490 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept. 23, 1911. 
Song of the Fisherman. 
There’s a sound that rings in my ears to-day, 
And echoes in vague refrain; 
The ripple of water o’er smooth-washed clay 
Where the wall-eyed pike and black bass play, 
That makes me yearn in a quiet way 
For the old home haunts again. 
Back to the old home haunts again. 
Back where the clear lake lies; 
Back through the wood where the blackbirds brood, 
Back to my rod and flies. 
I wish I could paddle my boat to-day 
Through water-logged grass and reeds, 
Where the muskrat swims and the cattails sway 
And the air is cool and the mist is gray, 
And the ripples dance in the same old way 
Under the tangled weeds. 
Back on the old oak log again, 
Back by the crystal brook. 
Back to the bait and the silent wait. 
Back to my line and hook. 
I wish I could wade to the water’s edge, 
Where the falling leaves drift by, 
Just to see in the shadow of the ledge 
Where dark forms glide like a woodman’s wedge 
Through drifted piles of dark marsh sedge, 
And hear the bittern cry. 
Back where the tadpoles shift and shirk, 
Back where the bullfrogs sob. 
Back just to float in my leaky boat, 
Back to my dripping bob. 
Oh, it’s just like this on each rainy day; 
Always the same old pain 
That struggles and pulls in the same old way 
To take 'ne off for a little stay 
By the water’s edge, in the sticky clay, 
To fish in the falling rain. 
Back to my long, black rubber boots. 
Back to my old patched coat, 
Back to my rod and the breath of God, 
Home and my leaky boat. 
E. Burdett Widger. 
Fish Culture in Germany. 
Fish breeding in ponds is carried on in prac¬ 
tically all parts of the German Empire, espe¬ 
cially in Silesia, Brandenburg, Hanover, Schles¬ 
wig-Holstein, Westphalia, Lorraine, the Rhine 
Palatinate, Bavaria, Saxony, Baden and Wurt- 
temberg. 
Consul-General A. M. Thackara, of Berlin, 
says it is estimated that the total area of fish 
ponds in the Empire is approximately 75,000 
hectares (185,250 acres), which is about .14 per 
cent, of the total land area of Germany. 
The sizes of the ponds and the average 
amounts invested vary greatly, depending upon 
the general lay and adaptability of the land on 
the one hand, and upon whether or not fish 
ulture is carried on as a principal occupation 
or merely as a side line in connection with rural 
industries in which ponds are more or less 
necessary. The average area of the ponds 
ranges from 1.35 acres in Bavaria and 1.57 acres 
in Saxony, both of which Kingdoms are rather 
hilly and mountainous, to 12 acres in Silesia, 
where the land is comparatively level. 
There are two general systems of fish culture 
in Germany, one for the propagation of carp 
and the other for the production of trout. Carp 
require warm water and are generally raised in 
large, shallow ponds with little inflow. The 
pike perch, American trout, perch, tench and eel 
are raised under similar conditions as carp, 
either in ponds together with the carp or sepa¬ 
rately. 
The second general system of fish culture, the 
propagation of trout, is comparatively much less 
important in Germany. Among the 10,255 acres 
of ponds in Schleswig-Holstein only 294 acres 
were trout ponds, and in Westphalia there were 
fifty-seven acres of ponds for fattening trout 
and 391 acres for breeding stock trout. The 
proportion of trout fattening ponds in the other 
divisions of Germany is not known, but it is 
probably no larger than in the two mentioned. 
Unlike carp, brook and rainbow trout and simi¬ 
lar fish require colder water and cannot stand 
a temperature over 64 degrees F. They are, 
therefore, grown in small, shaded cold water 
ponds, having considerable in and out flow. 
Special spawning and stock ponds are generally 
not maintained. The artificial foods that are 
fed to trout are cooked shellfish, fish and slaugh¬ 
ter house refuse, meat of horses and other ani¬ 
mals, and fish meal and specially prepared fish 
foods. 
The gross and net income of fish culture varies 
on the one hand with the natural productiveness 
of the ponds, and whether or not this is sup¬ 
plemented by artificial feeding, ferti izing, etc., 
and, on the other hand, with the cost of stock¬ 
ing the ponds. The profits of fish culture are 
also increased if the growers can sell their prod¬ 
uct direct to the consumers. For this purpose 
fish growing associations are formed in all parts 
of Germany. Two recognized authorities esti¬ 
mate the average yield of 100 kilos (220.4 
pounds) per hectare, and the total annual pro¬ 
duction in Germany at 7,500 metric tons (1 
metric ton =2,204.6 pounds). The average yield 
of trout is only about one-third to two-fifths 
that of carp, but on the other hand the average 
price per kilo (2.2 pounds) is proportionately 
larger. The average wholesale prices paid at 
the Central Market of Berlin during 1910 were 
188 marks ($44.74) per 220.4 pounds for carp; 
247 marks ($58.79) for tench, and 112 marks 
($2666) for bream. It is estimated that on an 
average German fish producers receive 1.20 
marks (29 cents) per 2.2 pounds for carp and 
3 marks (71 cents) for trout. It is conceded 
that by feeding and intensive fish culture the 
yield may be at least doubled or even trebled, 
and individual cases have been reported where 
yields as high as 5,512 pounds of fish per hec¬ 
tare were obtained. Stock trout cost 10 to 30 
marks ($2.38 to $7.14) per too fish. 
The Newfoundland Season. 
St. Johns, N. F., Sept. 14 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: It looks as if Newfoundland has at 
last been really and truly “discovered’’ by the 
Americans. 
During the season just closing we have had 
probably thousands of “round-trippers” who 
came here in the Red Cross steamers, stayed a 
couple of days, enjoyed the bracing atmosphere, 
“did” the town and suburbs, and returned to 
New York. 
The tourist traffic from the United States has 
trebled during the last year or so, and it looks 
now as if the steamship people will have to put 
on more ships to accommodate the increased de¬ 
mands of passengers applying. Several times 
during the season it was absolutely impossible 
to get a berth of any kind in either the Stephano 
or Florizel, as they were filled to overflowing, 
even the officers’ berths being commandeered. 
Those ships are fitted up very luxuriously and 
passengers speak in high terms of their accom¬ 
modation and the catering to the needs of the 
traveling public. Many of those round-trippers 
took out trout licenses and did some angling near 
the city. But the anglers, as a rule, came via 
Sydney, crossing the straits in the Invermore. 
There were more visitors via this route the past 
season than ever before. 
About 254 anglers came for the salmon fishing. 
Some came from Britain, but probably 90 per cent, 
were Americans. The reports go to show that 
the salmon were very plentiful in all the rivers; 
in fact, more so than last year, which was con¬ 
sidered the best yet, as the results of the extra 
care in wardening the rivers were apparent in 
the increase of fish, both in number and size. 
While the record in weight of last season (41^2 
pounds) was not reached this year, still some 
fine fish were reported, several going over 30 
pounds. The very dry season was a drawback 
to the best fishing. 
While most of the American anglers visited 
the streams on the western coast, and in some 
cases, almost at times, over-crowded them, there 
were other rivers equally as good that had not 
a single visitor during the season. 
We had over eighty rivers wardened, but not 
half of them were fished. Of course these are 
saving up and improving for some lucky anglers 
in the future. I think I am safe in saying that 
we could easily accommodate twenty times as 
many anglers as we have had this season and 
give them all good fishing. 
Among our visitors this year we have had sev¬ 
eral prominent Americans, including congress¬ 
men, judges and leading business men. They 
all appeared to have enjoyed the trip and were 
loud in praise of the climate and scenery. 
The need of hotel accommodation was greatly 
felt by visitors, but it is hoped that next year 
there will be a modern hotel capable of caring 
for over one hundred guests; in fact, the plans 
are completed, and the work is soon to start on 
the foundations laid some years ago in the east¬ 
ern end of the town. W. J. Carroll. 
Asbury Park Fishing Club. 
The long delayed report of the surf-casting 
tournament, held by this club last month at 
Asbury Park, N. J., follows: 
Event 1, 3-ounce weights, five casts, average, feet: 
Charles O. Perry, Jr 197y s A. Flavell . 175% 
D. A. McIntyre- 181% J. E. Newman. 169% 
Events 2, 4-ounce weights: 
Frank P. Tohnson... 217% C. O. Perry, Tr.194% 
W. W. Scheffler. 213% E. E. Spencer.193% 
Event 3, three casts for accuracy at 140 feet, best cast 
to count: 
Inches Inches 
Nelson Schoen . 17 G. W. Fenimore_ 38 
L. E. Marshall. 27 W. W. Flavell. 38 
Event 5, four casts with 3 or 4-ounce bait: 
T. E. Newman. 226% Nelson Schoen . 204% 
C. O. Perry, Jr. 217% H. G. Cole.199% 
Event 6, longest cast in five, 3 or 4-ounce weight: 
Ft. In. Ft. In. 
C. M. Day. 287 2 T. Clavton .275 
R. H. Carson. 279 10 E. E. Spencer. 262 4 
A large number of prizes were given for vari¬ 
ous averages, as well as to the winners of the 
events. 
