A FISH ON EVERY HOOK

THERE are in round numbers about nine million people in the United States who like to fish for sport. To provide a nibble or two for each of these, not to mention the needs of the commercial fishermen, has become the major problem for both state and federal fish culturists.

Angling is now one of the great American pastimes in this land of outdoor enthusiasts. The city dwellers have taken to sport fishing in ever increasing numbers and, together with the farm and village lads with piscatorial inclinations, a considerable army each season descends upon the poor game and fish administrator —and I happen to be one—with the persistent query, "Where can we catch some fish?"

The question is not a simple one to answer. The problem confronting the administrator and his staff is not merely a matter of providing more fish to be caught, but too often is also providing a place in which to catch them. A fish requires water, and, to get that element in many of our middle-western and northern states during the last three or four years has been a big headache in itself. Then there is always the ever-present and increasing problem of private ownership of fishing waters, for in many of our states as much as 75 per cent of the lake and pond fishing waters is privately controlled. And then, fishes have to eat too, though some anglers, who have on occasion tried a nice assortment of choice baits without results, may be hard to convince that this is true. And like Johnny and Mary Homo, they sometimes get sick and require the services of doctors.

Like a great many others in these paternalistic times, the average angler believes that a state or federal bureau can readily solve his problem and that all he must do is to ask for more fish. It may be that in his particular pond or lake there are already entirely too many fish for the food available, and to put in more is to stunt the whole lot. Or it may be that his pond or lake has become unsuited to game fish because of pollution or improper environment. But usually if the fish administrator doesn't go right ahead and hand out more fish the governor and sometimes even the legislature will hear about it.

This attitude on the part of the fisherman is probably more the fault of the fish culturist than anyone else. It is a regrettable fact that in the old days fish were distributed pretty much on a political basis, and the method of dealing with complaints from voters was to rush out more fish where possible. Then too, most fish culturists tried to make a mystery out of their business. This may have been done to help them hold their jobs, or it may have been because too few of them really knew what went on beneath the surface of the water. At any rate, we have done entirely too much hit-and-miss stocking of fish in past years, with utter disregard for many important factors like relation of species, food supply, temperature, predator control, pollution and disease. If one tenth the scientific study and investigation of steel, electricity or motion pictures had been made of fish life, the angler of today would have a lot more fun when he drops a fly or a worm into the water.

But times must change, even in the fish business. Today scientific research and sound business methods are beginning to have an important part in fish restoration, not alone in the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, but in a number of state game and fish departments. Under the leadership of U. S. Commissioner Frank T. Bell, 3 number of cooperative research projects have been set up and scientists are at work in a sincere effort to provide more and better fishing. Many states are now figuring the cost of fish propagation and making a conscientious effort to step up production and lower overhead costs. There is already a general movement under way to stock larger fish that are partly grown in nurseries, for it has been definitely proved that in many cases where fry are placed directly in the natural waters from hatching troughs and ponds not over 5 per cent ever reach the frying pan.

Among these scientific gentlemen with their heads under the water, so to speak, is Dr. Chancey Juday of the University of Wisconsin. Professor Juday is at work on problems of biology, chemistry and physics of lake waters and his contributions on these subjects have attracted nation-wide attention. He is at work today in the important and interesting task of determining the exact number of fish that survive after planting. Wisconsin, with its hundreds of lakes and numerous fish hatcheries, offers a fertile field for investigation along this line. It was Juday who first initiated the practice of having fishermen aid the scientists by furnishing a few scales from fish taken. These scales, when placed under the microscope, have a very enthralling story to tell about the intimate life of the particular fish who possessed them. Small rings can be found on each scale, quite similar to those found in trees, which denote each year's growth, and much data on age, food conditions and relation of species is now obtained from this source.

The State Conservation Department of New York is also very much interested in what happens to fish after they are planted, and hope soon to carry on some investigations to determine what is going on in New York waters. "We suspect, as probably do most fish culturists today, that many of our planted fish are wasted," says Sumner M. Cowden, superintendent of fish culture in that state. "In my opinion, this is one of the most pressing questions confronting us today. If we knew the answer, perhaps we could keep up with the anglers. But the only way We can get funds for follow-up studies of our planting is to take them away from our hatchery operating funds. This immediately brings us into collision with the angler who wants more fish planted, and more planted this year than last. We put ourselves out on a limb immediately we cut down production in favor of investigation. The fisherman wants fish, not facts. We cannot give him more fish until we have more facts. So we must educate the fisherman and give him an honest picture of our dilemma."

Another scientist advancing the frontier of piscatorial knowledge is Dr. John Van Oosten, in charge of the Great Lakes fishery investigations. "Doc", as he is affectionately known among the fishing fraternity, is greatly concerned with the future of our inland waters which were once teeming with many species of fishes, important commercially as well as for sport. And well he should be for the Great Lakes have lost much of this valuable resource. Van Oosten is especially alarmed about over-fishing and the disappearance of several important species. One of the largest projects carried on thus far by the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries has been under Van Oosten's direction. This was a survey of Lake Erie, with the Province of Ontario and several states participating. The work covered a period of two years and embraced, besides a study of the annual catches, a complete investigation of the hydrography of the lake, the chemistry and physics of the waters, the microscopic plant and animal life, and the effects of pollution.

The Great Lakes and their connecting waters form the largest single fresh water area in the world. They have a combined

A Changing Landscape

FOR many years Nebraska has been known as the tree planter's state. This reputation was gained back in the early seventies when tree planting in Nebraska received its principal impetus with the establishment of Arbor Day in 1872 and the passage of the timber culture act in 1873.

Arbor Day, originated by J. Sterling Morton, was first observed on April 10, 1872, and according to Morton's History of Nebraska a million trees were planted in this state in observance of the first Arbor Day. Groves sprang up and dotted the landscape and many of them stand today as monuments to the early settlers who pioneered in tree planting.

Many of these old groves 50 to 60 years of age are impressive today, but what is more striking perhaps is the absence of young plantings to replace the aging trees established in the seventies.

The protective value of tree planting for farm buildings and livestock is a matter of common knowledge, but the beneficial influence of trees planted to reduce the destructive effects of winds on crop land are less commonly known. Field shelterbelts prevent wind erosion and conserve moisture, thus stabilizing the productiveness of the land and making agricultural regions a better and more profitable place in which to live.

Wind erosion is one of the most destructive forces operating in the plains country today and its seriousness is only partly realized. Where spectacular "blow outs" occur it is easy enough to recognize the danger, but the gradual removal of top soil from unprotected fields while less conspicuous is equally destructive.

Belts of trees if properly located and oriented with respect to prevailing winds will, control the wind movement of soil. Shelterbelts and other types of tree planting have many other benefits such as protection for livestock in winter, furnishing fuel and other wood products for farm use in a region where timber is naturally scarce and expensive, and providing a suitable habitat for birds and other forms of wild life. The effect of trees upon the bird population is important since birds furnish one of the principal checks upon destructive insects. Most types of insectivorous birds require trees in their environment and it is safe to say that if there were more trees on the plains there would be more birds.

Federal efforts to encourage tree planting began with the timber culture act of 1873. This act provided for planting of 40 acres of trees on a timber culture entry of one-quarter section of land. The act was amended in 1874 to permit entry to smaller tracts and required only a proportionate amount (%) of tree planting according to the acreage filed on. The act was amended again in 1876 permitting planting on four separate tracts and requiring replanting within one year of any trees, seeds or cuttings which did not grow. A further amendment of the act in 1878 required not less than 2700 trees per acre be planted. Provision was also made in the amendment that final certificates would be issued on a showing of 675 living and thrifty trees to each acre. Most of the timber entry planting was done under the 1878 provisions.

Farm forestry in Nebraska is again receiving Federal impetus through the establishment of field shelterbelts under the Prairie States Forestry Project. This project originated by executive order of President Roosevelt in the summer of 1934. During the summer of the first year the Forest Service in cooperation with various state agencies made extensive surveys to assemble basic data important to the establishment of trees in the prairie-plains region. The survey consisted of an extensive soil survey, a vegetative survey to determine the species of trees which would best survive under various conditions, extensive climatic studies which included correlation of rainfall and evaporation to determine effective rainfall, temperatures, and wind movement, studies of tree diseases, and studies of the effects of insects on tree establishment.

In the sping of 1935, 20.5 miles of field shelterbelts were established on 47 Nebraska farms under this project. In 1936, 150.4 miles of protective belts were planted on 201 farms. In 1937, 394.7 miles of shelterbelts were planted on 601 farms. This spring 900 miles of shelterbelts will be planted on 1,600 farms. This increase in plantings indicates the growing demand for trees and farmers are already reporting protective benefits from the first plantings established in 1935.

EASY

"My goodness!" remarked the old gentleman, as he stopped the young lad with the fine catch of trout. "You've had a very successful day, young man. Where did you catch all those fish?"

"Just walk down that patch marked 'Private'," directed the boy; "cross the field with the notice board saying 'Beware of the Bull' and keep right on till you come to a notice, 'Trespassing Will Be Prosecuted.' A few yards further there's a fine pool in the river marked 'No Fishing Allowed,' and there you are, sir!"

Fish and Temperature

HAVE you ever experienced this? Two or more of you fishing from the same boat; you, or more likely, one of your companions, hauling in fish as fast as it's possible, while the rest of the party was as active as a lethargic alligator. And yet, no one was more than a few feet from the center of activity, and all were using the same baits or lures.

Countless explanations for the above have been advanced, all of which have proved conjectural. Most of us term it a matter of luck and let it go at that. Now, after six years of experimentation and research, the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries comes along and tells us that it's all a matter of proper water temperature. Choice bait, luck or skill have little or nothing to do with it.

It's all very simple too. All that it's necessary to do is to lower a thermometer, obtain the proper temperature and go to it. Here's the only rub. How is one to know at what temperature the fish are located? Are they taking hold at 55 degrees, or at 65 degrees F.? It appears to me that it would be just as easy to find the fish as it would be to locate the correct temperature. It's assumed, however, that after the fish are once located at a certain temperature, that they will be found at the same temperature in all parts of a lake or stream. Of course, it would be lots of help if a brother angler, who got out before you, would hail and tell you that the bass are hitting at 75, or that the trout are ravenous at 58. Then it only remains for you to find water of that temperature.

It seems that fish are extremely sensitive to even very slight differences in temperature, and it apparently affects them in practically the same way that it does humans, in so far as the effect on appetite is concerned. Most of us know from experience that warm water will cause most fish to become sluggish and indifferent to a variety of foods. Hence it is reasonable to conclude that if a submarine spring or current of cooler water is flowing at a certain spot in the proximity of fishermen, the angler that happens to cast his bait or lure in or near the natural congregating place will most likely catch some of the congregation.

For some years I have included a good grade chemical thermometer in my tackle box which I use in my experiments with water temperature and its relationship to the biting of fish. If I'm fortunate enough to locate my quarry immediately, I lower the thermometer and record the temperature, and base my movements for the day upon the findings of the initial record. Tf I find the bass on a rock shoal, the chances are that elsewhere in the same lake they will be found in the same general environment, because the temperature of identical places at similar depths will be practically the same. However, they will also be found in dissimilar conditions providing the temperature is similar.

For example, at seven o'clock on the morning of the opening day at Conneaut Lake, the temperature over an eight-foot deep rock shoal was 78 degrees F., and the yellow perch were biting furiously. In the course of the next hour I moved to five different places having temperatures ranging from 77 to 86 degrees. The perch were just as plentiful as they were in the first place and took the bait just as readily excepting at the one spot where the temperature hit 86. True, we caught some, but they were sluggish and deliberate biters.

Did you ever have the experience of raising a big fish out of a deep hole, only to have him insolently flick his caudal at your offering, or ignore it entirely? It is thought now that the abrupt temperature changes that the fish experiences while rising is responsible for its changed actions upon reaching the surface. Of course, if the fish is extremely hungry he will take the offering regardless of temperature, although his ferocious rush at the onset is somewhat modified upon reaching the warmer surface water.

In a certain lake that I know, there are countless numbers of wall-eyed pike. During the early part of July, 1934, although they were as numerous as ever, very few were caught in the lake proper. But, at the outlet, it was another story. There they were so ravenous that they gobbled every kind of lure as fast as it could be thrown in. The reason? Easy! There was a constant fluctuation of temperature in the outlet stream because of the variable water depths.

I have had bass by the dozen placidly swim by my bait without so much as notice it, whereas a few dozen feet away, under identical conditions they readily accepted anything and everything. My trusty thermometer immediately indicated what was what in cases like that. So, I could continue reviewing case after case.

In order to supplement my field observations, for over seven years I have conducted experiments with four indoor aquaria and an outdoor pool in which the temperature can be controlled. In the case of most of our warm water fishes such as bass, sunfish, crappie and some of the minnows, I have observed them to take food most readily when the temperature is in a constant state of fluctuation, with the limits between 45 and 85 degrees. When the temperature has been at a standstill for several days or even hours, the fish gradually lose their interest in food. But, slowly change it either way from the existing temperature and they begin feeding. Excluding the catfishes, the most consistently voracious feeders of the aquarium inhabitants were the crappie, rock bass and the common sunfish. At all temperatures between reasonable limits they avidly devoured anything that was given them. I have seen the sunfish so stuffed that the angleworms with which they tapered off would crawl out from under their gill covers. And I have yet to encounter one of the above that has refused to take my offerings no matter what the natural temperature happened to be. My experience with trout was short-lived, as the only specimen that I had (a nine-inch brown), jumped from an aquarium the second night of its captivity.

These few notes and observations may prove useful to any anglers who may desire to experiment further. A good photographic or chemical thermometer of the stirring rod type is suitable, and takes up very little space in the fishing kit. Attached to a light line, either type is quickly lowered to the desired depth. Allow three minutes for the mercury column to find its proper level and then raise as speedily as possible and read. A wide-range clinical thermometer would be the ideal instrument, as it is not easily affected by the various degrees of change that are necessarily encountered in its passage through different depths.

FOR POISON IVY

Dr. McNair, of the Marshall Field Museum, recommends this treatment as highly successful in treating poison ivy:

Procure at a drug store one ounce of tincture of iron, which contains approximately 15 per cent ferric chloride. Dilute this with one-half ounce alcohol and one-half ounce water. This makes two ounces of remedy with a ferric chloride content of about 7 or 8 per cent, which is the maximum strength advised. Paint this liquid on the infected parts with a camel's hair brush.

Fort Niobrara Game Preserve, Nebraska

THE Fort Niobrara Game Preserve is located in the sand-hill region in north-central Cherry County, Nebraska, near the town of Valentine, on what was formerly the Fort Niobrara Military Reservation. It is maintained primarily for the perpetuation of bison, or buffalo, and other species of North American big-game animals, but it is also a bird refuge. All species of wild animals and birds are protected there, except when it is necessary to control the injurious activities of predators and rodents. The Niobrara River, a wide, shallow and rapidly flowing stream, traverses the entire width of the preserve, dividing it into two parts. The part lying north of the river and comprising about a third of the preserve, is an irregular tableland cut by canyons, ravines and creeks; that south of the river consists of rolling sand hills, about half as high as the tableland to the north. It is a favorable range for buffalo, elk and deer, as well as a haven for prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, and other species of upland game birds. The administration buildings are located five miles east of Valentine, on State Highway No. 7. The resident agent in charge is Geno A. Amundson, whose postoffice address is Valentine, Neb.

The Fort Niobrara Military Reservation, containing about 55,000 acres, was established in 1879 to keep the Sioux Indians on their reservations in nearby South Dakota and to control the operations of cattle rustlers and horse thieves. The fort was abandoned as a military post on October 22, 1906, but was retained by the War Department as a remount station. In 1907, the desirability of establishing a bird refuge on the area was called to the attention of William Dutcher, then president of the National Association of Audubon Societies; and G. L. Carter, at that time chief deputy game warden of Nebraska, was likewise greatly interested in protecting the birds. As the reservation was still retained by the War Department, plans for establishing the bird refuge could not then be carried out. On January 17, 1908, Mr. Dutcher wrote to President Theodore Roosevelt concerning the desirability of protecting the birds and game on the military reservation. At the direction of the President, the chief quartermaster of the Army on March 5, 1908, issued an order prohibiting all shooting and trapping on the area.

The War Department completely abandoned the reservation in 1911, and in that year a representative of the Biological Survey inspected the area to determine its suitability for a bird refuge. As a result, about 13,500 acres of the former military reservation were set aside by executive order of January 11, 1912, and were placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture as a refuge and breeding ground for native birds.

Early in 1912, J. W. Gilbert, owner of a private game park at Friend, Nebraska, offered his buffalo, elk and deer to the Federal government for preservation on a national reservation, with the understanding that they would remain in Nebraska. The acceptance of this offer was delayed through lack of a suitable range in the state. On November 14, 1912, however, an executive order was issued enlarging the Fort Niobrara Game Preserve (then known as the Niobrara Reservation) by adding thereto the area formerly used as the parade grounds and as headquarters for the old military post. This made the total area of the preserve about 14,200 acres. Mr. Gilbert's offer was then formally accepted by the Secretary of Agriculture, and arrangements were made to transfer the animals to Fort Niobrara.

As no appropriation was available for fencing the preserve, the citizens of Valentine generously offered to help. They were desirous of having the game preserve established in their vicinity to compensate for the loss sustained by the community through the abandonment of the military post. Funds for constructing a big-game fence to enclose a 213-acre pasture were therefore raised through contributions by the citizens of Valentine, the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company, and the National Association of Audubon Societies.

In January, 1913, the enclosure was ready for the animals, and six buffalo, seventeen elk and two white-tailed deer were transferred to it. During the time that elapsed between Mr. Gilbert's offer to donate the animals and their acceptance by the government, he had arranged to otherwise dispose of several buffalo and elk, and it was not possible to capture a couple of the elk or most of the deer. In June, 1913, two buffalo bulls were transferred to Fort Niobrara Preserve from Yellowstone National Park.

A third executive order, issued March 31, 1920, added to the preserve a strip of about 640 acres lying along the Niobrara River to the west of the lands originally set aside, and some 555 acres of privately owned lands within the exterior boundaries of the preserve were purchased in 1931-32 under specific appropriation from Congress. During 1935 and 1936 approximately 3,100 acres, purchased through the Resettlement Administration and from other funds, were added by executive order of February 21, 1936. The total area of the Fort Niobrara Game Preserve is now 18,537 acres.

The buffalo and elk increased rapidly and, as on other similarly enclosed big-game preserves administered by the Biological Survey, it has been necessary from time to time to control the numbers in the herds to prevent overstocking the range and the consequent destruction of forage. Numerous buffalo and elk have been removed, and as far as possible they have been used for stocking other preserves or for breeding or exhibition purposes. Some have been sold for butchering or have been donated to the Indian Service for use as meat by needy Indians on nearby reservations.

The herds of big-game animals on this preserve are, therefore, not large, since restricted grazing areas and range conditions have made it necessary to curtail their numbers. The herds are in good condition, however, and are of much educational value and interest to tourists as well as to local residents, and serve to assist in perpetuating interesting forms of native wildlife.

A few deer have been purchased or donated to the preserve from time to time, and some fawns have been born, but the deaths have about offset the births, and at present few deer are on the area.

An interesting instance of comradeship between animals of different species was observed on the Fort Niobrara Preserve. A male white-tailed deer, obtained from the park at Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1934, and a black saddle horse were kept in the same pasture. They developed a marked fondness for each other and romped together over the pasture, attracting much notice. Their friendship ended tragically, however, in the winter of 1936-37, when the deer died from injuries received in an encounter with a buffalo that he had tried to chase from the pasture, where a few yearling buffalo were held awaiting disposal as surplus animals and several others had been placed for exhibition.

In 1924, a small band of ten antelope, brought from Nevada, was placed in a restricted enclosure near headquarters. Owing to lack of adequate pasture, the antelope did not increase satisfactorily,

EDITORIAL

A great many anglers are asking, "What has become of the bullhead catfish in Nebraska?"

It is this query that is giving the Nebraska Game Commission considerable concern just now.

Three years ago the Commission controlled a series of sandhill lakes where each year they removed thousands of bullheads to stock eastern and southern ponds, lakes and streams. It was a fine plan that was producing adult fish at very small cost.

Then along came several summers of drought and low water, with the result that practically every one of these propagation lakes dried up and froze out.

Little could be done about the matter until nature relented and filled the lakes again. Efforts were made to purchase these fish from nearby states. Some were secured, but the cold, late spring of 1938 made it almost impossible to trap the fish in these states and only a small number were secured.

However, conditions are now looking more favorable. Many of the sandhill lakes are filling with water and the Commission's field force is busy getting all these lakes stocked so a crop can be had this summer. The bullhead is a slow-growing fish and it takes about three years of good conditions to get him to table size.

In the meantime the Commission must ask fishermen to be patient. The bullhead is coming back, but it takes time to get him ready for the hook.

Only a comparatively few bird lovers know that the Nebraska Game Commission is making a sincere effort to save our beneficial hawks. The Legislature was asked to change our laws covering hawks at its last session and to give protection to those species that were of benefit. This was done.

Now it is up to all of us to cooperate. We must stop shooting the good ones.

Generally speaking, the Mouse hawks are the valuable ones. Among these are the Red-Shouldered hawk, the Red-Tailed hawk, the Rough-Legged hawk and the Broad-Winged hawk. They feed principally upon insects, frogs, snakes, mice, rats and squirrels.

The Sparrow hawk is of the Falcon family and is also a great insect eater. According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture studies, insects comprise 72 per cent of his diet, rats and mice 20 per cent, small birds 8 per cent, and frogs and snakes about 8 per cent.

On the other hand, let's consider the bad ones, or those that are known as the Bird hawks. These are the ones that are not protected by Nebraska laws. They are the Cooper's hawk, Sharp-Shinned hawk and Goshawk.

The National Association of Audubon Societies has recently published a chart that is very helpful in identifying hawks. It points out that generally the beneficial mouse-eating hawks have broad wings, the Falcon hawks (Duck, Pigeon and Sparrow) have pointed wings and the Bird hawks are short-winged. A limited supply of these bulletins are on hand at the Nebraska Game Commission's office and will be sent free on request.

Nebraska sportsmen are invited to visit the State Game Farm. Here will be seen thousands of game birds. At present writing between 400 and 500 eggs are gathered each day; 3,000 small birds are in the brooders and 12,000 eggs in the incubators. The farm at present is located midway between Madison and Norfolk on U. S. Highway 81.

Letters From Our Readers

You suggested in the Spring number of Outdoor Nebraska that we ask ten fishermen what kind of fish they prefer to catch. I have done this and in every case the answer was catfish. That is the favorite fish in this part of the state.

Most all the fishermen in this locality are reporting good catches of catfish from the Republican River. Some have taken the limit on rod and reel, but most of them fish with set lines.

I think that Outdoor Nebraska is a fine magazine. It tells the public of the activity of the Game and Fish Commission and by so doing educates them to the fact that the Commission is working in every way to make Nebraska's outdoors more enjoyable for all. That is the best way possible to get the cooperation of the public. With this cooperation there is no limit to what can be done for fish and game in our state.

I wonder if it wouldn't be a good plan, and one that could be worked out, to give a year's subscription to Outdoor Nebraska to every one who buys a hunting and fishing permit. This way the Commission would have some way of telling the purchaser of a hunting and fishing permit just where and how his dollar was being spent. It would also show the public that the Commission is working for their enjoyment and not against them as some seem to think. Through this magazine the game and fish laws could be given to every hunter and fisherman. This would do a great deal of good as it is surprising how many permit holders will ask you: How long do catfish have to be? How many hooks can you use? How many fish is each person allowed to have, or how many ducks, pheasants, rabbits or squirrels can any one person take?

Most people do not know that the state has a fish transport truck, or that they transport thousands of adult fish, from the more inaccessible lakes and rivers and put them in the ones that have to stand the brunt of the fishing.

I think that if the general public is made to understand these things they will not only abide by the laws but will also cooperate with the Commission to a much greater extent.

In closing I wish to say that I think the Commission is to be complimented on the way in which they have taken care of the fish and game during the dry years that we have been having. The lack of feed and cover and the drying up of lakes and streams has been hard on our fish and game, but we still have a good supply for breeding stock and if we take care of it we can expect some very good fishing and hunting in Nebraska in the future.

Almost every trip I take by auto I notice dead pheasants on the highway that have been killed by what I think in many cases is carelessness. This hardly seems necessary. If people were more careful they could avoid hitting these birds. Would it be possible to get the newspapers of the state, also magazines, to put on a campaign asking people to be more careful and try to avoid this unnecessary killing? It looks as though hundreds of birds are killed in this way.

I note with interest the picture section of the Spring number of Outdoor Nebraska. Let's have more of them. Pictures always carry more weight than the printed word.

In reply to the published request to ask fishermen what they prefer to fish for: Trout seem to be No. 1 on the list from the queries I have made, with bass a close second. The proximity of Rock Creek Lake no doubt has much to do with this choice. Those who fish with artificial baits prefer bass. Those using mostly natural baits prefer trout.

I am enclosing a poor snap-shot of a good bass that I caught in Rock Creek Lake April 18—weight 4% pounds, length 19% inches.

COMMISSION FIELD ACTIVITIES

Fishing in Nebraska this spring has been somewhat backward owing to cold weather and many rains. The river fishing has been poor because of the muddy water in most streams.

However, some very good bags have been taken. Walgren Lake in Sheridan County has produced some nice crappies and bullheads. The lower Loup has provided some catfish and, no doubt, will be good as the hot weather comes and the water clears up. Trout have been taken in most of the western streams, some being of a good size. Crystal Lake in Dakota County has been good.

The Game Commission's biggest problem this spring is to find enough bullheads to restock the sandhill lakes, many of which are again filled with water. It is deemed highly important to get these stocked at once, as these lakes have always been the chief source of supply for the entire state and bullheads are slow to mature.

Plans made included the purchase of 100,000 bullheads from a neighboring state, but cold weather and heavy rains made it impossible for them to fill the order. Only a few thousand could be secured.

The bass season in Nebraska opened June 15. It is believed that a dozen or so lakes will provide good casting for this gamey member of the finny tribe. Pibal Lake, in particular, should be good, as it is heavily stocked with bass running from two to five pounds.

A number of areas throughout Nebraska have been set aside this year as restocking grounds for pheasants. Beginning early in July, birds will be planted in these areas from time to time until fall. It is planned to put the birds out when they are about sixteen weeks old.

All areas designated by the Commission for restocking will not be opened to hunting that year. This will give the birds an opportunity to adapt themselves to their new environment and to produce a crop. Thus if 10,000 birds are stocked, they should increase on the average to 50,000 before hunting is permitted.

The areas designated for restocking during 1938 are the following counties:

Niobrara State Park is situated in the northeast corner of Nebraska at the junction of the Niobrara and Missouri Rivers and consists of 800 acres on an island in the Niobrara River.

It is heavily wooded with trees which nature has endowed with beauty in a natural scenic setting, ideal for park purposes; with a succession of lakes with springs feeding into their total area of seven acres. These lakes are well stocked with bass, crappies, catfish and bullheads.

The spacious grounds afford excellent room for playground and an ideal place for camping for week-ends or extended periods. Graveled, shady roads are provided leading directly from State Highway No. 12, one mile west of Niobrara, to the spacious park dotted with three-room ideal cottage cabins, with electric lights, water, screened porches, double beds, stoves, chairs and tables; a fine swimming pool; a splendid golf course; rest stations and park furniture are inducive of placid rest.

Much of the wooded area remains in its enticingly wild condition and beckons for exploration.

Plan to visit Niobrara State Park this summer, in the heart of the Indian country, and browse around in nature's garden of scenic beauty.

Cabin rates, $1.50 per day; $7.00 per week.

Bring bedding and cooking utensils.

A Fish On Every Hook

surface of more than 95,000 square miles, which comprises nearly one-third of all the fresh water area in the United States. Their combined shore lines total more than 8,000 miles. The United States owns some 64 per cent of the area of these lakes, which is about 54 per cent of all the fresh water surface found in our country. These lakes are the nation's primary source of supply of fresh water fish.

"The significance of the fishing industry of the Great Lakes to the life of our nation is not clearly understood by the general public," Van Oosten declared recently. "For example, the public does not generally know that of the more than 144,000,000 pounds of fresh water fish produced annually in the United States, more than 90,000,000 pounds, or some 63 per cent, comes from the United States waters of the Great Lakes. Of the 189,500,000 pounds of fresh water fish consumed in the United States annually, about 48 per cent, or nearly one-half, is supplied by the United States fisheries of these lakes. Further, it is not generally understood that the Great Lakes are the only commercial sources of such species as the lake trout, yellow perch, chubs, Lake Erie cisco, lake herring, blue pike and sauger. It is because of this economic position of the Great Lakes fisheries in the life of the nation that we are making an earnest effort to study these waters in order to determine why they are being depleted so rapidly and what factors are involved and what remedies are required."

As a matter of fact, the future of the Great Lakes fishing may be very dark indeed unless we are able to rebuild it and control the annual catch. While this primarily concerns the food fishes and the commercial fisherman, it indirectly concerns the sport fishes and the angler as well. Recently trolling in the Great Lakes for lake trout has become popular as has sport fishing in other forms. The large areas of lake bottoms that once teemed with whitefish, lake trout and other species now produce very little. Lake Ontario, where once the average annual yield was some 3,000,000 pounds, has dwindled until today only 500,000 pounds, or thereabouts, are taken each year, and only small fishing rigs can afford to operate. The other lakes of the group are likewise producing less poundage each year.

A considerable amount of research work is now being carried on in western states to improve trout fishing. Of all the game fish, the trout is probably the easiest to hatch, since this can be done artificially and in comparatively small areas of water. But while the hatching process is not a serious problem, we still have much to learn about it. Mass production must be had to satisfy the ever-increasing number of fly fishermen. A survey to gather information on trout culture has recently been made by scientists of the State of California, working in cooperation with the federal authorities. This project covered thousands of miles of streams and lakes in that great state for the purpose of discovering better methods of hatching, rearing and planting these cold-water denizens. This study resulted in many improvements in trout stocking practices of long standing and has already brought about better fishing in many sections of the state.

Each year millions of young trout and salmon are reared in the twenty-five hatcheries maintained by the California division of fish and game. Later these fish are planted in public waters throughout the state. In order to learn more about the fish after they are released-what per cent survive to be caught by fishermen, how fast they grow—what ratio are hatchery-reared compared to those resulting from natural propagation—the California culturists and scientists are marking a large number of them. In all markings it is hoped that as many as possible of the marked fish will eventually be recovered, identified and examined. Fishermen are asked to cooperate in the work.

Three methods of marking fish are used in California, by the U. S. Fisheries and by a number of other states. One method is to attach a numbered tag to the fish externally, usually in the gill cover, or in the tail, the second to place the tag in the fish internally—through an incision so the tag will be between the viscera and body wall—the third by clipping off certain combinations of fins. The tags are used generally to secure information about individual fish; the clipping is employed when it is desired to get returns for a group of fish. Trout released are marked by both external tags and by clipping, and the sex, size and age of the fish determined at the time of tagging or clipping.

Along with the scientists who are working on the broader aspects of fish culture are the gentlemen who are studying the many diseases of fish. These chaps are the "fish doctors". Now that the tendency is to plant more legal-sized fish, or at least to hold them in hatcheries or nurseries until they are partly grown, the danger of loss by disease has greatly increased. Where fish are held for long periods and become larger they are frequently crowded. This causes trouble from parasites and lack of sanitation. So it is often necessary to call in the doctor if the crop is to be kept healthy.

Several states and the U. S. Fisheries are operating laboratories to conduct investigations of this nature and to prescribe suitable remedies. The most profitable approach is like that with human beings —to prevent disease from getting a start. This means exacting physiological experiments to determine the effects of all sorts of water conditions on the respiration of the fish; careful studies of water, and the effect of chemicals upon the various organs of the fish.

The New York Conservation Department has been doing good work at one of its hatcheries at Rome, N. Y. Here Dr. Louis E. Wolf has devoted considerable study to those diseases which occur so often in the hatching ponds and troughs —gill disease, fin infections, external parasites and bacterial infection known as "ulcer disease". This work thus far indicates that chemical baths and treatments are not particularly effective and that it is far better to proceed along preventive lines.

Many other investigators are at work on disease. There are men like Elmer Higgins, Chief of the Division of Scientific Inquiry; Dr. Frederic F. Fish, leader in the pathological laboratory in Seattle, and H. S. Davis, in charge of aquicultural investigations for the U. S. Fisheries; Dr. A. H. Wiebe, Texas Fish and Oyster Commission; James Savage, Province of Ontario; Dr. Emmeline Moore of the New York Conservation Department; Prof. George C. Embody of Cornell University, and others making noteworthy studies of the ailments of the finny tribe. Just to get an idea of the problems facing the culturists which these gentleman are trying to solve, let us scan a few of the papers read before a recent session of the American Fisheries Society and some of the late bulletins they have published. Mr. Davis has just recently prepared a revised edition of Care and Diseases of Trout, covering investigations of both external and internal parasites, as well as bacterial and fungus troubles. We find Mr. Fish reporting on gill diseases, while Mr. Wiebe is reporting the effects of crude oil on the various organs of fish. Mr. Wolf has been experimenting in the use of potassium permanganate in the control of parasites, while our Canadian friend reports on certain infectious troubles. Thus it will be seen that the M. D. has his place in helping to get a fish on every hook.

The introduction of sound business principles in the fish business is no less difficult to bring about than proper scientific study. In many of our states politics unfortunately still plays a part and we find hatchery superintendents, scientists, culturists and other personnel changing every two years or so. Indeed, in some of our states the administrators themselves are frequently let out to make way for those chaps who can deliver a block of votes for the winning party. However,   10 OUTDOOR NEBRASKA more and more non-partisan commissions are coming into control and with them better trained personnel and longer tenure of office.

Just as the scientist must be properly trained and more or less of a specialist in his particular field, so today must the fish culturist be trained and somewhat of a specialist. A good trout man may be of little value in a warm-water fish hatchery, and vice versa. Superintendents and culturists should have some knowledge of biology and have the ability to enable them to put into practice what the scientist may discover. There is absolutely no place for the political chair-warmer, nor is there a place for the old-time culturist who had no knowledge of what takes place beneath the surface of the water and who fights a new idea as though it were a plague.

There are today in operation throughout the United States 87 federal and some 400 state fish hatcheries and propagation stations. These institutions employ 1,900 men with an annual operating cost of around three million dollars. The yearly payroll alone is $1,525,000. During the year of 1936, these hatcheries and stations turned out around six billion young fish.

From the figures, the angler might be led to believe that this production assures him of a full creel quite frequently, for it figures a little better than 600 fish to every one of the nine million anglers. But, while figures may not lie, they do sometimes mislead. Let us break down this staggering number and see 'what the angler actually gets.

First of all, of the six billion fish stocked, more than two and a half billion of the total consisted of commercial species, such as flatfish or flounders, pollack, cod, haddock, mackerel, yellow perch and whitefish—fish for coastal and other large bodies of water. Then of the remaining three and one-half billion we find the greater number to be fry—baby fish only newly hatched. There were only 421,000,000 fingerling and adult fish planted. Considering this number of partly grown fish and taking into account that not over 5 per cent of them ever reach maturity, it will be seen that the angler's chances of success have decreased to a considerable extent. Instead of the nine million having a potential six hundred fish each, they have a possible potential catch of around sixty fish each. Allowing again for predators, floods, disease and the hundred and one misadventures that frequently overtake a fish from the hatchery to the time he lands on a hook, we are faced with the fact that the anglers aren't faring so well after all.

These figures bring up the problem that every forwardlooking fish administrator is today considering—how to save more of the millions of planted fish. This involves several important factors, and each factor in turn presents other difficult problems. Two things must be done to remedy the situation: First, hold the fry until they are partly or fully grown before placing in the natural waters; second, improve the natural waters where the fish are to be planted.

Let us consider the first factor, holding the fish until they are larger. This requires large outlays of rearing ponds, better sanitation and heavy expenditures for food. The food cost is perhaps the most important, for you cannot very well follow sound business principles if your costs of production are greater than your returns. In most states the fishing permit is not more than a dollar or two.

There is still much work to be done in the study of fish food. In the old days the artificially hatched fish, mostly trout, were fed either pork liver or beef liver and the pond-hatching fish forced to forage for themselves. The old-timers used a great deal of paper and time expounding the merits of pork or beef livers—usually the one that had been used in the particular hatchery where the expounder had been trained. But with the rising prices of meats in recent times and the popularity of liver for human consumption, something had to be done. Horse meat was substituted in some parts of the country, but even that became too expensive. Beef lungs, fish meal, salmon eggs, dried eggs, buttermilk, corn meal, cotton seed meal, cereal and sundry other foods were introduced and are being used today, but in many cases with little idea of costs or nutrition values.

Several states and the U. S. Fisheries are now at work on the food problem, not alone for the trout, but for pond fishes as well. Among those making worthwhile contributions is the New York Conservation Department, the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, and Cornell University, all working under a cooperative agreement at the Cortland Hatchery with Prof. C. M. McCoy and Mr. A. V. Tunison in charge. Here, since 1932, studies have been made of trout foods. Many problems of nutrition have been seriously attacked, and much valuable data brought to light.

"We do not claim to have found the perfect trout food," Mr. Cowden says. "The chances are we never will. But we have effected economies as a result of our experiments and produced larger fish at less cost. During the past several years our experiments have been devoted more to the fundamental problems underlying fish nutrition than to trying out one diet against another. How much fat can trout digest? How much starch? What are their protein requirements? These are the questions we are asking ourselves and attempting to answer."

Another food study has recently been carried on in the feeding of small catfish. Some years ago the state fish hatchery at Pratt, Kansas, began experimenting in the artificial propagation of the channel catfish—a fish found in most of the streams of the middle west and very popular with the river fishermen. Kansas was able to hatch the fry, but was not able to find the proper food for them. Instead of being able to keep the small fish in troughs or controlled nurseries, they were forced to place them directly in large natural ponds. Here predators like crayfish, pond insects, turtles and birds took much of the crop.

Four years ago, Mr. J. M. Merritt, Superintendent of the Nebraska Fisheries, began experimenting with various foods in the hope he could not only hatch large numbers of these fish, but hold them in troughs and flumes where he could artificially feed them until partly grown. It took three years of experimenting, but at last a balanced diet was concocted which produced the necessary growth and was cheap enough to keep within the limitations of sound business practice. Cheese, canned carp and cod liver oil are a part of this diet, and thanks to them, Nebraska is well on the way to an annual production of a million partly grown channel catfish.

Some interesting studies of foods for bass and bream have been made during the past six years by Mr. A. D. Aldrich, Superintendent of the Tulsa Municipal Fisheries. During that time he has planted in Tulsa's 2,500 acres of municipal waters, 2,270,000 fingerling fish.

Instead of the usual method of letting the young bass feed on minute insect life and forage minnows placed in the ponds for that purpose, Aldrich concocted a food that produced a surprising number of nice medium-sized fish. The main item, protein, is supplied from tankage, or meat scraps. To this he added an equal amount of corn meal and cotton seed meal. This was then mixed with water and cooked about an hour. The mash is then smoothed out in shallow cookie pans which have been sprinkled liberally with dry, ground shrimp. He then let the mash cool over night, and cut it in small chunks. To prevent the pieces from becoming sticky, he rolled them in more shrimp meal. The shrimp meal was also found to make the food more palatable to the finicky bass—in fact, they wouldn't eat the mash without the fancy trimmings of shrimp. This food kept them from feeding on their younger brothers and sisters—one of the characteristics of this gamey fish—and cost a little less than 2 cents a pound.

Several other mid-western states are also experimenting in the artificial feeding of bass. Dr. T. H. Langlois has done excellent   OUTDOOR NEBRASKA 11 work in Ohio, while Mr. Fred Westerman has made good headway in Michigan. In the East, Mr. Charles O. Hayford has had success with both trout and bass for the State of New Jersey at Hackettstown.

One of the interesting phases of artificial feeding is the attempt to increase natural food by fertilization. This was first studied for the federal bureau by Doctors Davis and Wiebe and later by O. Lloyd Meehean. The former carried on their experiments at the Fairport, Iowa, station, while Mr. Meehean worked in southern hatcheries. More recently these studies have been extended at the excellent federal experimental hatchery at Leetown, West Virginia, and new facilities for such work are being acquired by a federal station in Florida. If chemical action can produce more crops to the acre of land, it seems reasonable to believe that chemicals can likewise produce more aquatic vegetation and insect life upon which most small fish feed.

The second factor—management of the natural waters where fish are to be stocked —is perhaps the most important of all and yet the one about which we have done the least. It is quite generally recognized by all fish culturists that we cannot hope to meet the demands of the anglers unless a very large proportion of replacements come from natural propagation, and unless we give much more consideration to stream and lake improvement. Far too little study has been given to the small fish and his environment after he leaves the hatchery or nursery.

Here is what U. S. Commissioner Bell has to say on this problem: "In view of the remarkable increase in the artificial propagation of trout and other game fish during the past few years, it is surprising that so little attention has been paid to the life and activities of these fish after being liberated in natural waters. Yet the whole success of artificial stocking is dependent on a suitable environment and the ability of the fish to adjust themselves quickly to their new surroundings. For this reason the Bureau of Fisheries is now placing special emphasis on field investigations to provide the basic information essential for the development of a comprehensive policy of scientific fish management."

The problems incidental to pond, stream and lake management are many. It involves first a determination of the productive capacity of the waters. This means how much natural propagation can be expected and how much artificial must be made to bring maximum production about. Next the carrying capacity must be determined—how many fish can be sustained by the food supply available. Next we must decide on the necessary restrictions in fishing to regulate the yield and save sufficient brood stock.

In developing a stocking policy for any area Mr. Bell goes on to say that it has become apparent that the assessment of fish production capacity is the first and most important step. This can be ascertained only by an intensive stream or lake survey which will measure and describe the extent and character of fishing waters, the fitness of the physical, biological and chemical environment, the available food supply, the presence or absence of enemies and predators, and the standing crop of food and game fish already present.

Among the states tackling stream and lake management is the State of California. "It is our belief," says Mr. Herbert C. Davis, Executive Officer of the Division of Fish and Game, "that the greatest opportunities for fish cultural advance lie in the field of fish planting and environmental control. To this end, we no longer make allotments of fish to individuals or clubs. Beginning in 1937, all planting is being done by our hatchery force working under a definite plan. The first part of this plan was a systematic collection of physical data regarding each lake and stream in the state. This was, of course, not completed immediately in a state with an area of 155,000 square miles, but material has now been gathered covering most of our streams and lakes which are being planted, and the work is being continued township by township. The physical data collected by these stream surveys is to be augmented by biological information gathered by district biologists. We have inaugurated this program in the belief that it will give us better returns for our fish culture activities without any great increase in the size or number of fish which we are now planting. Starting this year, however, we have set certain minimum sizes for the fish to be planted."

Several studies involving experimental stocking, a census of fish populations and the yield taken by anglers are being conducted by the Institute of Fisheries Research at the University of Michigan, under the direction of Dr. A. S. Hazzard, and by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, under the direction of Dr. Edward Schneberger. The State of New York, for the past several years, has conducted extensive stream surveys which have had their effect upon the stocking program of that state. Four test streams have been set aside by the State of Vermont to be stocked year aftor year according to predetermined plans, and the total catch of anglers is carefully checked. Similar test plantings are made in the Pisgah Forest, North Carolina, and in portions of the George Washington Forest of Virginia and West Virginia. The U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, in cooperation with the U. S. Forest Service, is conducting a survey in a number of national forests to gauge the effects of various systems of planting on angling conditions.

In order to provide a fish for every hook and not make it too long between bites, Commissioner Bell believes that the following steps must be taken:

To provide more funds for increased fish production, both as to number and size.

To conduct more intensive stream and lake surveys and, to a limited degree, apply stream improvement methods as a result of these surveys.

To place the distribution more in the hands of the fish cultural employees themselves, with less dependence upon the services of the applicants in making the actual plants.

A further requirement, in his opinion, is that when new artificial reservoirs or lakes are created for flood control purposes, hydro-electric power, or other reasons, there should be provision for fish cultural facilities as a part of the original project. Where such works are undertaken under governmental auspices, the original plans should include hatchery or rearing ponds below the dams or at other suitable ponds so that the newly created reservoir may be self-supporting as far as fish production is concerned.

It may be a big job to provide millions of our citizens with good fishing, but it can be done. We have the natural resources, and we have the man power.

THE SPAWNING HABITS OF FISH

The spawning habits of fish divide them into two classes. The first class includes the so-called more primitive type of fish. They usually deposit a large number of eggs and then leave the incubation, hatching and care of the young fry to chance. Examples of fish that have such spawning habits are paddle fish, sturgeon, gar, carp and many other of the larger fish.

An exception to such classical examples that have similar habits in this group are yellow perch and the "wall-eyes". These random spawners scatter their eggs in clumps over a rather large area, either on rocky and gravelly bottoms where insect larvae may be abundant food for the young fish when they emerge, or the eggs may be scattered in shallow water among the aquatic plants where certain minute animals or plants will exist in sufficient quantities to supply the young .fish with food, as many young fish eat plant material. Some young fish feed, from the beginning, on animal life.

The amount of eggs deposited by fish will depend upon the size of the fish. A five-pound female carp will deposit nearly five hundred thousand eggs during the spawning season. Wall-eyed pike will deposit from fifty thousand to as high as three hundred thousand, the number, of course, depending upon the size of the female. Sturgeon may lay many more than this as these fish grow to great size.

The second group of fish have more methodical spawning habits and build nests that are hollow-like craters in the silt or gravel bottom of the pond or lake. Here the eggs are deposited by the female and fertilized by the male, and then carefully guarded usually by the male, until after hatching. The nest building habits are typical of the basses, crappie and sunfishes.

Either the small-mouth or large-mouth black bass will deposit from fifteen hundred to as high as ten thousand eggs; the usual average runs from thirty-five hundred to five thousand. Here again the number of eggs deposited depends upon the size of the female. BluegiU will run a higher average than the basses—from five to ten thousand. This is also true of the crappie.

Some of the minnows carefully fasten their eggs to the underside of floating vegetation, sticks or stones that may be in the water. These fish naturally are not as prolific as large fish. These masses of eggs will run from two hundred to four or five hundred eggs in each place.

Some of the fish that live in swiftly moving streams deposit their eggs in loose gravel and then cover them lightly with coarse gravel and sand to protect them from predators and keep them from washing away. Such fish, of course, do not deposit many eggs and it is probable that no parental care is given to the eggs once they have been covered.

The eggs of fish are, of course, living things and must have sufficient oxygen, proper temperature and other environmental conditions favorable for organisms living in water.

The spawning habits of fish and the species of fish present in a lake or stream dictate where spawning signs must be placed to protect the fish and their eggs during the spawning period. If boats are pushed into shallow areas among rushes where eggs have been deposited, much injury to the spawning area will result.

Likewise, if any sort of wading, either by man or cattle is allowed, the nest building fish, such as the crappie, bluegill and bass, will, of course, be chased away from their circular nests among the rushes, and very likely the nests will be obliterated.

The provision and protection of spawning areas holds equal importance with proper food supply and other environmental conditions necessary to promote good fishing.—Iowa Conservation News.

SURVEY BEGINS FUR FARM INVENTORY

The U. S. Biological Survey has begun a nation-wide inquiry to assemble basic statistics on fur farms of the country.

First of its kind and extent in the United States, the project has been started by sending questionnaires to individual fur farmers on Bureau mailing lists. Fur trade associations and other agencies are cooperating by making other lists available. The Biological Survey is also requesting state directors of extension work and county agricultural agents to furnish the Bureau names of fur farmers in the various counties.

Individual fur farmers who do not receive questionnaires are requested to write to the Biological Survey, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C

Data obtained through the questionnaires will be assembled and tabulated with the help of WPA workers on a project established in the Biological Survey's Section of Fur Resources. The information compiled will be made available, but individual returns will be confidential.

"This inventory," says Bureau Chief Ira N. Gabrielson, "will provide basic information that has long been needed by the fur industry and individual fur farmers, as well as by governmental and research agencies. No one now knows even the number of fur farms in this country. Such statistics are available for Canada: Norway and some other countries, but only estimates have been made for the United States. These vary from 15,000 to 30,000 for the number of fur farms and from $20,000,000 to $50,000,000 for the investments involved, and such widely varying estimates have little usefulness. Few statistical facts are thus available to furnish even a partial picture of the fur farming industry at a given time or, what is more important, to show the tendencies within the industry. With the importance of fur farming not generally appreciated and because of the lack of statistical background, support is frequently uncertain for financial and government support or for needed research programs."

Data requested on the questionnaire include market value of fur farms and animals, number of employees and wages paid during 1937, acres of muskrat marshes maintained, and numbers of muskrats taken on the marshes. Detailed statistics are also requested on silver foxes, cross foxes, red foxes, minks, martens, fishers, raccoons, chinchillas and beavers. These include the highest price and the average price received for live animals and for pelts, the number of animals on January 1 and December 31, and the number of animals born, purchased, sold, died and killed during the year. The number of pelts sold is also requested.

SOME FISHING DO'S AND DON'TS

DO wet your hands carefully before handling undersized fish that are to be returned to the water. A dry hand will remove a protective covering of lubricant, making the fish susceptible to attacks by bacteria.

DO handle undersized fish gently and return them to the water carefully, so they will survive uninjured and provide better sport and more food for some other angler—even if it isn't you.

DO use barbless hooks whenever you can. Such hooks provide better sport and make it possible to return undersized fish to the water with their mouths uninjured.

DO observe creel and size limits.

DO watch for tagged fish and report them to the agency doing the tagging. Only in this way can movements and growth rates be checked to help improve your sport.

DO watch your footing while wading. Even the best of swimmers are sometimes at a loss when hampered by heavy boots and clothing in swift streams.

DO study fishing streams and urge improvements.

DO take a militant part in the fight against pollution.

DO cooperate with your local game and fish agency in every way possible.

DON'T venture into the woods without a first aid kit and a knowledge of first aid in the outdoors.

DON'T be careless with fires or cigarettes. More than 90 per cent of all forest fires in the United States are man-caused and, therefore, preventable.—The American Wildlife Institute.

PORK RIND PRESERVATIVES

While the Bureau has no publication on the subject of pork rind preservatives, the following formula is suggested as a guide and not an infallible recipe. A certain amount of experimental work will be necessary.

Cut pork skin into strips of the desired size, freeing the skin from the fat. Then place in a 90° salinometer brine (one that will float a potato), seeing that it is totally submerged. Allow it to remain here until the brine has "struck through." (This will require about 48 hours.) Then remove and drain. The skin may be bleached by soaking for a few hours in dilute hydrochloric or acetic acid, either before or after brine-curing. When the skin is well drained, pack it in bottles with a little glycerine and sufficient 10 to 20 per cent formaldehyde solution to cover. Sodium benzoate may be used in place of formaldehyde.

MISCELLANEOUS

A good recipe for oil for dry flies is: Dissolve Va cake paraffin in Vz pint of gasoline.

For restoring sticky or worn out lines: Soak in some mineral oil, such as Nujol, then dress with a line dressing such as Cereline or Muciline.

ANGLING ANCIENT ART

Fishing is at least 3,938 years old on the records. A mural estimated to have been in existence in 2,000 B. C. depicts a man standing on a rock in the river fishing with a short rod and line.—The American Wildlife Institute.

Fort Niobrara Game Preserve, Nebraska

and after reaching the maximum number of seventeen in 1932, the band steadily decreased. The last members either died from, natural causes or were killed by coyotes during the winter of 1936-37.

About 8,000 acres in the southern part of the preserve, which was considered well suited to maintain antelope under restricted range conditions, were enclosed with a big-game fence. The topography is varied, including plains and rolling sand hills covered with wild prairie grasses, weeds, plum thickets, hackberries and other shrubs. In the spring of 1936, 34 young antelope, picked up soon after birth on their fawning grounds in South Dakota and Wyoming, were transported to this new pasture, some of them coming from a distant point in Wyoming by airplane. Every effort was made to rear them, and every means possible was taken to safeguard them, but they gradually succumbed to disease or were killed by coyotes. There are no antelope on the preserve now, but attempts will probably be made to establish another herd.

The big-game animals on the Fort Niobrara Game Preserve in April, 1938, included 108 buffalo, 27 elk, 7 white-tailed deer and 5 mule deer.

In May, 1936, six Texas Longhorns were transferred from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma to the Fort Niobrara Preserve, and in the following spring each of the four 3-year-old heifers gave birth to a sturdy calf. Although the Texas Longhorns cannot be classed as a game animal, the species, now rapidly disappearing, is of much interest because it is so closely associated with the early history of the West. It is, therefore, desirable that its perpetuation be assured.

Many smaller mammals, all native to the region, are found on the Fort Niobrara Preserve. Among these are the beaver, muskrat, mink, civet cat, weasel, raccoon, skunk, opossum, red squirrel, coyote and bobcat. Sometimes a white porcupine is seen.

The principal birds occurring on the Fort Niobrara Game Preserve throughout the year are sharp-tailed grouse, quail, prairie chickens, upland plover and Chinese pheasants. A large number of insectivorous and song birds nest within the boundaries, and golden and bald eagles frequent the area in winter. Considerable numbers of waterfowl rest on the waters within the preserve during migration, and many mallards winter there. About 250 species of birds have been recorded on the preserve.

The big-game animals soon taxed the capacity both of the original pasture fenced in 1912 and of the 230-acre pasture enclosed in 1918, so that it became necessary to provide additional range. Under funds appropriated by Congress, a 4,500-acre pasture on the north side of the Niobrara River was fenced in 1923. Funds from the appropriation for the relief of unemployment were allotted in 1931 for the improvement of the preserve, and, after the purchase of some 555 acres of privately owned lands within the boundaries, a big-game pasture containing 2,500 acres between the highway and the south side of the river was fenced. This pasture made it possible to build corrals for use in handling the animals and in obtaining them for breeding and exhibition purposes. Previously it had been necessary to butcher all surplus animals removed from the herds. The animals in the new south pasture can be seen from the highway and are much more accessible to the public. The buffalo and elk are transferred to this pasture each fall and winter, and a few are also maintained in exhibition pastures near headquarters.

Emergency funds also made possible the construction of a modern administration building.

Civilian Conservation Corps camps maintained on the Fort Niobrara Preserve during the third, fifth, sixth and seventh camp periods carried out extensive developments and improvements. Many miles of truck and horse trails were built, a 255-foot steel and concrete bridge with a ten-foot roadway was constructed across the Niobrara River at a favorable site east of headquarters, and 26 dams were built on small spring-fed creeks, creating ponds for water conservation and resting places for waterfowl and other migratory birds. Aquatic plants that furnish the most suitable food for ducks have been planted in them. Several ponds were enclosed with "vermin"-proof fences and others with stock-proof fences. Numerous plots within the fenced areas on the preserve are annually planted with various grains for the production of food and cover for wildlife.

Within the Fort Niobrara Game Preserve are three beautiful waterfalls formed by spring-fed creeks dropping over brule clay cliffs, through which the Niobrara River has cut its channel. The spray created by these falls of crystal-clear water keeps the surrounding air cool and fresh during the hottest days of summer. Horseshoe bends with vertical cliffs approximately 100 feet high occur at several places along the course of the river, and on the south side where sloping sand hills intersect the brule clay, spring water seeps and trickles over the cliffs. During the winter, at one such place, a vertical sheet of ice in horseshoe shape is formed, presenting a striking scene. Both deciduous and coniferous trees grow along the river and creeks, furnishing contrasts in various shades of green; and south of the river on the hills that are covered with birch, elm, cedar and western yellow pine, these contrasts are especially noticeable.

Most of the preserve is accessible by automobile or horse, and the big-game animals have become so accustomed to the proximity of visitors with cars and horses that they can be viewed at close range without being disturbed.

The museum located at headquarters contains collections of specimens of wildlife, plants and fossils found on the preserve. Two fossil beds of the lower Pliocene and the upper Miocene periods, from which the skeletons and fragments of bones of more than twenty extinct species of animals have been collected, are located on the preserve. Among these specimens are bones of the three-toed horse and of extinct forms of the antelope, rhinoceros, elephant and camel. R. S. Stirton, professor of paleontology at the University of California, cooperated in collecting, classifying, preserving and arranging the fossil exhibit. Specimens of about 75 varieties of plants have been collected with the aid of Professor Tolstead of the University of Iowa.

NOTICE! Fish Regulations, State of Nebraska

THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS are prescribed by the GAME, FORESTATION and PARKS COMMISSION, State of Nebraska, in accordance with Section 37-301, Compiled Statutes 1929, as amended by Session Laws 1937, L. B. No. 312, Serial No. 170, after due investigation and having due regard to the distribution, abundance, economic value, breeding habits, migratory habits and causes of depletion or extermination of the same in such designated waters or areas and having due regard to the volume of fishing practiced therein and climatic, seasonal and other conditions affecting the protection, preservation and propagation of the same in such waters or areas, and are EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 1937.

I HEREBY CERTIFY that these regulations have been fixed, prescribed and published according to law and that same have been placed on file in the office of the Commission and a certified copy thereof sent by registered mail to the clerk and sheriff of each county, the whole or part of which is affected thereby, not less than fifteen days before the taking effect of same.

Dated at Lincoln, Nebraska, this 17th day of August, 1937.

The following fishing, hunting and trapping areas, open seasons, bag and possession limits are fixed, prescribed and published, effective September 1, 1937:

It shall be unlawful, except in the Missouri River under commercial permit, to take a daily bag or have more than twenty-five (25) fish of all species combined in possession at any one time.

All fish caught that are under the size limits enumerated above must be returned to the water at once with as little injury as possible.

"Daily bag" means fish taken from Midnight to Midnight.

"Possession any time" means fish in possession of person taking same at any and all times.

Carp, buffalo, suckers and other non-game fish may be taken with hook and line at any time without limits on size, bag or possession.

It is POSITIVELY FORBIDDEN to take the legal bag of fish and return to fishing: waters and take another bag the same day. Fishermen are warned that persons so doing will be prosecuted and full damages of $5.00 per fish assessed.

Certain state-owned lakes are not open at all times or hours to fishing. The following information, which is posted at the lakes is for your information:

Owing to repairs this lake will not be opened to fishing until May 1 (June 15 for bass). Open after those dates on all days for rest of season. Fishing hours 4 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily. Bag, 15 game fish, 5 of which may be bass in proper open season.

This lake will not open until May 1, and then only on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each week. Fishing hours 4 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily. The bag limit on fish is not more than 10 in any one day, all species combined.

Louisville and Fremont Sand Pits open daily April 1 to November 30. Fishing hours from 4 A.M. to 10 P.M. Bag limit, 15 game fish, 5 of which may be trout, during proper open seasons on these species.

Open daily April 1 to November 30. Fishing hours 4 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily. Bag limit, on crappies not more than 10 in any one day.

Open daily April 1 to November 30. Fishing hours 4 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily. Bag limit, 15 game fish, 5 of which may be bass taken during proper open season.

Open daily from April 1 to October 1. Daily bag and possession limit, 25 game fish, 5 of which may be trout and 5 of which may be bass during proper open season on these species. Fishing hours 4 A.M. to 10 P.M.

Open daily April 1 to November 30. Bag limit, not more than 5 bass a day during proper open season. Fishing hours 4 A.M. to 10 P.M. daily.

No fishing is permitted at any state-owned lakes from 10 P.M. to 4 A.M.

Do not use other than regular lines attached to poles having not more than two hooks thereon and not more than two lines to any one person.

Good Sportsmanship is Good Conservation PRACTICE IT!