FISH-CULTURE.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—There is a serious difficulty to be overcome before your suggestion that ornamental waters should be stocked with sporting fish can be accomplished. Trout, which, of course, are the species to be first thought of, do not breed unless they'- have a gravelly stream to spawn in Now, the ornamental waters fed by a sufficient stream of that kind are exceedingly rare. The others are accumulations of rills, in which trout can find room for themselves only after very heavy rains. If those rills could be gathered into one brook, two or three- hundred yards long, most ornamental waters would be provided with ample spawning-beds. Now, do you not think that that end could be attained by means of a. syphon drawing from the pond water enough to make a goodly sized rivulet into it? If that notion were found prac- ticable, we should have to consider another difficulty. You may put trout into an artificial pond, and even get them to thrive there ; but you will not make them rise freely to the angler's fly. They will afford good sport for a few seasons ; but after eight or ten years they will not " take " at all, even although they have multiplied enormously. Still, your• fascinating proposal is essentially good. The fish would help to keep public waters pure, and as they could be netted, they would add to our supply of food.—I am, Sir, &c.,
ANGLER.
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