The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-07-01
Iuo,.sta Chroniicle and constitutionalist.


How the Process Is Carried On.-Inter-
esting Description of the Newest Art.
A,,g,ss.a Chronicle and Coastituaionalist.
COLUMBIA, S. c., June 18, 1880.
AS the subject of fish culture is excit.
ing much interest throughout the United
States, and millions Of dollars are being
annually expended by the Government
and the various States for this purpose, 1
have thought brief account OF how 1t Is
managed might not be uninterestlng 70
your readers. am indebted to Hon. A.
p. Butler, Commissioner of Agriculture,
and M. G. J. Huske, Superintendent Of
Fisheries, for South Carolina, TOR the
following information:
The art of artificial impregnation and
Matching Of fish eggs has long peer zen
known and practiced in the civilized
world, but at no period in its history;
probably, has it been so extensively and
successfully carried OH as at present.
It's progress is watched with the greatest
satisfaction in our own State and the
liyeliest interested is manifested in the
work by our own best citizens. In re-
stocking the streams and ponds OF the
State with the best varieties Of fishes we
put into the hands of, not certain class,
but the whole people, good and whole
some article flood, the need of which
is much felt. The Commissioner of Fish
and Fisheries of this State has succeeded
in placing in our waters a number OF
shad California salmon, California trout,
Land Lock salmon aud the German carp,
and hopes to carry on the work in future
seasons to much larger extent.
The California salmon are taken on
McCloud river, California. and donated
to the different States Government
They begin the ascent of the river in the
month Of August, seeking their natural
spawning grounds, near its sources, where
the water is clear and shallow, and
where they find grayelly beds suitable
for the deposit of their eggs. They are
captured when going up the river, for
the purpose of procuring. the spawn,
which is done by men proficient IN the
the art of fish culture. The eggs are
forced from the. female by compression,
of the the abdomen, into dry pans, and
are then covered with the milt OF the
male fish, which is taken in the same
way. They are then thoroughly mani
puiated and allowed to stand till i'm
1prepnation takes place, when they are
cleaned and placed in wire trays IN
troughs of running water, prepared Tor
their reception, where they remain till
the eve-spots on the egg begins to devel-
Cd. They are then packed in crates pre-
paratory to the long journey across the
continent which they must undergo ere
thew reach their destination. There is
probably nothing that takes so long q
trip in this delicate embryo state are
these fish. The utmost care and pre-
caution is taken in packing, go that usu
ally they reach their destination with
but small loss. In, packing, a crate
about two feet square and six inches
deep. made of white pine is used in the
bottom of this is carefully laid a coat of
fine green moss, gathered from the rocks
on the mountain sides and on this a
piece of mosquito netting, just the size OF
the box, then layer of eggs, and on
this another piece of netting, then moss,
and so on until five layers OF egg, nave
been placed in, which usually Hills the
box. The top is then carefully screwed
down. nails not being used because the
driving would jar the eggs. Two OF
these crates are secured firmly in
larger one made of Stats, with an ice
chamber between, and ferns packed
firmly on all sides. A free use of ice is
then resorted to on the journey, to pre-.
vent the eggs from becoming overheated
en- route, for, in such case, they would
hatch and perish before reaching the
Matching house, where they are ODE
cs ed for until sufficient size to be re-
leased in the different streams. There is
nothing more interesting than the care
of these eggs from the time they reach
the house. The fish culturist watches for
their arrival ,anxiously and halls them
with delight. When they arrive the
temperature of the water is taken, and
if materially different from the water in
which they are to be placed, the water Is
allowed to run on them until they are
about equal GOODNESS. This is done to
prevent too sudden change, as it would
prove very detrimental to the eggs.-
Hatching houses, in which the trout
family are Matched, of which the salmon
is species, are usually located near
some basin or spring, or the source of
some branch, afording ut all times an
abundant supply of cool, clear water,
with sufficient elevation to enable Its
being carried into the house, three or
four feet above the level of the floor. 1t
is taken up at the fountain-head and
conducted by means of troughing trough
a fltering race (if necessary to secure
water free from sediment) into large
settling tank just above the Matching
house. This tank answers two-fold
purpose, in affording the water an oppor-
tunity to settle, and if at any time the
supply of water is cut off, sufficient
quantity is left to run the hatching house
for twelve hours or more. No tank
should hold less than enough for this
purpose.
The water is then conducted in fumes
into the house, where each through il
furnished with a regular supply. The
troughs are made of common pine, usu.
ally twelve to fifteen feet long, ten inches
wide and about six inches deep. They
are furnished fine wire screens in either
end, one where the water comes in and
the other just where it flows out, thus
the young fish are prevented from escap-
ing, the utmost care and vigilance being
necessary to confne them, owing to their
wonderful proclivity for making new
discoveries and investigating every cor
ner of their artificial home. Each trough
is furnished with set of wire trays made
fast in the waters by means of small
wedges, and can be removed from place
to place at will. The eggs, when taken
from the crates in which they are packed,