The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1919-10-23

Jectjon-cIear Profit Of $1,000 IN
Summer Season by Raising Fish.
C. D. Pullen of 1904 Crotona Parl
East, has gone out of the fish business
and New York thereby has lost place
of pilgrimage. the New York Evening
Sun says. Mr.. Pullen's home In the
past has housed one of the most re
| markabIe aquatic collections in the
world, and students of aquatic life ano
fish fanciers have come from distant
parts to this Bronx home to compare
notes with Mr.. Pullen and to see his
collection.
There were casual features about
this collection, however, which to the
! average man were even more remark
| able than the collection itself or the
deep knowledge of fish life possessed
by the collector In former years, be-
fore the breaking up of the collection
was begun, the story Of an exhibit OF
more than 100000 fish In a private
home brought many curious to Mr.. Pull
lens door.
the surprise Of these visitors when
they found their way to small double
house, with a narrowly confined back
yard, that so large and famed col
lection could be contained therein.
Their surprise was still greater when
they found tanks containing thousands
of fish slowed out of the way In the
living room, in the kitchen and on the
porches, and nests for the breeding OF
mosquitoes-fish food-by the billions
tucked away in the back yard and I'M
der the back porch.
Kept Them in Close Quarters
It was the aquatist's thorough and
Intimate knowledge of fish life that
enabled him to keep such an enor-
nous collection in such confined space.
He kept the fish healthy and active by
the tens of thousands in space where
the amateur could not have kept hun
dreds. But Mr.. Pullen has been a fish
fancier and collector since 1884 and
ne had opportunity to learn many OF
natures aquatic secrets.
With small back yard--say one
about Is feet by 40, which is about
the size of the widely known Crotona
Park yard-one may well clear pronts
of moro than $1,000 in a summer sea-
son In the raising of fish, Mr.. Pullen
says, that Is, If he possesses the nee
essary information, and at the same
time may make this business one OF
the most fascinating of hobbies.
There are a few aquaria left In the
home, and a mosquito plant with
capacity of many hundreds OF millions
of mosquitoes is still working, but Mr..
PuIlen has decided to dispose Of the |
aquaria and give up the study to
which he has devoted more than 30
years.
And he has come to know water life.
Interested in his hobby, he ventures
even to interpret the language or the
fishes and recently. explaining the pc
culiarities of the life that has so long
been under his sympathetic observa-
tion, he Illustrated many of his. points
by hypothetical fish dialogues.
Bubble Nest Of the HeIIere.
He told of the bubble nest building
Of the little hellerie-a species OF fish
that brings its young into the world
aliye-and told of Mr.. Hellerie's fussi-
ness about this business. Pa Hellerie
blows bubbles for the nest, he said,
without taking ma into his confidence,
and when he does invite her to see
he work his surprise goes for naught
Ma Hellerie turns to and bursts his
work all to bits. This always, accord
ng to Mr. Pullen, annoys Pa Hellerie
20 that he forgets himself and chases
ma In and out among the seaweeds I'M
II one or the other breaks down. He
s then brought to reason and docilely
ollows his wife's advice as to the
,roper site and architecture of the
,est-when he begins his work anew.
Mr.. Pullen showed an aquarium
With many hundreds of those little
ish. He said that the water in this
ouarium was % years old and, for
he purposes of growing healthy and
-igorous fish, was invaluable. 1t was
TAINTED thick with seaweed, and 1t
bowed through the glass the same
mex green IHdl WdlCi oNoOPcN
natural pond would show. 1t was evil
Iently the same sort of water that ma
ure uses for the growing of fish. and y
ot the crystal clear water of the con-
entional aquarium.
Most fish in captivity are starved
o death by their unnatural surround
ngs, Mr.. Pullen says The economy
{ nature Is ignored and the result is
hat fish in captivity die after short
eeping and are always sickly. The
larry white sand. the crystal water
nd limp conventional weed or two
pen prolonged death for the regu-
alton aquarium denizens. {
Rules for Aquarium Keeping. a
These rules are given by Mr.. Pull q
IN for the success of the home aqua r
Ium: In the first place, never change O
he water Of the aquarium. Be sure n
hat the circulation Of oxygen through y
he water is sufficient and thorough t
y planting seaweed and grass reach
X from the sand In the globe above
! = ~~,rean~ ~ fhn vafor A1l0W life