Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-04-25

/ Thousands of tons Of the wet turf have
been stacked to dry, and men. women and
children are busy on horseback and with
the two carts getting it into town; for this
is the only fuel, except little coal which
/ they get from Denmark, used by the keyk-
iavikans in the long, cold winter; and very
good fuel it is.
Three miles of bride. path beyond the
road brings us into broad, green valley
through the middle of which runs clear
bright. silvery stream. Crossing this, we
meet n smaller one, and following down
the bank of this for half mile, we dis
mount and, turning our ponies loose to
grass, follow Mr.. Thompson to his salmon
wears.
Now salmon wear is simply to hold
salmon trap, and it is salmon trap that
one would think even fish too wise to be
caught by.
Mr.. Thompson has two wears, and tour
of these traps, wear and two traps in
each of the two branches of the stream.
They are very simple, being nothing more
than four boards, each about four feet
square, built in wall that is thrown
across the stream. 1t is this wall that IS
called the wear
There are two of the traps in each wall.
One side of the trap is quite open, except
that it has some stats nailed over it so near
together that fish cannot get through and
this side is set up the stream. The bottom
of the box is about II foot above the water
of the stream below the wear or dam
On the side facing down the stream
| ia /, hnln nl,Out n IOnto diameter.
close to the bottom of the box. The water
passes through the box, and comes out
with rush through this hole.
Some water leaks through the wall oil
the wear dam, but otherwise all the water
of the stream passes through the two holes
of these two wears.
Now the salmon is very powerful fish,
and can spring up fall many feet In
height. 1t is nothing for him to spring
I'D tie stream that rushes through the hole
out of the box. He no sooner sees it than
he does it, lie cannot get up the stream
any other way. But Mr.. Thompson has
taken good care that he shall not get back
again.
Around this hoe he has placed u circle
Of small, elastic sticks, converglng inside
nearly to point, which, in Jumping
through, the poor, unsuspecting fish push
es aside. As soon us he has passed, these
spring back again, and now he is n pris-
oner within the box. Another and an
0 her of the fishes follow him, and some
times twenty, or even more, are ut one
time in the trap.
They are now easily enough taken out
with long handled net from ii trap-door
in the top. We lifted out some twenty or
thirty in this manner
1t was poor catch, however, owing to
some sailors having come to the rivers
mouth from u man-o(-war TO wash their
clothes, and by disturbing the water and
poisoning it with their soapsuds, prevent
inc the fish from entering the stream, for
the salmon is u very dainty fish and easily
frightened.
And, understand, the fish are only
caught coming from the sea up stream.
By he time they are ready to come down
stream again, the wears ire taken out,
that the fiji may go down easily. They
are then too poor 10 catch.
From this it will be seen that some fish
10 pass the wears. Only, however, such
us Mr.. Thompson chooses to let pass, and
this he must do, us there would be no fish
there next year.
He opens his wears sometimes fora day
or two at time, and lets all pass up who
will and these goas lar us they can, leap
ing waterfalls and rapids until they find Il
still pool with II good bottom, and here
they lay their spawn, or eggs.
| ali, 10 tbn,,
60 down stream again, and once more dis
appear in the salt water of the sea, which
is their natural home. They come only
into the fresh water streams, therefore, to
spawn Their eggs will only hatch in the
clear, cold, fresh water.
A few days only are required to hatch
the eggs, and when the little fish are grown
TO be two inches long, they follow, Of their
own accord, the old ones to the sea, to
come back 10 the same stream when they
have grown old enough to lay eggs for
themselves.
How wonderful this instinct which leafs
this most splendid of all fish into fresh
water, and always into the same stream,
and at the same season of the year, How
mysterious, indeed, are the lives of all
living things! How constantly we see the
hand Of God in all their moveme nts!
could but feel that it was something of
shame to take those magnificent salmon
out of II cage with a miserable net. 1t
seemed as if the poor fish ought to have a
chance to fight for his life with hook at
the end of u line.
The largest one we caught that day
weighed fourteen pounds; and how beau
tiful and strong he looked as he floundered
dying, on the grass. The sport (such as
it was) being over, we mounted our ponies
once more, and paced back TO town. We
had many II lively race. The day was fine.
The air was soft and pleasant us a bright
May day at home, and we came back to
dinner well rewarded with this, our first
experience of Iceland travelling Youth's
Companion.