The Portland daily press., 1869-02-01
DAILY PRESS.
ND.
AOnu"y Morning, February ], 1869.


hho Gfowih OF the T.o,.,
FeIhaps it may be interesting TO ,boso ,u,,,
nave convenient localities and a dia,,os.,."
to make fish ponds and raise trout in thao'
to know how long it takes this beautihl esl'
to grow to an eatable size after he is Matched
| We say eatable size and we mean by that A
| half or whole pound in weight, for we would
not advise the cultiyator to kill one until he
had attained half pornd in weight, OF what
is better let him live until he becomes a
FOUNDER" at least One writer says, "a trout
in ponds will average pound when few
months over three years old if well fed" This
writer seems to be very particular to name
the months Now we believe trout will grow
faster than this under very favorable crcum-
stances. In the first place the water must be
as pure as that of our Sebago, and secondly,
they must be fed with various kinds of food,
for they like a variety, and will seek until
they find it, provided they have fair chance.
A trout will live in a well OF pure water
without being fed, but he will grow but very
little If any. Our own experience teaches us
that fact. We once saw a trout in a spring
some two or three miles from GRAY Corner
that we judged would weigh four pounds, and
about six years he had been in that sprr o.
being small fellow when he was put in.
be was always abundanty fed, and became
quite ravenous for his ratons. Trout. being
educated up to, will consume great deal of
food, and become quite yoracious. The an
gier knows how sharply they will bite. Some
few years ago we saw in Norway a school OF
splendid trout in fish pond owned by Mr.
Denison now of Mechanic Falls. some of
OF these fellows would weigh three pounds
and irom that down to half pound They
were healthy, fine looking and ready at all
times to selze any food that might be thrown
TO them.
In Morris's American Fish Culture il is
said that as fish increases in size, "its pro-
pensity for further growth also increases. A
young salmon at year, or sometimes even
at two years old, does not weigh three ounces;
1t goes to sea and frequently returns in six
weeks, or at least, the following summer, a
fish from three to eight pounds. We suppose
eAS anu huJiiblOuS 1OOu ODtdlUeu dO
sea causes this remarkable growth. II kept
from the sea his growth will be very much
slower The fecundity of fishes is truly
enormous, some of them yielding their eggs
in millions. 1t is said the female salmon
yields eggs at the rate of 1000 for every
pound OF her weight. But it must be borne
in mind but few of this enormous number
OF eggs ever hatch, or il they do, tie little
fishes are liable to thousands of dangers, and
comparatively few grow up into mature fish
hood, if we may be allowed to coin word.
Sir Humphrey Davy said that out of the II 900
ova which, every female salmon deposits
only 500 in ordinary circumstances come to
perfection The probability is that not half
OF this number ever grow to be table fish, for
young fishes are always in danger. Every
body has heard that big fish eat up the little
ones, but all may not know that hordes of
large fish are always in waiting at the estuaries
and mouths of rivers a. the period of migra-
ton instinctively aware of the feast that is
in store for them. We suppose it is all right
10 the great plan that they should thus seek
their food, else such instincts would not be
given them. 1t is qnte obvious that very
small percentage of the young salmon which
go down 10 the sea as smelts ever return as
grilse.
twill be seen that in two or three years
from the time fish ponds are stocked with
very small trout, the owner may have them
upon his table or in the market. On many
farms in our State there are fine chances for
making these ponds, and stocking them with
trout But few if any States present such
privileges as our own.
Soon after the Sebago water shall have
been introduced into our city, we expect to
see several large aquariums filled with the
| speckled trout, adorn some of our houses and
gardens. That lake will give the city Just
such water as trout love to sport in. To feed
such beautiful creatures in their glass houses
and see them gracefully circle about in the
| pure huid, must give great pleasure to any
| person OF taste. No live creature is more
beautiful to our eye than the speckled trout.
In graceful, active and symmetrical form, he
bears off the palm. How often we have been
panied to see his spasmodic action when
taken from his native element and yet we
would catch him if we could, although we
were compelled to see him wriggle and die
at our feet. And yet does not philosophy
teach us that his sufferings are more appar-
ent than real9 Does not breathing the oxy-
| gen OF the air intoxicate him even unto death ?
We hope that all I'VE have ever drawn from
the water into the atmosphere have died Of
excessive, Joy or of an excitement akin to it.
AGRrCoLA.