The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-12-09

the-numerOue- dams tnat nave UeeH- -CoH-
structed in the rivers and streams, by
which they are completely barricaded
AGAINST the passage OF fish, and this in
violation of law, which requires that all
dams shall be furnished with fish ways at
least sixty feet wide to enable fish to pass
up to their spawning ground. Below the
dams, an unceasing warefare is waged
against them by the owners of weirs,
traps, nets and seines, during breeding
season, as if their extirpation had been
matter OF solicitude, an9was determined
on. The cause suggests the remedy,
which can he secured by the appointment
of Commissioners, with ample powers to
enforce existing laws in relation to the
dams in rivers and streams, and other il
legal distractions to the passage OF fish
and the regulation of seines, nets and fish
traps, by which their destructive opera
tions will be restrained and limited and
to recommend such other measures as
they may deem necessary for the accom-
plishment of the object of their appoint
ment.
From the well established fact that shad
and other migratory fishes always return
to their breeding places, and that they
have been excluded for so many years
from the upper portions of our rivers, it
NAV be necessary to resteck them by ar
ticial means. This can be effected with
great facility and at q comparatively
trifing expense. The process of restock-
ing the rivers of New England, New
York and Pennsylvania is now in the full
tide of successful operation, and millions
of eggs of the salmon. white-fsh, trout
and shad are hatched and set loose evcry
season, gradually to find their way to the
ocean, whence, after many days, with un-
erring instinct, they will return 10 their
breeding places for purposes of reproduc-
ton. Between thirty and forty millions
Of shad have been batched and set loose
in Connecticut River; and during the
past breeding season, they wore hatched
at the ratio Of one million per. day in the
upper waters of the Hudson River The
roe of full grown shad contains one
hundred thousand eggs, and these being
readily formulated by the milt of the
male fish, are placed in properly prepared
boxes, and deposited in running water, to
be hatched in from three to four days;
and so successful have experts become in
the process, that ninety-eight thousand
live fish have been produced from one
hundred thousand eggs. The young fish
are then set loose, and Immediately seek
the middle of the stream, to avoid their
numerous enemies who infost it's margin,
and gradually float with the current to
the ocean. The boxes are then ready for
another batch. The cost of the boxes is
above two dollars each. Two hundred
boxes will hatch seven million Of shad
daily, or in twenty hve days about fifteen
millions, and would require the attention
of about twenty-five men for less than
one month. Thus it will be seen that in
comparatively short period our rivers
may be restocked not only with shad, but
with other valuable species that may be
deemed desirable, and Our people in a few
years will gather full harvests of rich SUBJ
slstence from our rivers, and "suck an
abundance from the waters of the sea- }"
Ry those who have attcntively studied
the subject, it is estimated that an acre of
water will produce, with. more certainty
and less labor, as much food as an acre OF
land, and when diligently attended to, in
we'll conducted fish ponds, it has been as
eerta;ned that it will realize five times as
much. If this be so the absurdity of our
past policy in permitting the fish TO be
excluded from our rivers, may be illustra-
ted by supposing that our lands now rails
ing corn, and cotton, should be allowed to
be neglected so as to fail in giving their
yearly supply of food and comfort. But
is this more absurd than in having per-
mitted for so many years our rivers and
smaller streams, that once teemed with
an annual supply of grateful and gcner-
GUS sustenance to tho community, TO be-
come barren and unproductive?
= The Georgia State Fair, at Macon,
has been triumphant success. Every
section of the State was represented. both
in person and by its agricultural products,
and the exercises were of highly inter-
esting character Hon. Mark A. Cooper
delivered an oration upon "The Destiny OF
Georgia. predicting that in time the 500,
600 bales of cotton now annually put into
tile market from that State will be manu-
c.l r;,I,;, ;+e ovp I;p,;to He nr0pd