Litchfield enquirer., 1857-10-22
The Habits of Shad.

Shad spawn on grayely bottoms The
 will never deposit their ova on a muddy c
 movable surface, as they we'll know they wi
 not adherr. Young sLad on their way to tn
 ocean are rarely seen on soft ground, but il
 the vic nty of gravel bottoms, and rock
 shore 1 have seen hundreds of thousands as
 sing down the Hudson in the mouths of Jul, HR1 August Old shad commence ascpndil the Southern rivers in February and March and the Hudson and Connecticut in April. May and June. coming directly from the deep sea in large shoals, searching for spawning ground and immediately after the opera tion, swim witt great rapidity near the bottom towards the ocean and if taken are found thin and unfit fol the abe. Full Sl,ad when they leave the sea | migrate to spawn beyond brackish water, and | usually continue up the stream, if the bot, tom is suitable, until they ar prevented by a dam, CT similar obstruction, which they never attempt to overcome, as salnon do. Th"youn- Shad from spawn deposited l,y tue April run ot spawnerS, when returning down the Hudson, on their way to the ocea", in August, are about the size of large herr,ngS Ii our fiSher- men Were experienced they might shorten the distance daily towards the spawning ground, by which me ms a vast number that now for tnnately escape to spawn would be destroyed
 There is no satisfaction however, in enlight- ening this class of citizens who are so scltisj as to look only to present gai", and are unwiI
 ling to spend half an honra the end of each fishing s'ason, to plant the spawn of dozer shad. each of which would produce fifty thous- aud fish toward the next years supply have endeavorcd to induce the Sat. LcgSla- | tf,v ,,r all fishermen s) 10 do, bat have not been sue ceSsfuI Ifthis plan were pursued for five o six years, our rivers would again teem wit that delicious fish, as they always return, di rectet by instinct, to spawn where tney wcr born. Some years since, in my vicinity on th' Hudson, two thousand shad were taken at a s!n- l. iHu' Of a seine, where now it is . rar occurrence tn entrap three hundred. This on fact plainly shows, that if the present destruc- tive system iS pursued, the supply will 500: fail to meet the d"nanl Two yeas ago arti6cially imnrtgnntnd the ovi of shad Thus ; having rt.a,iy flied pal with water l took a female immediately rom the river ir my left hand and stripped her gently with my right, when the ova, some fifty thousand in number, were forced into the pail. Tine sper matic fluid of the male was then in the sam manner, caused to be discharged into the same pail, and when thoroughly mixed together, the color of the ova changed from a glowing red to a beautiful straw color. Thy were thch placed under fine gravel at the inlet of one 0. my breeding ponds, and running water was permitted to run over tlem At this time my microscope only indicated a single cell in tn" egg. containing straw colored fluid. Forty days afterwards the microscope exposed to tn, view thousands of different sig d cells filled with blood. Two days thereafter 1 plainly saw ey's. Within week thereal'e;, :hous ands of young shad made ther appearance With small appe'dnges att chcd to their bod ies but 1 cou,d not discern with my glass either mouth or gills, lut the heart and blood vessels were plainly scen rhc eyes were large and the pectoral fins were developed At the age of thirteen days, the anal, dorsal and eau dal fins devoid Of rays, cold be seen without the gills and mouth At this period the sack disappeared, and they attempted to eat ; were very lively, and concealed themselves when eny persons approached.
 have also caused old shad to spawn in a breeding pond, and keep them healthy Ky an occasional alp|ic;tou Of fine salt. Their prog eny become flesh water fl ,h
 Fecunded ova of the famous English sole. white bait, trench, carp roach, duce, perch and jack, wrapped in h'nnel cloths, and pack cd in boxes of damp mo s, for ul,, were lost in the illfated Arctic. l intended to plant the ova of the salt water fish in the little bays formed Y the Hudson River Railroad, and have mad. arrangements with NJ. Coste, of Paris a i'd NJ. M,lIet of the French Socete d' Acc'immation, for another shipment, during the next season.
 l offe ed tle Legislature of the State of New York, at its present sitting, through the medium of Senators Kelly and Ferdon, to stock all the waters of the Stte with salmon, at my own expens", If they would pass a law or the preservat:o of the fish until they should become we'll established in the different waters but want of time will probably prevent its pas sage.
 The growth of salmon has been thoroughly proved in the Scotch fisheries, by marking the | fish. The young fry, in four mouths time be tween u e period of leaving their birth place for the sea and their return to spawn, have in creased pounds in we;ght--R. (. Ie1.