The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-05-30
FISH CULTURE.
An Interesting Article from a Distinguish
ed Scientist.
From the Columbia Register.

"Fish are so prolific" says the distin-
guished naturalist Button, "that if the
product of pair of herring could be
protected, in twenty years they would
fill space as large as the earth."
Logan, in his history of the upper part
of South Carolina, describes the streams
as so crowded with herring, that the
water was scarce visible. Naturalists say
that no herrings were ever found in our
streams, and that the word shad should
be substituted for that of herring. Some
forty, or less years ago, it was customary
for wagons TO come from distance of
forty or more miles to the Seneca and
other tributaries of the Savannah to lay
in shad for provision for the year. We
have knowledge of the abundance OF that
fish within the period mentioned. Now,
for years, it is seldom that shad is seen
on our tables. 1t has become so great a
rarity, that if they are procured at all,
they must be purchased at railroad de-
pots, brought from below on ice. We
are informed that the catch in Seneca
this season has been nul.
Migratory fish ascend rivers from the
seas and seek spawning grounds in the
upper tributaries, where the water is
cool, rapid and well aerated. The young
fish title sbad requires three days to
emerge from the egg) soon acquire vigor
enough to descend to the sea, where
they disappear, return the ensuing sea-
son, instinctirely to the identical spot
where born, and again 60 through the
process of replenishing the waters. If
the streams are obstrncted by dams,
wires, or other impediments, such as
saw dust from saw mills, which are
common on our streams, the dust enters
the gills and kills the fish. Chemicals
in solution, such as sulphate of iron and
sulphate Of copper, arising from the de-
composition Ct cupriferous pyrites, rem
der the waters as barren Of life as the
Dead Sea.
Fish are in vigorous health in the
spring, when animals emerge from win
ter poor in flesh, unhealthy, and insult
able food for man.
The Catholic hierarchy, ever watchful
over the we'll being of the faithful, make
the season of Lent one of fasting, and
all animal food is prohibited and fish
substituted. The same diet is prescribed
for Fridays and perhaps other religious
days. This observance dates back to the
remote history of the church. Before
the march of science and civilization
! (for they are cotemporary, and the latter
dependent upon and subservient to the
former had installed rapid transit, the
service lin Catholic countries) for sup
plying fsh to inland cities was as rapid
as that which carried the mail, and on
large estates fish ponds were common for
breeding and rearing fish, not only for
the inmates of the chateau, but the la.
borers as well. The requirements of the
church were under the surveillance of
the parish priest.
It's questionable whether any culti-
yased portion of the earth's surface can
be made to yield, on equal acreage, as
much food as water.
It is known that the brain contains
free, ,lncombined phosphorus, which is
also common to fish, and it has been re-
marked that those who worked the brain
most generally manifested proclivity
! for fish diet or brain food.
Much has been written and practiced
on piaciculture, since the discovery of
artificial incubation of fish eggs. The
habits of these prolific denizens of the
sea and fresh water have been closely
investigated, and the art is now become
one of national and individual import
ance. Malthus wrote and predicted that
the exuberance of mans production
would, at some future, surpass the posi-
BILE supply of food. That author in his
calculation disregarded the unknown
power, the vast ocean, where nature is
collecting and reserying the seed of
vitality, which is daily escaping from
cultivated lands. Atall events, Malthus'
prediction of the destiny of the human
race is stayed, for a time, through the.
aid of science, which shows itself ade-
quate to the situation, in the aid of ma.
ture, in the production of human food.
Seth Green, Of New York, is one of the
pioneers in that branch of practical
science, and justly honored for his emf.
nent services in the art of increasing and
cheapening the production of human
food.
It was our pleasure and satisfaction to
see within the last month our distin-
guished friend, Professor Baird, the
eminent naturalist, now United States
Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries.
We learned from him that he had iL.ro-
duced new and more certain practice in
the art of artificial incubation of fish.
Instead of using the ordinary water OF
running streams, which always contains
more or less sedimentary matter, which
collected upon the eggs and destroyed
their vitality, he now substitutes pure or
filtered water. The eggs or spawn are
placed in suitable constructions, which
are immersed in pure water, depending
upon steam power to give agitation and
aeration, thus vivifying and saving
from destruction larger proportion OF
the eggs than by the older method, which
was vast improvement upon nature.
Professor Baird has brought the Cali
i. fornia salmon, and is introducing them
into our rivers which empty into the
Atlantic. That fish, Professor B. in
forms us, is independent of the tempera-
ture of the water, whereas the salmon
which comes from the rivers in Maine
will not live in the waters of Southern
rivers. We saw fine specimen of SAL
mon taken from the Delaware River.
The fish was preserved in alcohol, and
the eggs also, to show that it was pro-
ducing. He had also shad taken from
the Chic, where, previous to artificial
; production and planting, no shad were
known. The carp from the Danube, q
superior edible fish, is now being pro-
! created, and is, or will soon be, distrib-
uted to our different rivers suitable for
its permanent existence; always pro-
vided that laws be instituted and en-
. forced to prevent private cupidity from
7 extinguishing the run and breed.
TheSavannah is claimed by the State Of
Georgia to low water mark nearly on the
Carolina side; but the Savannah is under
the jurisdiction of the United States,
and cannot be turned or obstructed in
the course of its waters, and is natural