Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-04-04

na.o'ins or brook trout was carried year.
:" a most remarkable degree ana In a
'"'ufa' way. So great were the number Of
rou. natched In these little ponds that
'no o'ooks on which these mills were
CONSTRUCTED became noted far and near
ioi tue Heat number Of trout that were
'"Aoh IRON their waters The writer well
io'ns,"oers a certain day, when with hook
hno hhe' no caught from one Of these ponds
'hrV-one good-sized trout using the
common angleworms for bait. in ono
hou!' nnd scarcely moving from his
tracks on the bank Of the pond. Now
'nese ponds are ell gone. and also many
fmaIler dams. caused by a fallen tree
across the brook that made a fitting
nome FOR many trout. These obstacles
nave all been cleared away and the wa
'ers OF 'hese mountain streams are al
| lowed to rush swiftly down the hillsidcs
una iinn an entrance in some river and
u good spawning place Is forever gone
unless an association like the Fish and
Game League" of Vermont takes the mat :
ter in hand
The Legislature Of Vermont enacted a
law In the session of 1910 authorizing the
| Fish and Game League Of the State to
| close such brooks in the State that were
suitable for the propagation Of brook
trout upon the petition Of ten legal voters
| In any town In the State. setting forth
| that certain brooks therein were suitable
for the culture of brook trout. In order
to put such brooks in the best possible
| condition for the propagation OF brook
| trout II seems TO the writer that these
brooks should be fashioned as far as pos
tv,4r no nat
were In the early settlement Of the State.
| One way TO accomplish this would be to
| erect dams across the streams to check
he water that Is now rushing swiftly
down the hlsidcs of the State in chan
nels from which all kinds OF obstructions
have long since been removed These
dams should be constructed of stone
| laid in cement ard from, two feet TO four
| feet In height. with the ends of the dam
| inserted into the banks NJ the brook far
| enough to prevent the brook in me time
| of hieh water from finding a passage
around the end of the dam and thus
| causing the water in the dam to escape
rho center of all such dams should he
made little lower than the wings. for
| he water 70 pass from the dam. and thus
| make waterway for the trout 10 pass
| mp and down at their pleasure.
In the town OF Willamstown. Vermont
| there is what was only a few years ago.
| a noted trout brook, fed by springs some
! three miles away, situated among the
| hills and being one of the tributaries Of
what is known as STEPHENS branch,
| that runs northward through Williams
town village. This trout brook should
| have at least ten such dams upon 1t.
! Each dam would soon become the ahd-
| Ing place Of large schools OF trout that
would prepare their own spawning beds
from which thousands Of the specklCd
beauties would be Matched every year.
pr vide1 that fishing in this brook was
prohibited for n term of six years as es-
tablished by Legislature enactment. At
the close of the six years what a para
| disc Greater Vermont" would have be-
come to the lovers of the piscatorial art
who reside in other States of the union.
who with rod and line would flock into
the State and pay over their money with
free hand, which would much enhance
! the prosperity of the State
G. B. McARTY.
Willamstown. Vermont.
March so, 1912.