pocket.”  which  is 
4  or  5  ft.  deep,  where  they  can  rest  when 
it  is  too  warm,  or  in  freezing  weather. 
Most  of  the  pond  should  be  less  than  3  ft. 
deep,  so  that  water  plants  and  animals 
may  grow  there  to  produce  food  and  shel¬ 
ter  for  the  young  fish. 
For  books  on  the  subject  of  raising 
goldfish  write  to  Prof.  George  C.  Embody, 
Professor  of  Aquiculture,  Cornell  Uni¬ 
versity.  Ithaca.  N.  Y..  and  to  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Fisheries,  Washington, 
D.  C.  Anyone  engaged  in  raising  fish 
commercially  should  subscribe  to  one  or 
more  of  the  aquarium  magazines. 
ALFRED  C.  WEED. 
A  Highlander  from  Tobermory  asked 
at  the  Oban  railway  station  the  price  of 
a  ticket  to  Ivillin.  “Hoot  awa’,”  replied 
Donald  ;  “it’s  far  ower  dear  !  I’d  rather 
walk  !”  and  off  he  started.  He  had  not 
proceeded  far  when  the  train  came  tear¬ 
ing  along,  whistling  as  it  neared  a  sta¬ 
tion.  “Ye  needna  whistle  for  me!”  said 
Donald.  “I  made  ye  an  offer  aince.  and 
ye  wadna  tak’  it ;  sae  you  can  gang  on. 
I’m  no  cornin’.” — Canadian  Magazine. 
Grape= 
Nuts 
'iSJ 
Hade  of  Wheat  and  Barley 
«* 
Postum  Cereal  Company,  I"* 
Baltte  Creek.  Mich..  VS.A- 
i,  t», ubifj  rnlrw™ 
economy 
of  GRAPE-NUTS  (to 
«»1  It  sufficient  for  »• 
may  be  used  il  deslrtd. 
five  oz% 
Ohe  Meat 
of  the  Wheat 
STARCH  is  the  “meat”  of  the  wheat  berry.  It 
is  the  great  energy-producing  element  of  the 
grain.  But,  in  order  to  do  you  any  good,  it  must 
be  thoroughly  digested,  and  it  is  right  here  that 
such  a  food  as  Grape-Nuts  renders  special  service. 
Grape-Nuts,  made  from  wheat  and  malted  barley, 
supplies  the  meat  of  the  wheat  in  most  digestible  form. 
That  is  because  in  the  making  of  Grape-Nuts 
a  large  proportion  of  the  starch  is  converted  into 
dextrins  and  maltose — forms  into  which  all  starch 
elements  must  be  changed  before  they  can  be  as¬ 
similated  by  the  system. 
Grape-Nuts  not  only  digests  easily,  but  also 
aids  in  the  digestion  of  other  foods. 
Crisp,  delicious  Grape-Nuts  with  milk  or  cream 
is  a  complete  food.  It  supplies  the  life-essential 
vitamin-B;  also  iron,  phosphorus  and  other  im¬ 
portant  mineral  elements  for  nerve,  tooth,  bone 
and  other  body  structure. 
The  daily  use  of  Grape-Nuts  is  a  form  of  health 
insurance  which  has  demonstrated  its  value  for 
more  than  25  years. 
Grape=Nuts 
•*'  FOR  HEALTH 
“  there's  a  Reason  " 
Your  grocer  has  interesting  details  of  our  offer  of  over  $7500.00 
for  Grape-Nuts  Recipes.  Ask  him  about  it;  or  write  to  Recipe 
Dept.,  Postum  Cereal  Co.,  Inc.,  Battle  Creek,  Mich. 
Organized  Co-operation 
A  NEW  BOOK 
By  JOHN  J.  DILLON 
This  book  is  written  in  three 
parts. 
PART  ONE. — The  Develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Agricultural  Indus¬ 
try.  In  five  chapters. 
PART  TWO.  —  Fundamental 
Principles  and  Adaptable  Forms 
of  Co-operative  Organization.  In 
ten  chapters. 
PART  THREE. —  Application 
of  Co-operation  to  Efficient  and 
Economic  Distribution  of  Farm 
Products.  In  seven  chapters. 
This  is  a  new  treatment  of  the 
co-operative  subject.  Heretofore 
writers  of  books  have  contented 
themselves  with  accounts  of  co¬ 
operative  work  where  established. 
It  has  been  mostly  propaganda 
and  exhortation.  This  was  all 
good  in  its  time.  But  we  have 
grown  beyond  it.  Farmers  are 
now  committed  to  co-operation. 
Once  shy  of  it,  they  are  at  last  a 
unit  for  it.  What  they  want  now 
is  principles  and  definite  policies 
that  have  pr\  ved  successful.  This 
book  is  the  first  real  attempt  to 
supply  this  want.  Other,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  better,  books  will 
follow  on  this  line;  but  for  the 
present  there  is  no  other  book 
seriously  treating  the  subject  of 
organized  co-operation. 
Bound  in  Cloth  Price  $1.00 
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