Before coming to Clemson in July 1955, I was associated with the Long Vegetable Fiber Research Lab in Belle Glade, FL. Our three main sources of fiber were kenaf, ramie and sansevieria. Sansevieria, commonly called "Mother-in-Law's Tongue", is a favorite indoor plant. Our research included the development of machinery for planting, harvesting and processing the three sources of fiber. Our facilities were located on the grounds of a Univ. of Florida Experiment Station. Ramie and kenaf did well on the muck in the Belle Glade area but we had to find a spot more suitable for sansevieria.
We found a 50 acre plot near Lantana, about 35 miles from Belle Glade, that met the needs for our research. The plot was located near one of the major flood control canals. This gave us access to water for irrigation and a means to move water off the area when we had heavy rains. The water level was maintained by utilizing a "two-way" or reversible pump.
Adjoining our plot was an abandoned plot with a small canal about three feet wide and a water level of about 12" to 20" deep. The canal was teeming with bream (we also called them stump knockers), most being about the size of my hand. I was in charge of this project so I took several laborers with me on the days we had work to do there. I started taking several fish hooks, cord and a bucket with me and catching a bucket full of fish. I gave most of the fish to the laborers and the remainder went into the canal around our plot. Anything I put on the hook for bait was successful. I suppose those bream had never had anything other than what they found in the canal.