Morning journal and courier., 1881-01-04

The New Haven Ruff1e Company-Mr.
 Robinson's Trout Ponds-TroubIesa and
 Trials of a Trout |" Farmer ''-Nuch
 Snow.
 PATCHoGUE, l.. l., Jan. 1st. Te the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 With the prospect of a year of unusual prosperity before us, I send you letter full of bright anticipations The New Haven Ruff1e company, since its organization, never made such progress as it has of late, and it. has fully come up to what was expected of it through it's labor-saving operations, and now occupies together with the New York and New England Ruffie company over ten thousand square feet of factory floor room, being one of the largest establishments of its kind in the United States, and doing almost all it's work by automatic machinery using little hand power." Again New Haven can boast of another leading manufacturing in- terest in it's midst which adds prosperity to it's future But I am going to write you about something else in this letter besides making ruff1es
 I have been spending some tune of late down on Long Island and in this place (Patchogue). Your paper is frequently seen and read, and as many of my friends have been visiting over in Connecticut for the last few years, we all feel pretty well &C., quainted. But usual I am getting away from my subject. am going to tell you
  Willett Robinson, situated at the head of Robinsons pond at. this place. It was with much pleasure that I was shown some of his beautiful specimens. There are thousands of them in the water in various stages of growth The clear water showed them to full advantage. Of course the ponds arc all at this season of the year well stocked. The ponds are on the line of the stream, dug out so that the water will flow through them and thus keep active and pure. The bot toms of the ponds are covered with white sand; their general length is about twelve feet and the width five feet. Each pond contains froF fifty to two hundred fish. The spawn ing SJeds are of the same shape but of a smaller size. and the bottoms are covered with small stones instead of sand and in them the water is kept more quiet. The spawn are deposited late in the fall and are due to hatch about the first of February. The first year they grow but little, attaining length of only about three or four inches The second year they grow to about twice that size but the third year they attain about their full growth, which is from three-quar ters of pound to one pound and quarter. Frequently when all are matched at the same time some grow twice as fast as others, and in single batch there are dozens of differ ent sizes, and often the larger ones will eat up the smaller ones Of course it is required that different sizes be kept separated for this reason, and while Mir. Robinson was with me showing me about the ponds, I saw one large trout catch smaller one and swim away with him in his mouth, while he was yet alive and wriggling When we first came to the ponds Mr. Robinson was cooking a meal for his pets, consisting of boiled minnows or sschubs,' which were cooked until they were soft enough for the table. When the feeding took place the fish sprang and tum- bled about in the water, making the spray fly. They were very tame, coming up to within few feet from where we were stand ing. Weren't they splendid fellows particu- 1arly those three years old and nearly ready for market To see them slowly swing about with their numerous red fins, edged with white, waving forward and backward, and the bright speckled-with-re sides showing plainly as they turned, was beautiful sight.
 Mr. Robinson told me it was great deal of care to take them through the three years of their growth, for mink, muskrats and