260 Wiscomiii State agricultumal society. 
conferred upon counties to regulate the taking of fish, makes it 
difficult to know what the law is. Our action being a mere codifi¬ 
cation of existing laws, should have received the sanction of the 
legislature. We did, however, provide the bill for repealing the 
law authorizing boards of supervisors of counties to make rules on 
the subject. We hope this winter to secure a better understanding 
on this matter, in order that laws intended for the protection of 
fish may be more generally understood, and more efficiently en¬ 
forced. Additional legislation may be needed. 
We have not designed, in this report, to enter into a discussion 
as to the feasibility of fish-culture, regarding that question as com¬ 
pletely settled in the affirmative. The operations in Europe, Can¬ 
ada, and the United States, have been attended with complete suc¬ 
cess. The number of public and private establishments is large. 
In our own state many private parties have opened ponds, and the 
number is increasing rapidly. It is our purpose to aid, so far as we 
can, all these enterprises — being careful not to use the funds of the 
state for mere individual benefit. As the general government do¬ 
nates spawn largely to the states, so we, in turn, so soon as our 
facilities are perfected, shall be glad to extend aid to private enter¬ 
prises in furnishing spawn of fishes at prime cost. 
