The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1877-12-06
Our State Fish Hatchery.
l. POLK
uutHII>stuHT

$3.50" 80 - 49,
with an account OF the STATE F5~ll
Hatchery. located in Buncombe. IN
~Swananoa Gap. 3milc9 beyond Hcnry'~
Station. and about a ,tones-throw
from the western mouth Of the fam
Gus tunnel. We extract a follows
The water used in Matching the
eggs. is taken from one Of the head
branches OF the Swannanoa, less than
half a mile from its source. The
stream coming thus far, necessarily
has. during heavy rams. a considerable
flow of water, and TO avoid any over
flow a trough 20 feet long and , feet
square was put INTO the stream above
the pond. with a gate at the lower
end with an OrItice TO admit luSt tire
mount of water necessary and no
more. One side Of the trough above
the gate was cut down To allow all sur
plus water To escape. The orifice IN
der the gate admits from - to ZOE gal
Ions of water per minute into the
pond. though all Of this water is not
used with the present number Of fish.
The pond i not made as much bv
dammlng as by e~NCaVatIng the dam
having been raised but slightly. while
the excavation Is from t To 5feet deep.
1t is n feet long and % feet wide the
depth of water being four feet. At
the 10 Nerend the water passes through
a wooden trough 80 feet III length. ten
inches wide. and three inches deep
into the reservoir. The water ia
drawn from the bottom Of the pond
by the upper end of this trough. being
made to project downward like a
SiphOr. When the water passes
through this trough it falls into the
reservoir which Is a large tank with
water tight joints. 1t is % feet long,
4 feet wide and 4 feet deep, made Of
pine plank. 1t stands close to the
side of the house. the top even with
the bottom of the windows, and is full
of water The water is now at the
point where it enters the Matching
room, but before you enter it YOU Will
observe a waste trough at the lower
end of the reservoir. where the water
that is not needed in the Matching op-
Grafton, passes off. There is another
waste trough at one of the lower cor
ners of the pond, by which an even
height is maintained. This is one OF
the many Safeguards by which acci-
| dents MAJ not happen constant
watchfuluess also is imperative.
The house is built of pine lumber the
walls being single. The dimensions
are 20 by 30 feet. but 10 feet of one end
is cut off and used as an Office. This
last named apartment is an essential,
for everything about the Matching
room is kept damp. and books. writing
materials and pa pers OF all kinds have
to be kept in another room. Here also
are kept the distributing cans, the
Matching trays which are in use only
when the Matching is actually going
on. and various other articles.
Entering the Matching room YOU OBJ
serve six wooden trOughs raised on
benches. They are arranged in twos
with room between the pairs to work.
They run up nearly touching me re-
servOir perpendicularly and are raised
high enough for the water to run into
them. that is to say, the water in the
Matching troughs and in the reservoir
are at almost the same height. The
object in raising them is to allow a per-
son working with the eggs to occupy
a standing position-the work in the
early Matching lasting sometimes for
hours and being tiresome if a stoop-
ing posture is assumed. These
troughs are sixteen feet long. four
teen inche wide. and seven inches
deep. At the lower end of each there
Il al SdlS oN "iIA1h ~ oil ~
raised or lowered. In these the egg
are Matched and the young protected
until of a sufficient size to admit of
their being liberated into the natural
streams. In each trough are two
guard screens which consist of fine
wire cloth tackled on frames. One of
these is at the upper end and just be-
low the point there the water enters
and the other just above the point
where the water passes out of the
trough. Through these the water Is
strained and nothing but fine particles
of floating material can pass through.
they also keep the young fish confined.
Between these the Matching is done.
The eggs are Matched on trays made
of a coarser mesh than the guori
screens. They are thirty inches long.
and thirteen and a half inches wide.
the wire cloth being tackled on the
narrow frames Of wood. When the
Matching Is to commence. the eggs are
placed on the travs about 5000 TO
each tray which are immersed IN the
Matching trough. now full Of running
water. One tray i placed above
another till they can b. placed tive
deep. the water circulating above and
through all. At this rate each trough
Will accommodate twenty-five trays.
The capacity IF each trough Is safely
estimated at 10000 of the Sacramento
Salmon eggs or about thrice that mum
Der of Brook or Mountain trout eggs.
With the six troughs now III order
400. 900 salmon eggs can be Matched.
and there is room forthree more which I
gives the total capacity OF the room
$40. 900 egEs of the salmon or nearly I
twice that of the brook trout.
All the woodwork through which
the water passes, resoEolr. trOu5h~.
and the trays and guard screens are
thoroughly coated with coal tar. This
i the preventative against fungus the
the great enemy to the Eggs and fish
The Matching room Is well hShteI
with windows. though these afford
too much light generally, and are Well
curtained. The sunlight i i~nJurlod,
having forcing effect on both egg.
and:fry. but on dark days hight -