The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-03-21
Fish Culture.
From the Baltimore American.


We have already alluded to the passage OF the
law by our Legislature upon this subject, but
have not yet seen the annunciation of the names
of the commissioners authorized to be appointed
under that act. We hope our new Governor will
select suitable gentlemen to inaugurate the sys-
tenn, for, upon proper beginning, ultimate sue.
cess depends. AS the session is drawing on 70 a
close, we are particularly anxious on this point,
on account of the necessity of the passage of some
acts which will protect the young fry in our
streams from the effects of the poisonous matters
which flow into many of our small streams from
manufacturing establishments on their borders,
as we'll asfrom other sources. The nature of such
enactments would be better known and under
stood by the commissioners than any of the mem
bers of the Legislature who have not given the
subject their attention, and unless speedily at
tended to, the work may be delayed to a very
considerable extent until the next session.
We have recently paid VISIT to perhaps the
only fish farm in Maryland-that of Mr.. Alexan-
der Kent-which is located on the Western Mary
land Railroad, near Green Spring Station, about
ten miles from Baltimore. And as We have re-
Gently had some inquiries upon the subject we
perhaps could not do better than give brief de-
scription of Mr.. KS establishment. This bust
ness is found to be of vast Importance in other
States, where it has been followed up for years,
and we are satisfied that in NO other quarter could
it be more easily and successfully introduced than
into Maryland; and indeed, it is believed that
''ish farming" can be made so far successful as
to supply every family with supply of this diet,
which is considered the brain food for man, raised
upon its own premises, wherever live spring is
found thereon.
Mr.. Kent commenced his operations in the
spring of last year, and early in the following
October the stock fish were placed in the ponds,
which are furnished by supplies from the we'll
known Green Spring, the fow of which is about
1000 gallons a minute of temperature we'll
suited for this business. These fish are brook
trout, to which species it is intended at FIRST main
ly to limit operations, although there are some
salmon trout now being reared. Mr. Kent placed
in his ponds 1000 adult trout, almost all of which
were caught with the hook in the Backwater
branch of the Cheat river. Owing to delays in
transportation, they failed to reach their desna-
ton until late in the season. so late that many Of
the fish had spawned in the tanks in which they
were transported, the loss of eggs being in this
way very large. About 30, 900 fry were success
fully Matched, however, most of which have
reached the age of two months, and are now
thriving and healthy
The clearinghouse is neat building Of about
3Ox40 feet, and, from the fortunate location Of
the head of the spring furnishing the water, it is
so arranged that all the Matching troughs are ee-
waited 10 height permitting observation and the
necessary operations without any STOPPING, as is
often necessary in inspection or needful manipu-
lations Besides the stock ponds, of which there
are now two series, there several smaller Ones
known as nurseries, in which the young fry
are kept until they are large enough to be trans
ferred to the pond in which the matured fish are
kept. 1t is part of the plan to add to the num-
Der of ponds as the demand for space increases
Mr.. Kent says that there is little mystery in fish
culture after the principles are understood and
practice acquired. The impreguated spawn, or
eggs are carefully spread over a bed of clean
gravel in trough, through which the cold spring
water is continually passing. In the course of
from 80 to $50 days, according to the tempera-
ture of the water-the colder it is the longer the
time necessary for hatching-the fry or young
fish make their appearance. During the first six
weeks of their lives they eat nothing; after that
they require constant attention, the critical age
being that between six weeks and three months.
The fry when Matched have under them sac,
somewhat globular in shape, which does not
wholly disappear for aboutsix weeks and which,
during that period, entirely furnishes them with
nutriment After its disappearance they are fed
on finely chopped liver, which is passed through
close sieve to separate the particles for the little
fish. These, at the age of two or three months,
are transferred to nursery ponds, but not placed
would soon be devoured. AS soon, however, as
they are of size to take care of themselves, they
are transferred to the stock ponds, where, regu-
larly and carefully fed, they increase in size very
rapidly.