The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-02-04
Fish-Culture.

work Of fsh.culture at the the close OF the
season. The commissioners have, with their
very limited means and The poverty Of be.
ginning, accomplished very creditable re-
suits. Our friend DR.. ROBERTSON is a devoted
fisherman. and, Of course, an enthusiastic
student OF piscculturc. He has proper de-
gree Of mechanical ipgenuity,-every fisher.
man ought to have that much art as part of
his civil rigbts-and he has that general kind.
ness and desire for cveryboGy's good that
compcls him to be q successful and devoted
cultIyator Of fish. The Doctor appears TO be
most happily associated.
We invite the readers attention to the
solid results achieved by the commissioners.
The m1ss interesting Of them is the hatching
at the State clearinghouse at Lexington Of
SO large portion OF the 5000 salmon eggs
sent to Virginia from California. The COM
missioners we're enabled to deposit 10000
young salmon in various tributaries Of the
James and tie New river The only place
in which these young fry were put that is
source for supply for New river is the Salt
Pond, or Mountain Lake. In that were
placed 1000 young salmon. We con-
slider the question Of the fate of these
young matter of very peculiar interest.
| The pond itself sprang into existence sud-
denly in 1901. Where it is now was deep
bed in gorge formed by sort Of Junction
Of three elevated mountain ridges, where the
| copious flow of woter from several eYerlow-
ing springs Of remarkable coolnesS and purity
found its way through su5terraneous cur
rents urd II cross-riJgc or dam, aud burst
forth at point lower down, passing of over
the rocks IN 4 bra wiling style down to the
secluded pools where the mountain trout
eape6 These splipgs afforded fine meet.
| ing.ground for grazicrs and their cattle,
where the latter were s9ited and refreshed
| bv such .hadc and such delicious
waters az could Nc! bc cXcclled anywhere
else or ca;tb. IN the autumn Of the aiore-
said scar there were many cattl6present, and
they We're groupea along the gorge drinking
the waters, chen, through she accumulation
of q Vast amount OF debris from the noun.
| tain.sidt, aud the trampiag Of the cattle; the
sub.crranean fissure through which the Wa
| ter had eScGrci was completely datfmcG, and
| the lake rapidly rose 10 the height OF the
croSs-ridge underneath which the water had
! formerly n)wed. In short time there
was lake half mile wide and a
mile loug, constituting perfect gem
| Of luytlpess in the Mountains (hlicgha'
| nits) Of Giles county. There it stands now
with j very ccver.Icsking building near it,
owed by General HAurT, who has taken
not a few measures to improve its atlrac-
tions. Including, as DR.. ROBERTSON says,
several thousand mountain trout besides the
1000 California salmon which the Doctor
has also caused 10 be placed in the lake.
What VIC want 10 know-and what plea.
sure-seckers especially desire to knows
how these fish will flourish in the pond.
Should they succeed well, and the pond be-
come we'll Stocked, We may put down tie
Salt Poni as orc Of the most delightful Of
resorts. Refreshing aud delightful anyhow,
should the eportsman find an abundant
stock Of 9utue fishes there it will hardly have
rival in attraction for those who know
how 10 appreciate the most enjoyable Of no
Bile scenery end the most healthy Of localities.
The California salmon is not laud-locked,
we believe, ard we apprehcnd those in the
lake will 20 down tue stream at the proper
season. But the question is as to whether
the trout or salmon either will tarry there.
;,>c, {hot
| limited trial had been made with trout and
| With a few of those everlasting catfish"
of New river, and that they had all dsap.
pcarcd entileiy. 50 here is 8 most interest
ing experiment. We can say this for the
salmon in the pond : that it will try their in.
genuity and skill TO get down the falls Of the
Little sony to New river, and sure We ere
| that once do IN there they will never be able
| to get back to the Salt Poud. That water
can Only be replcni,hed by batchng the
young for the pond. If however, the trout
| will flourish in the pond, We take it that
stock Of them may be easily kept on hand.
So much for this, rather in the way of
diversion from the main point. Recurring
10 lue atlSlupt W luli ouuCt tuc saiulOu iutO
Virginia waters, we look upon it as one Of
great public importance. The California
salmon is highly adapted to this latitude.
The fish Is one of the multi'Udinous running
| fishes which supply an immense amount Of
food for curing. 1t is i magnificent fish,
which, added to eur Virginia stocks, will be
surely turned 10 great public advantage
DR.. ROBERTSON, abiding to the good al
ready gained by the State in the very Incl.
pcncy of the business of fshculture, states
that "the market value Of the black bass
"alone caught during the year lin this State)
"scas greater Than the annual appropriation
"by the State for iish-culture." That is an
important fact. 1t is but short time since
when we saw the first black bass in the
waters Of Virginia. 1t belonged originally
to the waters of the Mississippi. 1t was
propagateG in the Virginia waters, and is
getting to be most prized fish, whether for
the table or the sport of angling. The Vir.
gnia commissioners have greatly increased
the stock Of that fish.
The commissioners are just yet feeling
their way, as it were. They have not con-
fned their attention to the game-biting
fsh-they turned loose last season over
| 100000 young shad In Rappahannock
river, and 100000 in the Staunton river,
and nropose' the next seasop IN onerate