Related article: moderate outlay. For some years
past the stock in the upper part
has gradually diminished, and a
careful inspection of this portion
during the months of July and
August last failed to reveal a
single trout or grayling in the
first two miles. Buxton is a
town of increasing size and im-
portance, its present population
being above 4,500, and the sew-
age after treatment is discharged
into the Wye at a point a short
distance below the town. The
local authorities have admittedly
neglected to keep pace with the
increase of buildings, with the
result that a most unpleasant and
insanitary odour arises from the
river immediately below the ef-
fluent.
Extensive works are now in
progress by which in the opinion
of some authorities not only will
the present nuisance be removed,
but the result will be achieved of
making the district as healthy
and well drained as any in the
kingdom. There are, however, a
considerable number of residents
and visitors who predict that the
large expenditure undertaken by
the Local Board will only have the
effect of shifting the objectionable
deposit a certain distance lower
down the river, thus, perhaps,
relieving the immediate vicinity
of the town of the dreadful stench
and passing it on to the inhabi-
tants of Miller's Dale or some
adjoining village. None but an
expert with full knowledge of the
a66
baily's magazine.
[October
details could pretend to foretell
which opinion will be borflt out
by the stem logic of facts.
As to whether the disappearance
of the fish is due to the sewage
pollution is a difficult question to
decide. Purchase Mometasone Online Certainly it is strange that
trout and grayling should still be
seen in the part of the river flow-
ing through the public gardens
which are above the sewage outlet
and that they should have gradu-
ally decreased and eventuallv dis-
appeared from the part of the
river which is obviously affected
by the sewage. Proprietors and
lessees of fisheries lower down the
river must be on their guard.
They must remember that the
first effects of sewage pollution are
to prevent the fertilised ova from
hatching and kill off fry and small
fish which cannot be easily de-
tected. When, however, the
pollution has reached the stage
of killing or driving away the
adult fish it is too late for them to
do more than recover pecuniary
damages, but their sport is de-
stroyed for many years to come.
In reference to the length be-
tween Bake well and Rowsley, the
conditions under which tickets are
issued, as indicated in an earlier
part of this article, have been in
force for many years. The dis-
tance by road is about four miles,
and following the turns of the
river would probably not make it
less than double that length. It
consists of a series of shallows
and pools, and no one with the
smallest experience could walk
along the banks without being
impressed by its matked capa-
bilities as a fly-fishing water. It
is, therefore, not surprising that
it should be one of the most fre-
quented fisheries in the kingdom,
and no doubt the landlords of the
two hotels empowered to grant
tickets to their visitors derive a
considerable profit from this privi-
lege and indirectly, probably the
freeholder shares in the benefit.-
There are comparatively few
days in the season when less than
eight or ten rods can be seen on
the water. A mere casual con-
versation will elicit the informa-
tion that sport is usually very
poor, that it is quite exceptional
to find any number of trout rising
during the hours of daylight and
that the bags are unsatisfactory,
not only in regard to the number,
but also as to the average size of
the fish killed. The habitue of the
water usually walks from one
favourite pool or spot to another,
passing over long intermediate
stretches of water, as he knows
exactly where he can expect to
find the sizeable trout. The
grayling, though small, are more
abundant than the trout, and the
casual visitor's catch is generally
made up of one or two brace of
salmo thymallus averaging some-
thing under half a pound.
A number of theories are ad-
vanced to account for the dearth
of sport. According to some the
water is overfished to such an ex-
tent that the trout are rendered
too shy to rise at any fly, natural
or artificial. This is scarcely
credible as all of us have had the
experience of waters quite as
much overfished as this, and yet
with a good batch of fly the trout
in them rise and are killed by
those who can fish. Anglers of
another school sagely opine that
at some remote period Purchase Mometasone the stock
of trout was seriously reduced and
that some stocking was under-
taken to supply the place of those
killed and for some mysterious
reason the trout thus introduced
do not take to surface food. This
argument contains two palpable
absurdities — firstly, that stocking
operations on anything like an
adequate scale, could be carried
out without the full facts being
1897.]
DONCASTER REFLECTIONS.
267
known on the spot ; and secondly,
that* it is possible to find a stfain
of trout, either naturally bred or
emanating from the pisciculturist's
ponds which could refrain from
feeding Order Mometasone Online on the natural fly when
hatching in considerable numbers,
and never be deluded by the imi-
tation floating over them.
Seeing that on the lengths im-
mediately above even during the
most unfavourable weather an
angler can always find sufficient
rising fish to keep him occupied,
and as on the Bakeweil to Rows-
ley water he can often wander
about daring the* entire ddy and
not see a single trout feeding on
the surface, there is only one feasi-
ble and reasonable argument to
advance, viz., that the trout are
not there, and if the reputation of
so good a river is to be preserved
some serious steps must be taken
on Generic Mometasone a scale commensurate with the
extent of the fishing, and without
delay to introduce new stock into
this portion of the Wye.
Frederic M. Halford.