The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-30

st. Paul, Mimi, April 27.-One nun
dred million wall eyed pike and 4,O00,-
900 brook trout will be distributed
throughout the lakes and streams of
Minnesota this year to provide amuse-
ment for sportsmen. The last of the
trout are just leaving the hatcheries
and crews of men are in the great
north woods gathering pike spawn to
be hurried to the Matching tanks. With
in sixty days the distribution will be
finished and a record established Of
396, 573, 700 small fish or fry, as is COM
monty called, liberated in free waters
within seven years. This record prob
ably is unequalled.
In addition to the pike and trout,
possibly 100000 bass will be planted
this fall, when the season for gather
ing arrives.
When the hot days come; when the
asphalt begins to soften, the streets
to bake and stream in wake of water
wagons and office men dream Of lakes
surrounded by pine trees and spruce
and tamarack, it is expected the rush
to the famous fishing haunts Of the
gopher state will begin. There are
10 1000 lakes in Minnesota, in some OF
which no white man has ever cast a
line. Practically all of them TEEN with
bass, pike, crappie, trout and muskel-
longe. In the northern part of the state
especially in districts where no lumb-
ering has been done, are virgin lakes
unequalled in all the world for game
fishing.
Planting approximately 4~OO,0OO,OO0
fish fry, propagating them and caring
for big bame, has cost Minnesota $685.
232.64 during the past ten years. IN
cluded in this sum, is the cost OF nine
tons Of beef liver, the dinner de luxe
of the wiggler just learning to swim.
AT the hatcheries, liver is ground to a
pulp and fed at the rate of zoo pounds
a week. A minnow takes to liver K
a kitten to milk.
Matching young fish from spawn and
mothering them till they are large
enough to forage for themselves, is
technical work. Trout spawn are OBJ
tanned from shallow waters where the
mother trout has gouged out a hole IN
the sand and gravel and deposited her
eggs. The hole is carefully covered
and the spawn left to be Matched by
tepid waters and warmth from the
earth. The female trout will deposi
from 1000 to 1900 eggs or spawn IN
a season. Gathered and taken to the
hatchery, they will hatch in sixty days
with water at a temperature of 48 de-
grees. Fol each degree the water IS
colder, i've days more is needed. Thir-
ty days after they begin to move about
beef liver is fed and the long tanks,
filled with running water. show signs
Of activity. When the trout get to be
an inch and one-half in length, they
are ready for transpIanting to open
waters, and are called fingerlings. In
two years they grow to be small sized
fish, large enough to eat, and In three
years, they become full grown.
The wall eyed pike-which
bass and are just as p~alatable-are
the cannfbals OF fishdorn. When the
pike fry get to be large enough to
move about with ease, civil wal be-
| gins and the rate of determination Is
measured only by the gluttonous APP
| petites of the combatants. When q
young pike becomes hungry, he turns
to his nearest companion and proceeds
to eat him, taking a bite out OF which
eyer part he first touches. Activity
Of men in charge of the Matching tanks
does not stop them, and the only way
to preserve the fry intact, is TO move
them to open waters where there is
opportunity Of escape or free and easy
room for an uninterrupted fight.
The female pike u the greatest pro-