The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-11-22

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II OF LIFE---rHE fAea OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
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aBLAcEssURs, v A., November 10. 1875.
The Matching and raising OF fish IL d mos
Interesting process, and may be witnessed q,
The hatchery = on the agricultural farm nd
taehed to the State Agricultural College, q,
this place. .fr,.'stS : : Is
As some Of your readers are aware. The
United States Government has recently pre-
scented the State of Virginia with large
number of the eggs of the California salmon,
They were distributed at different pois Is. IN
the State. One hundred and sixty .8housund
were shipped to this place l,nderih ctarge
OF Colonel Mather, II nited States Fish Com.
missioner, who reached here withtnem about
the LIST OF November. They, were snngly
packed in moss. and shipped from Ca ifornia
on the 9th of October over the PacifieToad.
ore hundred and ,ffty-eight dollars being the
\
40 that one hundred and fifty thousand were
received In good order and placed In the
|" hatchery" already, prepared for. their re.
ception, which Is close frame building near
q large spring of limestone water, which is
conducted by -a-speus- -into- he bald.
ing and emptied into q large trough or vat,
from wbichit is discharged through faucets
into several smaller troughs,, about twelve
inches deep, at right angles TO the large one,
where the eggs are laid upon close sieyes
kept submerged under thegwater, which, IN
q constant current Of the Temperature of
|ffty-three degrees, passes. through ard is
discharged at the other side of the bull ding.
The eggs are entirely separate. and detached
from each other, of q light pink color, and
about the size Of an ordinaEy green. pea
when full grown. The spring water Soon
warns them into life, and the embryo fish
bursts his fragile shell and takes his position
among the living things ef earth. 3HAnd
here we note the first popularity in
connection with this . singular fish.
The little ninnow, to, insure his life,
must come into the world tail
foremost, for if be puts bis head through the
she'll first he will certainly die. Again, he
brings from the she'll with him its contents,
attached in little otloDg red sac called
g" the placenta" ~ to his belly, and swims off
with his burden, which is apparen!ly as large
as the egg was before the tiny three quar-
Iters.of.an-inch-long fish came out Of It,. ( At
this stage the infant fish, which is of Whitish
hue, as delicate as gosamer, and almost
transparent, holds an exceedingly feeble
tenure on life. He must not be exposed to
the weight Of the atmosphere one instant,
nor even touched by any hard body, while the
dead fish must be separated from the living,
and the growing ones changed to other
troughs rs they increase in size.
| The dead are carefully removed, one
at q time, with little wooden pin
GERS, while frother is used for other
manipulations; and they are always moved
ia vessels of water. AS they grow older the
circulation in the little sac becomes less and
less active as the lymph it contains is ab'
sorbed into the body, of the fish; and the
contents Of this sac alone support its little
life. Finally, in about forty days from the
time of Matching the contents of the bag
4 have been absorbed, the fish has become
Opaque, grown broader and an inch in
length, and begins to be hungry and look
around for something to eat; at which age,
and when they begin to feed, DR.. E'zey, the
professor of agriculture under whose charge
| they are, and who seems to thoroughly un.
delstand the science of pisciculture, pre-.
poses to convey them to the nearest
waters Of the Roanoke and i HolStor
They will remain in fresh water till fall,
when they will migrate in q body to the
ocean, as they are saltwater fish,, Here
they remain two years longer, till their in'
stinct leads them again back to fresh water
81 RI ~ sra, hot r,tS1
three years old. Their growth mean while
has been rapid, and they will reappear on
their battle-ground weighing from ten to
twelve pounds. Having deposited their
eggs and spent season rusticatiag in the
mountains they again return to the sea, and
year afterwards rtappear as magnificent
twenty and thirty. Founders, and thencefor.
ward making their aDnual trips betWeen-the
mountains and the ocean, leaving hecatombs
of victims to the greedy fisherman as they
journey to and fro. 70 Iast ); ri.
The California salmon Is represented as a
fish of extraordinary strength and activity.
They have been known to leap twenty
two feet in the air, and dams ten to twelve
feet in height are no obstacles to their pro.
gress, while they have been seen lying sta.
tionary, only moving the tail slightly, in
water-sluices where the current was so
strong that man could not retain his foot
ing. Such being the habits OF this fish, we
may expect before many years to see our
streams we'll stocked with them. They are
said to be gamer than the bass and sweeter
than the trout. Ye disciples of Isaak Wal
ton, there is rare sport in store for you; and
You epicures,, let your appetites be whetted
for the coming treat Of salmon and ssuce-a
dish fit to set before king. sIs-'t
| may add that DR.. Elzey, who is one of
the Virginia fish commissioners, is preparing
to introduce other varieties of fish into our
waters, and will soon have brought to the
hatchery here the spawn Of the trout, land
locked salmon, gray ling, and other fish. He
has an able assistant here in Mr.. W. f. Page,
of Lyncbburg, a recent graduate of this in.
:. stitutiop, who has immediate charge of the
"hatchery." $50.
This college is in most fourishing condi.
ton, the matriculates for this session mum.
bering as high as two hundred and twenty,
many of whom will almost sustain them
selves here by their own labor, while they
prosecute their studies also. The new build
ings are far advanced towards completion,
and will be beautiful and imposing struc.
lures. Some, it is thought, will be ready for
occupation by Christmas. The Board oil
Trustees meets in Richmond on the 14th oil
| December, when, amongst other business 10
come before it, farm-manager is to be
elected. There are already thirty-fye appli.
| cants for the position. But time 3 up, If this
is to catch the mail. Yours, hastily,
! -.1fs BoTEToURT.
1