Produced by Chris Logan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) AMATEUR FISH CULTURE BY CHARLES EDWARD WALKER AUTHOR OF "OLD FLIES IN NEW DRESSES" "SHOOTING ON A SMALL INCOME," ETC WESTMINSTER ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO LTD 2 WHITEHALL GARDENS 1901 Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. PREFACE My aim, in this little book, has been to give information and hints which will prove useful to the amateur. Some of the plans and apparatus suggested would not be suitable for fish culture on a large scale, but my object has been to confine myself entirely to operations on a small scale. I have to thank the Editor of _Land and Water_ for permission to publish in book form what first appeared as a series of articles. CHARLES WALKER. Mayfield, Sussex. _March, 1901._ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I Introductory 1 II Stocking Waters with Food 7 III Suitable Fish and Suitable Waters 14 IV Trout. Preliminary Hints and Advice 20 V Trout. Rearing Ponds, Boxes, and Hatching Trays 27 VI Trout. Management of the Ova and Alevins 34 VII Trout. Management of the Fry 42 VIII Trout. The Management of the Fry (_Continued_) 51 IX Trout. The Friends and Enemies of the Fish Culturist 58 X Trout. Management, Feeding, and Turning out of Yearlings 67 XI The Rearing of the Rainbow Trout, American Brook Trout, and Char 72 XII Salmon and Sea-Trout 81 XIII Coarse Fish 88 Appendix 93 Index 97 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY Fish culture of a certain kind dates from very early times, but its scientific development has only come about quite recently. Most people know that in our own country the monks had stew ponds, where they kept fish, principally carp, and also that the Romans kept fish in ponds. In the latter case we hear more often of the eel than of other fish. The breeding of trout and salmon, and the artificial spawning and hatching of ova, are, however, an innovation of our own time.