The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-10
"There Is no Kodak
 but the Eastman Kodak"
 1898 KODAKS
 For sale by The Arthur H. Barnes Go. DrSr n''sHsit Store. 159 Church St.
STOCKING TROUT BROOKS.

Practice Said to Be Increasing in West
 ern Massachusetts-How They Can Be Fed-The Enemies They Have to Encounter.
 The practice of stocking trout brooks is said by local fishermen to be increas- ing in this section, says the Springfield Republican. One man is quoted as having put twenty y-five thousand into certain brook each year for several number, only they will be yearling trout, instead of the younger fish as in the previous years The epense of this practice is of course much increased if it has to be done each year, but there seems to be a likelihood that older fish would be more likely to live from year to year. The small fish are so quickly gobbled up by the big ones that twen- ty-fve thousand will disappear in short time, but after they are year old they acquire experience enough of their enemies so that they can dodge them pretty we'll by hiding under stones and elsewhere. Mountain brooks are particularly favorable for young trout to escape their enemies, as there are so many stones in the bed of | the streams under which they can hide. A difficulty that is encountered in | stocking trout streams is the scarcity of food, particularly in the mountain ] brooks. The meadow brooks are gene 1 rally overhung with grass, from which l flies, beetles, crickets and all kinds of l bugs fall into the water supplying am 1 pie food. But the mountain brooks run | generally through rocky beds, and the only source whence bugs can come is l from trees overhead It is urged by | fishermen that the fish commissioners could do a great thing for trout fish
 cry in this state if they would stock these mountain brooks with little fresh water shrimps. These are about three | quarters of an inch long, they easily find their living, multiply rapidly, and would afford an excellent food for the trout. The survival of young trout de- | bends a great deal on the mountain 1 rain that comes to keep the mountain | brooks filled up. If the brooks get low and become only a series of pools, the | trout are easily discovered and caught | by minks, snakes, frogs and their other enemies. If the streams are full they can take care of themselves. On this account, sportsmen say, fishing is usu-
 ally good this year, the rains having | kept the streams full.
 Fishermen say that people do not be- | gin to realize the importance which
 trout fisheries might have. If the fish T 1,rp+onta1 n1 or
 ted they would be much more abun- l dant, would become cheaper in the
 market, and instead of selling for fifty
 and sixty cents pound as now, they
 might be had for twenty-five cents, so
 as to be less of luxury. To accom- plish this the further extension of the closed season has been favored for a long time. The recklessness of some
 who fish solely to supply the market is
 deplored, and this type of fisherman is
 disliked by the man who goes out for
 sport The money-making trout fisher
 man keeps every fish he gets, no mat
 ter how small. He excuses it on the
 ground that the fish could not live.
 But experienced fishermen say it is as-
 tonishing how much trout can be in-
 jured and yet live. They say they have
 caught fish that from some previous
 tussle with the hook had lost all their
 under jaw, or had had the hook
 through their eyes. Many fishermen
 pull on the mouths of the trout as if
 they were going to pull up the bottom
 of the brook, but this is unnecessary.
 One man says all that is needful is to
 give little twist of the wrist to fasten
 the hook in the trout's mouth, after
 which the fish should be headed up-
 stream so that the water shall enter his
 mouth. By getting too much water he
 is drowned, soon stops jumping and
 twisting and is easily brought to shore