The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-11-07
THE FATHER OF FISH CULTURE.
seth Green's IdeRs About the Finny
Tribe and Some of EIks Varied
WwnCrfCuremI

Soth urccnss Ldens About the EtmmY
Tribe and Some of Ills Varied
Experiences
tTurL Fieid and Fdru,)
How did you ever come to devise this
schemer
81 have been working at IL ever since was
large enough TO bend q pin.n
The above remark was addressed to Mr..
Seth Green, the veteran fish culturist who is
known to the entire world, and his reply indi-
Gates the extent of his labors.
When was quite young he continued,
81 would lie on the limbs of trees that
reached out over the water entire afternoons,
watching the movements Of fish and studying
their habits. In this way discovered many
characteristics which were before unknown
saw, as every observer must see, the de
strhctive elements that are warning against
fish, and / realized that unless something was
done the life in the streams OF this country
would become extinct. To counteract this
disastrous end became my life-work, and |
am happy to say that | have seen its accom-
plishment.n
Were you successful on the startlo
No, indeed. Up TO that time all artificial
attempts to hatch and raise fish from the
spawn had failed, and l was compelled TO ex-
pertinent in an entirely new manner. The
work was careful and tedious one, but /
finally succeeded, and to-day l am able TO
hatch and raise fully seventy-five per cent. of
all spawn"
centage than either the vegetable or
animal kingdoms produce in a natural con
dition.n
81 know it, but we exercise the greatest
care in the start, and guard the little fellows
until they become able to care for them
selves"
The foregoing conversation occurred at
Caledonia, where the representative of tnis
paper was paying q visit to the State fish
hatcheries 1t has been his privilege to re
port very many interesting sights within the
past twenty-five years, but the view pre-
sented here exceeds In interest anything ever
before attempted.
How many fish are there in those ponds,
Mr.. Green ~
GAS we have never attempted TO count
them 1t will be impossible TO say. They ex-
tend .yay up in the millions though. We
shipped over three millions out of the ponds
this year and there seemed to be as many af-
terward as before. We have nearly every
variety of the trout family and many hy-
bridsn
'You speak of hybrids, Mr.. Green. What
do you mean by that 2"
81 have experimental for years in cross
ing the breed of the various fish and am still
working upon it. We cross the female salmon
trout with the male brook trout and thus
produce hybrid. Then we cross the hy-
brid with the brook trout, which gives us
three-quarter brook trout and one-quarter
salmon trout. This makes one of the finest
fishes in the world. He has all the habits of
the brook trout, lives in both streams and
lakes, develops vermillion spots ON his sides,
rises readily to atiy is far more vigorous and
fully one-third larger than ordinary brook
trout of the same age. The possibilities of
development in the fish world are great, and
we are rapidly ascertaining what they aren
As the man of news watched the counte-
nance of Mr.. Green while he was giving the
above account, he could not but feel that he
was in the presence Of one of the few inves-
tigators VINO, from q rich and lifelong expe-
rience, bring great benefit to the world. Let
the reader imagine a strong and stalwart
frame surmounted bv a head strongly re-
sembling that of Socrates, and covered with
n white silky beard and luxuriant gray hair
Seth Green, the father of fish culture is a
picture of health, and the reporter could not
help remarking so.
"If you had seen me the last winter and
spring, young man, you might have thought
differently said the veteran.
How is that One would think, to look
at you, that sickness was something of which
you knew nothing
And so it was until last winter l went
down into Florida in the fall to see what kind
of fish they had in that State and study their
habits, and was attacked with malaria in its
severest form, and when l came home l re-
allied for the first time in my life that was
sick. My symptoms were terrible. / had
dull, aching pains in my head, limbs and
gone, and l felt lack of energy such as had
often heard described but had never expert
enced. Any one who has ever had severe
attack of malaria can appreciate my condi-
tion. went TO bed and remained there all
spring, and7f there ever was a sick man l
was the one.n
"It seems hardly possible How did you
come to recover so completelyn
My brother, who had been afflicted by
severe kidney trouble and threatened with
Brights disease, was completely cured by a
remedy in which had great confidence. L
therefore tried the same REMEDY for my ma
laria, and am happy to say l asa well man
to-day, and through the lnstrumentality of
Warmers Safe Cure, which believe to be one
of the most valuable of medicines. Indeed,
see it is indorsed by the United States medi-
cal college of New York, and that Dr. Gum,
lean of that institution, has written long
article concerning its value"
" And are you now as well as formerly!"
Apparently so, ! keep the remedy on
hand all the while, though, and do not hesi-
tate tn recommend it to Others"
Zone question more. How many ponds of
tishhave you here, and how are they dividedi"
"Well, we have forty-three ponds, which
are divided upas follows: Twenty-Five pond,
of brook trout, two ponds of salmon trout
four of McCloud river or rainbow trout, two
ponds of German trout, three of Califor-
MIA mountain trout, two ponds Of
hybrids, four of one-quarter salmon
and three-quarters brook trout two ponds
of gold fish and one pond of Carp. Then we
have what we call the centennial pond or
happy family, consisting of crosses of diff
ferent fish, including Kennebec salmon Land
Locked salmon, California salmon, brook
trout, salmon trout and hybrids. These fish
range in size from minnows TO eighteen
Founders, and in age from one and one-half
months to eleven years. L forgot TO
say, also, that we have hospital
pond, which is entirely empty, which speaks
pretty well for a community of many mil
lions. Indeed the whole secret of fish culture
can be summed up in four things. Impregna-
tion,-using no water. Plenty of food
Plenty of pure water and cleanliness
The numerous fish exhibitions which ARE
taking place in all parts of Europe and the