Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-15
FiSh-RaiSinq.

FiSh-Raising.
Fish-culture is an industry steadily
growing in Importance. This subject
should be looked into by every one who
has running water upon his estate, or
who can build ponds at reasonable
| cost. 1t is true its votaries have been
| laughed at, as those who years ago advo-
| Gated tree-culture on the prairies were
laughed at; but time brings all things
| right Now the advocates of timber
planting are in good repute, and tish-cult-
ure also is beginning to receive something
of the attention its merits demand. DR..
Pratt, of Kane, and the Hon. D. A. Ham
mond, of Cook County, are earnestly and
industriously pursuing this industry to
| practical end and others are doing so
| in other parts of the country.
In many Western States and all over
the East regularly appointed Fish Com
missioners are stocking the streams with
Foolish, and many instances might be
cited where the most satisfactory results
have been attained. When time has
been given there is no doubt but the
same results will be reached in the West.
Some time ago it was asserted by one
who had given the subject much study
that an acre of water was capable of
producing as much food as an acre of
| land. From what we have seen we
| should not like to assert this to be incor-
| rect.
Certain it is that every individual who
| has running stream, an artesian well
or other source of water that will sup
| ply continuous stream, however small,
may, by excavating a pond-and this
may be done at light expense, if sys-
tematlcally worked-supply a good-sized
| family with fresh fish from pond of an
| acre in extent
Experiments have demonstrated that it
makes but little difference of what ma
terial the bottom of the pond is COM
! posed, except it be pond for Matching
| the eggs. In this case gravel is said to
| be bad, since if the fish spawn on gravel
the eggs will be lost 1t is better that
| the ponds be so arranged that the water
can be drawn off when necessary; but
| it seems immaterial what kind of water
mineral substances.
Even brook trout do well in hard and
| soft water, and mineral water is not in
| furious to these fish unless strongly i'm
| pregnated.
| AS testimony on this point we have the
| statement of Mr.. Seth Green, the we'll
| known authority on fish-culture, who
| says trout have been known to live and
| do we'll in stream One-siXth of whose
volume was supplied from strong sui
phur spring. For trout he also says
| that, while the purest water IS the best,
| the essentials are that the stream shall be
| reasonably pure, the volume Of water
nearly uniform, or SO arranged that the
supply taken from it is uniform, and that
the temperature be between thirty-six
| and sixty-five degrees. E"#
| All Western men know that the water
| of ponds never gets warm enough in
summer to injure ordinary varieties of
| fish. In arranging ponds it would be ex-
ceedingly easy to plant the borders so
| that nearly the entire margin might be
shaded, thus adding to it's GOODNESS. In
| any pond supplied by springs, trout may
be reared successfully, and in ponds sup
piled by the water of springs any of the
fish natural to the locality or latitude
may be bred. In natural waters rapa-
cious fish destroy many of our best food
fish. Artificial ponds may be stocked
with the. variety desired, just as our
farms are stocked with cattle, sheep and
swine. for fish are tanned and fed with
out difficulty.
In discussing this question of fish
culture we do not advocate the breeding
of trout in ponds supplied with the water
of our ordinary prairie streams. AL
though we have heard il asserted that it
could be done, we have never seen it,
nor do we believe it feasible. But we
do know, in localities where the water is
clear and can be kept comparatively
cool, trout may be bred successfully and
at little cost, provided the supply of
water, however small, is constant, and
whenever pond can be built having
continuous supply of water any of the
fish natural to our streams may be bred
and fattened at mere nominal cost.
But whether the culture of fish in arti-
fetal ponds becomes general industry
or not, the contain .ation of our natural
streams with filth of every kind, thereby
destroying our better fish, is matter
that should be looked into at once by the
authorities having jurisdiction AS an
instance of this kind, near Chicago, we
may mention habit of running the re-
fuse of the large distillery into the Calu
met River, near Dolton Station, not only
filing up to great degree a stream
naviga bic for vessels of large tonnage,
but, as has been stated by inhabitants
there, actually driving from the vicinity,
and, if SO, certainly preventing, the an
nual run of lake fish to toe upper coun-
try.-Chacago Tribune.
-Choked Cattle.-To remove potato
or other Instructions from the, throat of
a COW or other animals. Draw tba