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The fish hatchery located at Spring Grove will be well able to take 
care of the lakes and streams north of Chicago. For the waters of the 
middle section of the State a new hatchery is needed. hatchery 
located in Grant Park, Chicago, could be made to supply fish for Lake 
Michigan, the Kankakee River and other nearby waters. A small- 
mouthed bass plant is particularly needed at such a convenient distribut- 
ing point as Chicago. The bass ponds at Spring Grove are used for 
hatching large-mouthed black bass. These are distinctly a lake fish. 
But for rivers and large creeks, it is necessary to breed small-mouthed 
black bass. With a hatchery, small-mouthed bass ponds and an aquarium 
all on one tract, Illinois would have one of the most complete and 
attractive fish exhibits in the country. 
With some degree of caution the department has initiated and 
maintained the policy of stocking an ate as well as public waters. There 
is of course the narrow view that public products should not be diverted 
to private interests. From this point of view it would only be proper 
to stock with fish bred by the State, such waters as are known as public 
waters. Under such a construction of its full duties, the commission 
would see thousands of acres of good fish waters going to waste. 
Taking the broader view of the matter the commission has felt that 
every acre of water in the State that could be made to yield a good food 
product, added just so much more to the food supply of the State. More- 
over, by getting a few people in the way of putting to good use the waste 
waters on their property, others would be encouraged to give to their 
unproductive waters a value which would go some way in affecting the 
high cost of living. 
Those private lakes that have been stocked with good fish will not 
need restocking as the natural increase will keep up the necessary supply. 
There are thousands of acres of good fish waters in the State under 
private ownership. ~The commission is sure that when put to practical 
use these waters will directly benefit a great many people, and incident- 
ally benefit all the people of the State. 
Bearing in mind your oft repeated desire to have this department 
do what it could to increase the food supply of the State, the commis- 
sion deemed it wise to ask the Legislature to make among ‘other amend- 
ments to the law, one regulating the killing of rabbits. Heretofore there 
has been no provision in the law prohibiting the killing of rabbits at any 
time. The Legislature having made the required amendement to our 
game and fish laws, the rabbits have had a better chance to multiply. 
From every section ‘of the State we are in receipt of reliable reports to 
the effect that a great increase of rabbits is noticeable. 
Rabbits are very prolific when they are not molested. In [llinois 
they thrive and are sufficiently numerous to be sold on the market at a 
reasonable price. They are in a word, good, cheap food and should 
have a reasonable degree of protection. 
The financial receipts of the department fell short of the amount 
anticipated owing to the prevalence of the foot and mouth disease in 
many parts of the State last fall. In the localities where the discase 
existed there was a general quarantine, that applied not only to the 
farms where the affected cattle were held, but to much of the nearby 
