Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/229

 FISH CULTURE 221 is in fine condition when the pure species are out of season. In Russia the sterlet has been propagated with complete success, the fish emerging from the egg in seven days after fecundation. The Canadian government for some years have had a fish-breeding establish- ment at Newcastle, Ontario, which is under the charge of Samuel Wilmot, and is chiefly occu- pied in breeding salmon, whitefish, and salmon trout. It formerly sold many salmon eggs in the United States. In December, 1872, there were 350,000 salmon eggs and nearly 1,000,- 000 whitefish eggs in process of incubation. In this establishment neither gravel nor filter- ing boxes are used. The water is brought from the river or creek into a tank in the building, whence it is carried by in. taps into a series of troughs, 12 ft. long, 10 in. wide inside, and 5 in. deep, placed 2 ft. above the floor. Trays made of f in. pine board, 2 ft. long by 9 in. wide, with perforated zinc bottoms, are sus- pended three fourths of an inch from the bot- tom of the troughs, with about 2 in. of water above them. These trays, upon which the eggs are placed, are easily cleaned, and are convenient for the transportation of spawn. In 1872 another establishment was commenced on the Restigouche river, about 9 m. above the mouth of the Matapediac ; and in 1873 two others were built : one on the Miramichi river in New Brunswick, about 5 m. above New- castle; the other on the Dartmouth river at Gaspe. All three are under the direction of Mr. Wilmot. From the establishment at New- castle thousands of salmon fry have been an- nually planted in many streams emptying into Lake Ontario from which salmon had disap- peared. They are now found returning in large numbers, and during the past few seasons hun- dreds have been discovered in the act of laying their eggs. The first recorded experiment in the artificial propagation of fish in the United States was made in South Carolina in 1804. In 1853 Dr. Theodatus Garlick and Prof. H. A. Ackley of Cleveland, Ohio, successfully hatched brook trout, and were followed a few years after (1859) by the successful efforts of Stephen H. Ainsworth of West Bloomfield, N. Y., and subsequently by Seth Green of Mumford, N. Y., Livingston Stone of Charles- town, N. H., and others. The establishment or- ganized by Mr. Green, since transferred to Mr. A. S. Collins, is at the Caledonia springs, which rise from the rocks in the village of Caledonia, Livingston co., N. Y., and supply a brook, which, after a course of about a mile, flows into Allen's creek, a tributary of the Genesee, in the village of Mumford. This stream, which falls about 50 ft. during its course, is one of the most prolific of trout in the country. In places it is very rapid, while in others it flows with a gentle current. The bottom is covered with small white shells and gravel. The water is clear and pure, save a tincture of lime and sul- phur. Its temperature at the springs is 48 the year round, but three quarters of a mile down the creek it rises in the hottest days in summer to 58, and falls at times in winter to 43. Throughout its course the stream swarms with insects and the larvae of flies, which fur- nish abundant food to the trout both winter and summer. Ponds, raceways, hatching houses, &c., have been erected on an extensive scale, and large quantities of ova and fry as well as adult trout are sold annually. A state hatching house was erected here in 1870, which, under the superintendence of Mr. Green, has been used chiefly in breeding salmon trout and whitefish. The establishment of Mr. Stone, known as the Cold Spring trout ponds, is built on two streams, which discharge into the Connecticut, the smaller one, with a hatch- ing capacity of about 5,000,000, being used .chiefly for hatching purposes, while the spawn- ing beds and breeding ponds are on the larger one. The springs that feed the streams are very large, and maintain an even temperature of about 47 from the first of December to the first of May. Besides trout spawn, the ova of salmon have been hatched here in large quan- tities for the New Hampshire fishery commis- sioners, and the experiment of breeding black bass has been undertaken. The salmon eggs have been chiefly obtained from the salmon- breeding waters of the Miramichi river in New Brunswick. With the establishment is connect- ed a farm of 500 or 600 acres, through which flows a stream, the outlet of Monadnock lake, peculiarly adapted to the culture of trout. Other noteworthy trout ponds are those of P. H. Christie at Clove, Dutchess co., N. Y. ; of Dr. J. H. Slack in Warren co., N. J. ; of Col. James M. Thompson at West Springfield, Mass. ; of the Rangeley trout-hatching association at Bema Springs on the head waters of the Andros' coggin river, Franklin co., Me. ; of Mr. H. F. Dousman at Waterville, Wis. ; of Mr. Jackson Crouch at South Jackson, Mich. ; of Mr. N. W. Clark at Clarkston, Mich. ; and of the state hatching house at Niles, Mich. It is stated that 150 persons are engaged in fish culture in the United States, and that the capital invested amounts to $2,000,000. Legislative action was first taken by the New England states, which were followed by others, until now commis- sioners of fisheries exist by law in 15 states, viz. : Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Mas- sachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, Ohio, Michigan, and Cali- fornia. By the act of congress of Feb. 9, 1871, a United States commissioner of fish and fish- eries was provided for, whose duty it was made to prosecute investigations, with a view of ascertaining whether any and what diminution in the number of the food fishes of the coast and lakes had taken place, and to what cause such diminution was due, as well as what remedial measures, if any, should be adopted. Prof. Baird of the Smithsonian institution was appointed commissioner. The efforts of these commissioners have been directed to the re-