The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-16
Returned to Kansas Today
From Boston
Where He Attended the Ma
tiOnal Meeting
AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY
Delivered Two Papers Which
Attracted Wide Attention.
Notes and Courts a Proposed
Investigation Hatchery.

Prof. L. L. Dyche, state fish and
game warden, returned to Kansas this
morning after a two weeks absence
in the east studying Fish interests. He
said to a reporter:
81 have just returned from a trip to
Boston where I attended the forty
third annual meeting of the American
Fisheries society in the Copley Square
hotel. This convention was from Sep
tember to IL and was followed by
meeting of the national fish and
game wardens, and this gathering was
followed by a meeting of the advisory
board to hear complaints concerning
the proposed federal law on migratory
birds. All these meetings were we'll
attended.
The American Fisheries society is
perhaps the greatest organization of
fish men in the world. It's president
IS Dr. G. H. Townsend of New York,
its vice president DR.. Henry B. Ward
of Urbana, ILL.,, and its secretary DIR.
G. w. Field of the fish and game de-
partment of Massachusetts. This So
Clety meets annually and usually at
points where fishing interests are
more or less prominent Next year it
will meet in New Orleans.
Concerning Fish Culture.
Papers We're presented on various
subjects relating to fish culture.
mated and spirited discussions for
fish culturists, like people engaged in
other industries, are not all agreed
on the best possible methods for do
ing things. Conditions of water in
different parts of the country and the
kind of fish that thrive in these wat
ers make it possible for men in diff
ferent localities to work their prob
lens out successfully by travelling
different routes. To illustrate a bass
fish culturist who lives in Canada
and the one who lives in Missouri and
the one who lives in Florida may all
operate successful hatcheries, but the
conditions are such that they may
employ quite different methods. How
ever, every phase of fish culture is
brought out sooner or later and dis
cussed at these meetings.
Being from Kansas I tried to up
hold the dignity and reputation of our
state for doing things well. 1 pre-
sented paper on One Years Work
at the Kansas Fish Hatchery and an
other on The Possibilities of an Acre
Fish Pond. Both these papers elected
a very considerable amount of discus
sion upon the part of the society, the
one of the acre fish pond being dis
cussed at length. This paper seemed
to please the society and many mem
bers thought this was a very impoi-
tant paper, some expressing them |
selves by saying that it was one of the |
most valuable papers that had ever
been presented to the society.
This paper gave some methods of
fish culture practiced at the Kansas |
fish hatchery 1t was considered in !
connection with very important pa
per presented by the president, DR.. |
G. H. Townsend, on the subject The |
Private Fish Pond-A Neglected Re- |
source The two papers were dis i
cussed together and it was the con-
sensus of opinion of the society that !
there were great possibilities in the
future development of the private fish /
pond. 1t was thought that it would (
be a strong factor in the future. not !
only in reducing the high cost of liv- {
ing, but in furnishing a most nourish- |
ing and appetizing food for a great |
of people
The Kansas Hatchery.
During my absence some things
seem to have sprung up in the state
of Kansas, particularly near the hatch
cry and in Topeka that have provoked i
a very considerable amount of discus /
sion concerning the state fish hatchery. /
I haven't had time to acquaint myself
with the nature of this discussion, but
desire to say, however, that in the
of the Kansas state fish
hatchery I have done my very best
from the day I took charge up to the
present time. 1t has been necessary
most of the time for me to live away
from home and away from my family,
which in itself is a very great sacri-
fee for any man, especially when his
children are growing into manhood and
when L started the fish hatchery
work it was apparent in a very short
time that the hatchery was too small
to supply even a small part of the de-
mand for fish. l Immediately made
plans for a new fish hatchery. No
one except the warden knows how
much labor and time went into the
development of these plans. Prof.
w. c. Hoad of the University of Kan
sas was the engineer who drew the
plans. He and DR.. Crumbine exam
med the water of the Ninnescah river
and had a chemical analysis made of
the same. 1t was discovered that the
water received from the open ditch
which supplied the old hatchery was +
more or less contaminated with sew
age from Pratt, even to the point
where it flowed into the fish hatch /;
cry ponds. This made it necessary
to devise a new water system. Prof.
Hoad examined the Ninnescah to the
west as far as its head waters; he made
a number of surveys and secured in
formation on the high water and low
water stages of the river. He plan
ned the water system as it exists at
the present time with all its water
gates, drain and supply
pipes. He took into consideration
what would happen when the river
reached its highest stage and he also
took into consideration what would
happen when the river reached its
lowest stage. His conclusion was that
f the ponds We're built and settled
and puddled that there would be an
ample supply of water for the present
aatcheries except possibly when ex-
-reme dry years came
This Years Severe Test.
In extreme dry years he said we