The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-12-21
mind the proverb that "big fish eat up the

fish from salt water, it will of course be nec-
essary to confne the production to those
kinds, like the trout, pickerel, etc, which do
no: require the range Of the ocean for pastu-
rage. For places atfording the proper facii
ties the salmon and the shad are preferable.
If you can command a good never-failing
spring, whose water comes from such depth
as to be always of SO high temperature as
never to freeze entirely over where it issues
from the ground, and where the soil about it
is, or can be made clean and firm. then you
have just the place for rearing the choicest
of trout For less advantageous situation,
choose the pickerel, horn-pout, etc. The
points in the cut marked \, are springs, the
heads of which are formed into pools of a
bout thirty feet in diameter and eighteen in
ches deep, the bottoms being overlaid with
gravel. b is the Matching house containing
a series Of wooden boxes, each eighteen In
ches long, eight inches wide and six inches
deep, SO arranged that the water flows sue
cessiyely from one to the other, the first one
of the series being considerably higher than
the last. Clean gravel to the depth of two
inches is placed in them, over and among
which the impregnated eggs are scattered,
care being taken not to have them in piles
or masses. The current of the stream pass
ing through the boxes, should be SO gentle
that it will not pile up the eggs against the
lower side, and the utmost cleanliness must
be observed during the period of incubation.
The lower SIDE of each box, where the water
runs Oft, should be provided with wire cloth
fine enough to prevent the escape of the eggs
Or young fish. After the young fry attain to
the size of an inch in length, or are old e.
nough to take fooG, they ale transferred from
the boxes to the upper pond, where they re-
main year; they are then let into the pond
by means Of spout or conductor, with a
gate at the upper end. Another year spent
in this division increases the size of the fish
SO as to make it safe to pass them one step
lower, and after year there if we'll fed, they
are ready for the table. The pools and up
per ponds are supplied every year by Sue
tessiye crops SO as to stock each part to It's
proper capacity.
The distance between the second and third
ponds, as shown IN the cut is greatly incrca-
,ed by tume, zigzagsed between them. 1t
is thee feet vide, and two feet deep-made
of plank, with partitions ten inches high,
! placed at intervals OF about six feet through
o"t its Who.e extent. \ notch like the letter
is cut in the upper edge of each partition,
! to direct the wate. so as to enable the fish to
pass up. The whole length Of the bottom is
covered with gravel to the depth. of four in
ches. This fume, with this arrangement for
running water. is intended as Il spawning
place for the fishes in the lower pond
for, although it is not necessary
to have them spawn there naturally, it is in.
dispensable that they have the facilities of
shallow running water, or they will never at.
tain a condition to be bred from ar,ifcialy
From this tlume the parent fish are caught
in nets at the proper time and the spawn Ia
ken, by pressure, as will be presently desert
bed.
After the ponds and conyenierces are pre-
pared the easiest way is to stock the lower
pond with few trout, caught from the near
asst trout stream, the spring before the spaw
ming season, which commences about the frs
Of October. They can be transported day
; ride by railroad or carriage. if put in ice wa
} ter Immediately on being removed from ,hei
[ native stream. When The spawning seaso,
arrives, and the fish are actually on thei
) beds, they are very readily captured in scoop
= nets. when they should be placed in tub o
, bucket of water; the female is then to b
held in the left hand, ard pressure mad
> with the right hand upon her abdomen-
Carry the pressure downward; if the egg
are quite mature, the pressure need be yer
: slight, and the eggs will flow easily The
are 10 be received IN an earl hen vessel, l,arti
filled with clean water. Rinse the eggs i
he water, turn it off and replace it; the
l holding the male in the same manner as tn
] female, press from him into the vessel tn
spermatic fluid. The contents of the vesse
: are then freely stirred, and suffered to renal
about twenty minutes, when the water
again changed. The eggs are then placed
without delay, in the Matching boxes prepal
ed for them.
We have now sufficiently indicated tn
process of breeding fish artifcially to sho
that it requires only suitable place and lin
tied attention to become not only source
pleasure but also Of profit. Of course, n
one would engage in the matter without col
sulting some good treatise on the subject an
learning all that can be taught in regard t
it. Practice would do the rest. There is n
part CT the world where this business coul
be more successfully practiced than New E,
gland. Our soils of granite formation gi,
to our spring water the utmost clearnes
and there is hardly farm which does NJ
afford facilities more or less available for tn
purpose. 1t is very small pond from whic
after the third year, thousand pounds c
fat, delicious fish could not be taken eve,