Kansas newspaper from 1922
Recently a peculiar thing was found at the Catte Fish Hatcheries near Langdon when a
large bass was found dead, having choked to death while trying to devour a goldfish
nearly as large as himself. The bass are cannibals in their diet and method of feeding and it
is very hard to raise any other fish with bass in the pond.
The female bass lays her eggs and from that time on the male bass takes charge of
matters, setting on the nest and watching over the hatch. The female bass will destroy her
own young if the male did not protect the little ones.
The Catte Hatchery at Langdon is one of the sight-seeing places in western Kansas and
each summer thousands of sight-seers visit the hatchery. The Catte Hatchery is a branch of
the United States Hatchery at Neosho, Missouri, and is the only federal project in the state
of Kansas.
Bass and crappie are the two fish raised at this hatchery and many farmers in the
Langdon community find it profitable to construct farms and raise fish to sell to the
government. The hatcheries are under the Department of Commerce and each spring and
fall government fish cars spend about six weeks working in and out of Langdon
distributing game fish to the entire southwest part of the country, including Kansas,
Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.
Eugene Catte, owner of the place and manager of the hatchery, is known all over the
country as one of the leading fish culturists in the United States. A son, Harold Catte,
recently moved to Meade, Kansas, where he is superintendent of the new state hatchery
being established there.
On an adjoining farm to the Catte place, Mr. Catte raises many kinds and breeds of
goldfish, having one of the few goldfish hatcheries in the United States. Goldfish are
shipped by express from Langdon to all parts of the country.
The Catte farm has another diversion and that is handling of water lilies and bulbs. This
particular line of work is looked after by Miss Mildred Catte, who ships the beautiful
water lilies all over the southwest. At Decoration time thousands of the lilies are shipped
by her and it is at Decoration time that they are fullest with bloom.
The Cattes are all very pleasant folks and are always ready to take a little time to show
visitors over the place and tell them of some of the unusual things that go with the
operation of a fish hatchery.---
