New-York tribune., 1868-12-17
FISH-CULTURE.

l.t"' ,,a-,'n - srATEs - DESTRUCTION OF
TrorT AND sALMON-OUR Flslh'IEo Oo"-
MISSION AND THE GAME LAWS
TIcre is q history of fishes older than the MS
tory Of any Of the other animals and IL was written
80, hcfore Adam and Eve walked among the hoWels
fT1oo Iuuumerable ages have rolled away SINCE
49, S,irit Of God moved upon the waiers.yet to-day
orr children NAV 70 out among the rocks and NILS
and read the wonderful story OF tnat pelod "heh
creation was a bOundless ocean.
The first mention of fishing by profane writer's,
Oosmade by Diodorus Sculus of Moeris about l,4OO
wears before Christ Homer also alludes to 1t III his
uiad Aristotle is said TO have been tho first naur-
olist who regarded fish a distinct class OF animals
and Plny was the next who appears to have devoted
much attention to tins subject. We find frequent
,entou made of fishes in the Old Testament. In the
early ages the most primitive methods were en-
ploved i'm catching them and even now among i ui,I
civilized people tsh are taken with blankets i1ilu
sheep skins IN many countries thgy take 'uo If ~
of money. the same as cOwue shells 90 III c ~ ~,
Africa The arts of breeding and fattening lsl Welo
well known to the AnCients, ana many . s'o -,
told of the peculiar flavor which the hoais h; MAN,
SIM he spet which Imculus excayated at great cost
under the rocky promontory near Eatv, ~, ,,d ahh
through the hli that the tIdo A''Sn' H0" ''''N
IIortensius constructed large ponds and employed
vast number OF fishermen 20 l!o1So t 70 Co. hc
Yet he bought fish for MS 10, I ~. w
fLonobt more of his own than he did OF his saves
Gains Hrrius is said to have set the nrst example
Fsh-ronds i'm Rome. The creeks were alsO iuIu VI
GL Irt tbev did not carry the art to Such an excess
as The Romans In these times costly banqueiS were
given by the epicures, and II was customary toL VIC
fb 10 lie exhibited alive to the guests as they were
Lrought in to the banquet halls The nsh we're theh
mt under the tables in tanks OF water, where lhey
remained during the feast to be taken OUT as re-
onired Many of the best ancient writers WIOie
rolns and tTeatiSes fish and hsli-catchhg' III Is
sald that the art of psclcuitufe was n"lUNeI3 n3
from the Chinese, who gathered eggs ana hulseu
fishes from very early date. The plan pIac,
ticed by them was to skim off the lmpreghateu
ova from rivers during the spawning soaSon'
The Chinese have given more attenIioh 20 p pS-
cicultuTe than any other nah0n. flsh cu5.,I{c cuf{
hitherto has been almost exclusively coninedt to iesh
water except what little has been done by ltGlsia-
tion in protecting herring. Reservoirs Tor growing
fresh-water fishes common IN The remote agts'
We find ausOns to the fish ponds OF EGYPT ia lstau %
chap xix. verses s. 9. Sweden, france alI ueI-
many have taken the lead III encouIagins nsn ISL & OuI
ture' England has never prosecuted TINS ART very
Vigoronsly or with view to make 1t OF lnucn IIaG
tical value. The most important bTanch OF plscleul
ture is the breeding of nsl aItncllly, ahu IoHlIhS
tLcn until thrv are able TO take of themselves
no do this reunires that they be fed by mana ana pro-
toctcd from fish and water reptiles while young but
small percentage of the eggs ever come TO me- anu
only few of the young fishes reach the taoie Nntn %
grown in the natural way IheTe Is nuch ulSph'o pth
among pisccuturistS as to who flrsJ ntrOduce9 ihe
present method of propagaung hsh aItilTIai,s44 ~
MANY claim that the art was hrst Piactceu pE . VI.
Pemy n Door fisherman who lived by ishlng from
tSe Streams of La Bresse in the NoSagcs. This al
lered discovery OF the lost art OF lsh-DTeeuihs IL
said to have been quite accidental on lIe palt VI
Remy. The story is generally doubted, however,
and we have the highest authority Tor saying thaJ
tbe discovery was made in Scotland by naive.
Mr. Shaw of DTumlauTig. who was game-keeper1or
Che Duke OF Beccuegh in Scotland, after observing
long the habits of both salmon and trout became
ccnyinced that the parr shoult and grSe, were all
members OF the salmon family and IN 1897 ne pun
lished an article the subject in Biacrroods Haga-
cine. This intensified What was then known @ as me
PaIT controversy, which continued until 1871, Wheh
Gehin and Reny OF the NOSages IN france estsiO-
lished what they had been convinced OIL py @ lhe
Monks and jacob, time before. nanely the DOS
sbity of stripping female nsh OF INC salmon geg"
and stripping male fish immediately atterEard ot
% Which, Which iaPg m o9 Ine o2es o' GbeTe the watr @
moved slowly through, at temperature OF from 90
TO 70o the eggs would hatch within IRON 80 TO I2O
days. For this the French Government gave Messrs:
Gehin and Reny permission TO improve the waters OF
France 1T its expense. The result was the
founding of the gigantic sh-nuTsery and egg depot
greatest piscieultural establishment IN the world;
The place is Tilted with egg boxes and reservoirs ara
millions of eggs are received annually and sent TO
all parts of Europe. IheeRgs are principally brought
from the streams Of Switzerland and Germany en-
braoing the front and salmon species OF the Danube
and Rhine People are appointed to capture gravd
fish of these various kinds and having done so 10 COM
municate the fact TO Huningge Experts are at once
sent ont to strip the fish Of their spawn which Is
brought in and packed IN resting boxes" where IL
is watched until sold These eggs packed in little
boxes with wet and transported long distances
with success The period consumed in Matching va
Iies in different climates At Stormontiied; where
fhe eggs have no shelter the usual time Ii about l:5
davs Inf salmon ova have been known TO burst in
mich less time and to WELD fine healthy fish. Great
care must be observed in handling the Oya
The eggs at Huningne are carefully assorted on their
arrival and list of the good ones entered IN book
Such OF the as becomes added IS rom day 10
day removed. The demand for eggs IS greater than
the supply. The fish most difficult 10 propagate rs
the OaLIe cheDGLG. OF some species more than ~
per cent are lost The cost IS usually twelve hVing
fish for penny Upward Of 100000 OF ish were
-nnt out from Huningue during the hrst ten years
seding boxes have be- laid down at StormoDt-
II Id near Perth capable OF containing yast M numbers
1853 and from the end Of November until the latter
part of December 100000 oya were received, these
coming to life the following April; remained in the
boxes and ponds from one 10 two years before they
assumed the scales of smOlt, when they were
DESTROYED by migratory insect. Usually this mode
of fish culture is successful but of course. like all
other business. IL has its draw backs.
Excellent results have been obtained at the fish
cries Of LOuChs Mask and Cara by the Messrs Ash
worth. The latest experiments with salmon con-
sisted in introducing that fish into Australia. The
eggs were packed IN ice, and sent out by fastsallng
vessels On reaching their destination the eggs
gere removed to suitable rIYcT, where they soon
burst into life. Since the opening OF the estab-
shnent at Huningue fish culture or wateT-faTning
has increased in interest faster, probably, than any
other one branch Of animal culture.
DR. J. " C.. Smith Of Boston, in bis excellent his
tory of the Massachusetts, fisheries, says " 1t is
singular and interesting fact that our system OF
tree schools took its iiSe in Plymouth Colony, based
npon the revenue derived from the fisheries The
subject was considered in 1863. in the Colony COnrt,
by the following propositions: IL IS proposed by the
Court unto the several townships in this jurisdiction
as a thing that they ougit to take INTO serious
siderahOD, that some course may be taken IN every
town that there may be a schOOlmaster set up 10
train up children to reading and writing IN 1870
the Court granted for school purposes all such profit
as shoad accrue annually TO the Colony froG fishing
The school at Plymouth supported by the pro-
ceeds of the Cac fishery until 1917, when they were
distributed amoug several towns fOr the same pur-
pose. After the union of Massachusetts with Ply
mouth in 1892 this fishery became free. Many OF the