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the school breaks the parent bass drive the stragglers to the shore. Then 
the parent fish go away, and all parental affection ceases. 
Young bass appear to be hungry the greater part of the time, but they 
are often particular about their food. Once they get the habit of eating 
artificially prepared food they are likely to gorge themselves if they are 
given the opportunity. It is, therefore, wise to feed them a little and 
often. When they first leave the nest they should be fed very small 
quantities of thoroughly ground crayfish six or eight times a day. Later 
they may be fed twice a day with this same food and such minute aquatic 
life as may be captured with a net. 
Old bass should be fed, except in winter, about three times a week on 
crayfish and minnows. In well-arranged bass ponds there is a great deal 
of natural food to be found in the shallow water among the grasses and 
other aquatic plants. Anything from a bug or a frog to a snake suits Be 
appetite of a black bass. 
In the northern latitude the black bass seeks the deep water in cold 
weather, where it remains dormant until spring. Hence it is essential 
that mature bass find deep water in the ponds for their winter home. 
As between the large-mouthed and the small-mouthed bass the latter 
should be given preference where the ponds are supplied with running 
spring water. This variety does not grow quite so large as the large- 
mouthed bass, but it is regarded as the gamer and better table fish. It 
likes clear water, sandy or gravel bottoms and a good current. Though the 
large-mouthed bass will do well in such surroundings, it will also thrive in 
sluggish water and clay-bottom ponds. 
HATCHERIES AND FISH PONDS. 
If the State of Illinois is to occupy a respectable place among the 
fish-producing states of the country, it will be necessary to build hatch- 
eries and fish ponds where a sufficient number of fish fry may be bred 
with which to stock the fish waters of the State. 
The department has been able this year to distribute much fry from 
the Havana hatchery and the Spring Grove bass ponds. But the supply 
has not been nearly sufficient e meet our needs. From every section 
of the State there has been demands for fry from organized fish bodtes 
and from private citizens interested in the work of increasing our fish 
supply. Next year, when the fact that we are breeding fry for distribu- 
tion becomes better known, there will be an increased demand. 
We will have more fry to distribute next year, as it is the purpose 
of the commission to increase the output of the Havana hatchery for one 
thing, and for another our bass ponds at Spring Grove will be completed 
for next spring’s hatching, and the Spring Grove pike-perch hatchery, 
now under way, will be in operation. 
But the two hatcheries and the one set of bass ponds will not pro- 
duce enough fry to supply the waters of the State. 
The Havana hatchery will be used largely for hatching buffalo, and 
all the fry this hatchery can turn out will be insufficient to stock the 
waters of the State that need to be replenished with this fish. 
The Spring Grove pike-perch hatchery will furnish enough fry for 
the northern waters of the State where this splendid game and ‘edible fish 
thrives, but there will not be enough fry left to stitably stock other good 
pike- -perch waters of the State. 
The bass ponds at Spring Grove will be able to take good care of 
the bass waters in the northern part of the State, but there is much 
