Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-07-11

gus uNNlNk NlMuN " NlnlN 70 inc CAMP on NNo
Hudson river where Seth Green Il engaged
In the production OF shad, sends 10 that paper
an intelligent and Interesting account Of what
IA being done In the Important work OF stock
ing the river with shad, which are alread Y
very plenty there. The suhject IL attracting
80 much attention that anything relating
thereto will be read with Interest,"
CAMP GREEN.
Touchstones reflection on arriving al the
forest Of Arden was, you will remember, "a
follows; "Aye, now am In Arden, the more
fool I; when | was at home was In a better
place; but travellers must be content Your
correspondent on IBIS arrival at Camp Green
had no such feeling OF dissatisfaction az Is
implied In the above soliloquy Of Shaks-
peare's clown; but on the contrary, felt that
he had done wisely In exchanging the dusty
streets glarlng walls and heated air of the
city for the hillside shade and breezy atmos-
phere OF Camp Green. This camp Is situated
at the foot OF q preclpitOus hill on the vest
err shore Of the Hudson, about ten miles
below Albany. Il consists Of three tents
one for sleeping In, another for shelter In
stormy weather and q third which answers
the purpose OF kitchen, Besides these
tents there are two leafy awnings, beneath
which, In pleasant weather, the men rest
awhile from their day labor
There Ia little spring on the hill side Just
back Of the camp, the water Of which was
to me who had Just come from Albany, per-
fcCtly delicious. There were i've men sta
TONED here TO perform the work which the
mDdus Operandi Of shad Matching requires,
and found them as good -naluI ed and hearty
u set Of fellows as ever | met They eat
shad, cooked In various ways, three times o
day without ever seeming to tire Of II; and
no wonder, 40 long Rs they have the fellow
they call Marcelusn 20 brOil Il for them
The standing Joke In camp Is az followsi
Marcellus. ! say boys what shall we have
for dinner to-day.
Boys. We'll, Marcel, let's have shad for a
change.
To parody the old chorus the college boys
used TO sing, II was-"shad for breakfast,
shad for dinner, shad for supper-shadl >
Never before have eaten shad with such
gusto. am ashamed to tell You how much
ate Of II at my hrst meal at Camp Green;
suffice II to say, was the last man TO leave
the table, Notwithstanding was the smallest
In the party. came In pursuit Of shad, q
fish for which | confess weakness, chiefly,
suppose, because there arc so few bones
In Ii.
Many persons Of perverted taste prefer
brook trout and other species OF the anuy
tribe, but, In the words Of the illustrlous
Henry, las Tor me- give me liberty or give
me shad." One Of the pleasanlest recollec-
lions Of my bOyhOOd Is the enormous blast
Of the shad vendors horn as he drove slowly
along the streets OF my native city, chanting
the praises Of his scaly merchandise. This,
my favOrlte 6sh, also figures 10 poetry, which
quote; "rime's but shad, o, how II nles!"
THE TIsuINd GROUND
Ia about mile below the camp, on the same
side of the river. Here the hsh arc caught
between 3 and i2 o'clock at night, In a seine
four hundred feet hong. They are taken from
the net one at time, and passed 10 two OF
Ne nRaaTta In INaH nN oil
holds the fish's head, while the other SELLING
its tall with his right hand holds the belly OF
the flsh betYe n tho thumb aud fingers Ot his
left over pan NJ water, moving them gently
along from the fsh's bend 10 is vent thus
expressing frSt the eggs from the females,
aud then the mllt or lmpregnating fluid from
the males. The eggs become lmpregnated In
about half an hour, tho water In the pans
containing them requiring frequent freshen-
Ing. When the above operation ls concluded
the eggs are straightway taken 10 the hatch
Ing ground and gently deposited In the hatch
Ing boxes, IN which they urU left from three
TO six days, according 10 the temperature Of
tho water. The higher the temperature the
quicker the process Of Matching.
THE HArCHING GROUND,
which, Of course, Is water and not ground,
ncs directly in front OF tue camp, betw en-
the main shore aud long, narrow leland,
dubbed Shad Island, which latter protects the
Matching ground from the swell Of passing
steamers, too violent motion Of the water
being unfayorable for Matching. Here are
seen two hundred Of Seth arepn's patent
wooden Matching boxes, each Of which Ia
nineteen inches long, thirteen Inches wide,
and ten inches deep, opcu ut the top, aud
bottOmed with tarred wire cloth Of twenty
meshes to the square Inch.
Each box has fastened To la sides two
wooden floats WHICH hold II In the water at
an angle Of forty degrees, 50 n TO subject the
eggs In IL "a the action OF the tidal current, II
being necessary that the eggs should be kept
IN gentle and continuous motion until Matched.
These boxes are rOped together one behind
the other, In gangs" Of five or six, with an
anchor At one end Of each gang, in order that
the boxes may adjust themselves TO the tide.
These boxes daily require cleansing. Twenty
four hours after lmpregnatiOn, when the tem-
perature Ia seventy-llve, Que eau see, with the
aid of q microscope, a small yellOwish speCk
on the circumference Of the yOlk within the
egg. FOrty-eight hours later, with the SAINT
temperature, the naked eye can discern the
young fish, with soc attached TO Its belly
making continued effort, with head aud tail,
To break out Of the shell, from which, within
three days, the temperature remaining at
seyenty-hve, II will have succeeded In escap-
ing.
The young dsh when II has Just emerged
Casually tall hrsD from the shell, u about half
an Inch long, with an umbllical sac attached
10 H. containing sustenance, which Is absorbed
In from six 10 eight days, after which the
little wriggler must be liberated from his
wooden prison 10 feed on the RnlmalculR Of
its native element Fancy this wee Ash re-
turning three years hence full grown shad,
TO be cooked aud eaten by SOME Of the men
who were instrumental In bringing him Into
existence, a. the old King OF Thraee devOured
unaware his own offspring served up In a
dish.
And now, Messrs. Editors, u you or any of
your readers wish 10 make pleasant little
excursion, just take the 1850 a. m, boat, or
the $50 Il. M. Hudson river train rs far as
CastlatOn, where you will and some one 10
convey You 10 a skiff across to Camp Green,
at which place, can assure you that you will
DO most aoceptably entertained either by the
noted Seth Green himself, or, In the event Of
bis absence, BY his whOle-sOuled brother,
Monroe. Some more about Seth aud his shad
breeding by.and-by, from PEs.
INSTINCT or TuRTLEs,-Audubon the nat
uFalist atatpd That Mt CpFlnln Dlanea on the