The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-06-08
Federal Aid For Anglers
By FREDERICK J.. HASKIN.

WASHINGTON, D. c., June A
The United States Bureau of Fisheries
is now having constructed large all
steel car, which is to be the most per-
| feet vehicle for the rapid distribution of
live fish that it is possible to build .
For years the Bureau has been shipping
fry and finrerlings all over the United
| States by means of half a dozen old
wooden cars. This new steel vehicle
which is sixty feet long and will carry
some seventeen tons, will be a great
addition to its facilitis for distribution.
This increased carrying capacity will
almost certainly be taxed by new un-
dertaking of the fish commissioners. By
means of the bulletins which the Bureau
publishes, and every other avenue of
publicity open to them, they have been
urging American farmers and small
town and country jewellers general, to
take up the cultiva ion of fish on their
own premises. To any individual who
is able to show that he has pond suit
able for the propagation of fish, the
government will furnish fry or finger
lings of the proper species.
The argument in favor of private fish
culture are unanswerable. In the first
place it is not an expensive undertaking.
On nearly every country place there is
bit of land which is not used for any,
thing else, and to which water there
may be brought from some spring or
stream. The excavation or dam build
ing IN many cases will not cost more
than twenty-five or thirty dollars. The
pond may often be used for irrigation
or for watering stock as well as for fish.
Even small pond, with an area of
no more than quarter acre will pro-
duce more fish than one family can pos
slbly use. In this way an inland farm,
where fish Is now rare delicacy, may
be abundantly supplied with it. The
rapid rise in the price of meat makes
this an especially valuable addition to
the food supply of any household.
The raising of fish on farms is an
ancient industry which has not been
neglected in any of the older countries.
In Germany and Austria many of the
small landowners raise fish, and many
Austrian villages have municipal fish
ponds. In the Philippines the industry
has been carried on for a long time,
especially on the lowlands about Manila
Bay, where there are Aquatic proper
ties valued at SO, 600, 600.
Some of the state fish commissioners
have been trying to encourage private
fish culture for many years, and there
are successful fish farmers scattered all
over the United States.
A typical small producer is Mr.. Sam
uel Bailey, of Kansas, who has a fish
pond on top of hill, where he supplies
it with water by means of a wind mill.
1t has an area of only a quarter of an
acre, and cost only about S25 to dig, but
it is abundantly stocked with bull pout
"a small cat fish and Graphic, and will
soon be yielding an abundant harvest
of fish in addition to irrigating the
family garden.
A large enterprise is now being IN
dertaken in Columbia county, New
York, by man who owns a piece of
land upon which is lake about two
miles wide. This owner has gone in for
commercial fish production on a large
scale. He has placed the property in
the hands of an expert, and series of
small ponds are being constructed along
the lake shore for the propagation of
bass and perch to be sold in the market
An idea of how rapidly fish will repro
duce may be gained from the experience
of Carl H. Thompson, of Warren, Indi-
ana. He constructed pond 120 feet
long by sixty feet wide, and from four
to six feet deep in which he released
four pair of small mouth black bass
Fifteen months later he took out
10l7 bass which averaged a pound in
weight while in addition there were a
number of yellow perch that had slip