The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-02-21
Our Qolio.'


The report Of "The Award of the Fish
cries Commission, in more than three
thousand pages, contains some material
| which is more entertaining than that OF
the average novel, aud more instructive
than many a textbook. The Commission
was an outcome Of the Treaty of Washing.
ton, now six years old, aud its duty was 10
ascertain whether, in the mutual conccs,
sions of fishery rights made by that docu ..
ment, Great Britain gave more than she
received, aud to award her such compen
sation as might seem her due, in case the
investigations proved that her claim was
just. The fact of an award of more than
i've million Of dollars to Britannia has
been abundaptly made known by the press,
without eliciting much enthusiasm from
the American public, but some of the tes :
timony upon which majority Of the Com
mission based It's calculations is curious
and interesting enough 10 compensate any
inquisitive tax payer for the loss of that
portion OF the award which must come
from his own pocket.
The fish to which principal attention
was given was naturally the cod, he being
the leading commercial fish of the civilized
world Besides being the most prolific of
food fishes, he is large, easily taken and
quickly prepared for market, while his
different, parts arc qtilised as generally as
those Of Bis land rival, the hog. ProGes
sor Baird says that, besides the, muscular
parts; the sounds and roes are used as food
the oil is valuable for medical and me.
chauical purposes, the oiIal is converted
into q yaiuable manure, the bones make
good fuel, while the skins serve many na =.
tions for leather and clothing This fish 4,
like the more prominent Of his relatives, IS
at home only in cold water, the latitude of
Cape May being his extreme southern
boundary waile he lives as close to the
pole as lie can without risk Of being frozen
in. He probably exists farther south than
the line indicated above, but If so, Il is in
cool depths too retired TO admit Of success
fnl interviewing. Al certain points of
the Massachusetts coast he finds sulIi.
ciently low Temperature 10 shallow wator,
and at these places he Is frequently seen
and caught by fishermen, but his favorite
American haunts are the semi-encloscd
waters Of the coast Of Canada aud adjacent
Islands.
The cod Is wonderfully prolific, deposit
ing from three to seven millions Of eggs nt
time. Il not only prefers TO spawn in
the winter months, but in the coolest water
it can fnd, and yet avoid au ICY coyerlet;
temperature Of 32o is the favoritc. while
nothing above 40o is tolerated. The larp.
est spawning grounds Of the cod arc IN the
vicinity Of the Loffoden Islands, though
the American members Of the family put
up with such Accommodations as they can
tihd ncar home. The domestic arrange.
ments Of this fish are so informal that the
eggs hayc no special abiding place, nor any
protection whatever. or the millions Of
eggs that are deposited by a single female,
not more than hundred thousand, pro.
badly not more than ten thousand, result
In llgrown fish.
The mackerel, which commercially ranks
next 10 the cod among salt water fishes, is
also partial to cool home, though il is
found somewhat farther south than the
cod Like the last-named 6sh, it seeks
very cold water in which to spawn, prefer
ring that Of which the temperature is but
little abpye the freezing point Instead Of
enjoying cold water al the rear round,
however, IS the cod seems 70 10, there is a
possibility that the mackaral hiboraates
Seekiug solt muddy OF sandy bed at The
approach Of winter, Il buries itself therein,
first drawing scale pr dlm oyer each eye,
Whether this 6lm i an apology for q night
cap, OF the result Of dropping Of the eye
lid through extreme drowsiness, or due to
proyidcniial design or development, ac.
eoFding to. cayirosment, a n Darwin, is
yet 70 be decided, but the existence Of such
q covering to the eye during hiberpatibp
has been proved, by examination of mac
lkefel which have been dragged from their