The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-06-12
Fish Culture in Baltimore County.

The Baltimore Sun gives an account of a
recent visit of the Maryland Academy of
Sciences TO the fish farm for raising brook
and other species of trout,) of Mr.. Alexander
Kent, Green Spring Valley, Baltimore coun-
ty, from which we gather the following in
terestng particulars:
The artificial breeding Of fish is an cXten-
siyc business at the North, but in MARYLAND
it is yet in its infancy. Mr.. Kent may be
considered the pioneer pisciculturist in this
State. He began the business some two years
ago, in connection with another gentleman,
at Oakland, Garrett county, but withdrew
from the business there and in October last
started his fish farm in Baltimore county.
The main portion Of the water which sun
plies Mr.. kcnrs ponds comes from large
spring, the source of our celebrated ,Joness
falls. 1t is estimated that this spring fur
nishes n flow of water hggregating from 500
to 1000 gallons per minute. The water is
pure and as clear rs crystal, quite in contrast
with the muddy stream flowing through this
city. The fish farm is Enclosed with n sub.
stantlal high fence. There are three large
ponds for the adult fish, all of the trout spe-
cics. There are several small ponds for the
small fry, and there is building known as
the matching house" Mr.. Kent explained
each OF these to the visitors, who listened to
his remarks with great attention In the
three larger ponds are about six thousand
five hundred brook trout, ranging in size from
about eight to twelve inches. The trout are
beautifully marked, am, of brilliant color.
They have five fins, and move through the
water with great rapidly. Their flavor is
particularly liked by cpicures, and they sell
readily at one dollar per pound The larger
fish, with which the ponds were first stocked,
were all caught by the hook and line in the
head waters of Cheat river Western Virgin
ia, known as the black water region, and are
supposed to be about one and halfto four
years old Some of the trout from this river
grow to n large size, but not so large as those
caught in the lakes. They are largely carni-
vorous in their habits, and the larger ones
seem TO be fond of feeding upon the younger
ones and upon the spawn. 1t is necessary,
therefore, in fish culture to keep the smaller
ones separated from the larger, and to use
conlrivanccs TO preserve the spawn. Anolh-
cr singular fact is that when trout becomes
wounded the Others keep picking at the
wound until death relieves it of its torture
and whenever trout meets with an accident
which depriyes it of its eyesght, its color
changes to black.
The large ponds are made of plank, each
about eighty feet long, being nine feet wide
and four deep, with II spawning race at the
upper end of Teach, thirty feet long and four
feet wide. During the spawning season.
about October, great care has to be taken to
preserve the spawn or eggs. For this pur.
pose sleeves are placed in the races, the
upper ones containing about an inch of gray
el. In these the nests are made by the fish,
who scatter the gravel around and then de-
post their eggs The latter fall through
upon the lower and finer sieves, and are
taken from them TO the spawning house
The sieve arrangement is used by Mr. Kent
for fish spawning at night, but those spawn
ing by day are manipulated. The Matching
house is a onestory building, forty by thirty
two feet, containing thirty.two Matching
troughs, twelve feet long, one foot WIDE and
about six inches deep. The water passes
through four filters before being introduced
into the troughs The bottom ofthe troughs
are covered with n thin coating OF gravel
upon which the eggs are distributed. 1t re.
quires from 80 to 30 days for the eggs to hatch
in water of the temperature of that at Mr..
Kenrs farm. At the North it requires from
80 to $50 days, according to the temperature
of the water. About 80 to 95 per cent. of
the eggs at Mr.. Kents place are hatched
For about six weeks or so after Matching
it is not necessary to feed the little fellows at
all, After remaining in the Matching troughs
for sufficient length of time they arc taken
out and placed in small ponds or in boxes
especially arranged for them. These boxes
are about four by two feet, and one foot in
depth. Mr.. Kent has about 80 600 small fish,
ranging in size from about al inch to two
inches. In one ofthe boxes he has about 800
small salmon trout from the lakes; they are
darker in color and grow larger than the
brook trout, which he principally raises.
The fish are fed once day with liver and
lights cut up fine-that given to the small fish
being first passed through sieve. The larg-
er fish seem to havea voracious appetite, and
dart to the surface of the water after their
food when it is thrown to them They
would eat beef or other animal food of that
kind, but that is found too expensive for the
fish grower. The water is kept flowing
through the ponds constantly, both day and
night. Mr.. Kent explained the great diff
Guilty he experienced in conveying the fish
from where they were caught to the pond, it
being necessary to keep the water almost in
constant motion. As yet Mr.. Kent has not
had many fish for the market Those he has
sold brought him one dollar per pound in
Washington, the size being generally three
| to the pound