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WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
not probably be economical to propagate it to any great extent 
under ordinary circumstances. 
The White Bass , Centrarchus aenew , is a species rather rare even 
in the larger bodies of water, but ought to be introduced into 
every small lake in the state, where I am certain they would flour¬ 
ish. An excellent fish, possessing all the good qualities and as 
few of the bad as any that belong to the family. 
There is another branch of this family, the Sunfish, Pomotis ) 
which number at least six species found in Wisconsin. They are 
beautiful fish, and afford abundant sport for the boys, none of them, 
however, are worth domesticating (unless it be in the aquarium ), 
as there are so many better. 
The Carp Family — Cyprenidae —are soft finned fish without 
maxilary teeth. They include by far the greater number of fresh 
water fishes. Some species are not more than one inch, while 
others are nearly two feet in length. Our chubs, Silversides and 
Suckers, are the principal members of this happy family. .Dace 
are good pan-fish, yet their small size is objectionable ; these are 
the children’s game fish. 
How many of our old hearts respond to these lines of Dr. 
Holmes: 
Oh wliat are the joys we perish to win, 
To the first little shiner we caught with a pin. 
The Cyprenidae all spawn in the spring, and might be propa¬ 
gated profitably as food for the larger and more valuable fish. 
There are six or seven species of suckers found in our lakes and 
rivers. The red horse, found everywhere, and the buffaloe, in¬ 
habiting the Mississippi, are the best of the genus catortomers. 
Suckers are bony, and apt to taste suspiciously of mud ; they are 
only to be tolerated in the absence of better. The European 
carp, cyprenius carpo , have been successfully introduced into the 
Hudson river. I have no doubt that it would thrive and be much 
at home in our small lakes, as the transatlantic members of the 
11 genus homo ” flourish on our broad prairies. 
The Trout Family—Salmnidce —soft finned fish with an extra 
dorsal fin without rays—adapose. They inhabit northern coun- 
