Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-08-13

Pioteh VI INV oPuWhihS SSooOh 10 ihuiNo'
ted by movements on the part of the
fish, which furnish a singular illustration
of their unerring instinct. A wooden
trough about thirty feet long by three
wide and four inches deep, covered ON
the bottom with layer of clean gravel,
is SO placed that stream of water, ad-
mitted at the top of the trough through
wire screen, runs slowly down, until it
empties through the lower end (Which is
open) into the breeding pond. Some
time during the month of October, the
fish are seen lying in solid column near
the mouth of the trough, with their
heads pointed cup stream" This is re-
peated for several days, when the female
fish begin to ascend the trough, some
what slowly and doubtfully, as if on
prospecting tour. They then return to
the pond, and when they resume the
journey are accompanied by their mates
each female being escorted by male.
During all these movements the fish
have been carefully watched by Mr..
BridgmaE, as they furnish an infallible
indication as to the correct time for OBJ
tanning the eggs. Selecting the largest
and most promising females, by gentle
pressure of the hand he expresses those
eggs which have reached maturity into
pail partly filled with water. After
several trout have been thus deprived of
their eggs, they are placed in tank by
themselves, preparatory to REPETITION of
the process; for the eggs of the trout are
never all deposited at one time, but at
successive periods as they attain the size
requisite for spawning. An experienced
operator can easily determine by the
touch what proportion of the eggs con-
tained in each fish are ready for the
Matching trough. Over the egg sotaken
and deposited in the pail, the milt of a
few males is expressed, care being taken
that every egg comes into contact with
the milt. The eggs so impregnated are
carefully carried to the Matching house.
Here they are poured into the Matching
troughs-these are long wooden raceways
about eighteen inches wide by six deep,
with layer of clean gravel over which
stream of spring water of uniform
temperature of about 4S0 is kept con-
stantly running. The eggs are so dis
tributed as to prevent them, SO far as is
possible, from contact, each with the
other. This isolation is essential, because
of the danger arising from vegetable
fungus which quickly fastens upon groups
of eggs, spreads from one to another with
great rapidity, and destroys every egg
which it touches-eggs so affected must
be promptly removed, or the labor of the
fish cultivator will be wholly lost.
The process above described is repeat
ed until the Matching troughs are filled
No care is now requisite beyond the
amount necessary to provide for an un
failing supply of pure water, and to re
move all extraneous matter from the
troughs. Incubation continues during
about seventy days, but at the end o
about forty-fve days there appears il
each living egg black spot. which in
dicates the head of the incipient fish
AT this time good microscope will als'
reveal the vertebra, and indeed, the en-
tire structure of the coming trout. Thi
is considered the proper time for export
ing the eggs. Packed in perforated til
cans, between layers of wet moss, the.
can be transported hundreds, or evel
thousands of miles, without injury. Il
one instance, a hundred eggs were sen
through the post Office, several hundre'
miles, and having been replaced in
Matching trough, resulted in ninety-nin
, living fish. This, to be sure, was cas-
of singular good fortune. Ordinarily,
! would not be safe to count upon NOR
than ninety per cent of trout. Indeed
it is well to keep in mind what Mr.. Zig
would call "a remarkably bald-headet
i. flowing bearded, patriarchal proven
, which Observes" that it is never wise
count your chickens before they al
Matched. Iron rust, from the bits of or
! so often found in this region; the pre-
ence of the fungus already alluded to
the careless or accidental shutting off tn
+ water SO that the eggs are exposed to th
o air-these and several other causes ma
very largely reduce the per centage
eggs which are Matched. Still, with dr
q attention, these untoward incidents {
. fish breeding may be guarded againa
r In about seventy days the little is
q appear, each having attached to its bell
e an numbilicalsack. Thisappendage, fro
: which the fish derives its nourishment,
v gradually absorbed, until, at the end
s thirty days. it entirely disappears. II
O fish are then fed Con the best parts
r raw beef liver, ground very fne) uni
they are strong enough to be remove
e They are then transferred to tank
o pond of pure water, where, regularly f