The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-10-18
Seth Green's Ideas About the Finny Tribe
and Some of His Varied Ex-
peTiences.
Turf, Field and Farm.l

Turf Field and Farm.l
"How did you ever come to devise this
Bcheme?"
81 have been working at it ever since I
was large enough to bend pin"
The above remark was addressed to Mr..
Seth Green, the veteran fish culturist, who
is known to the entire world, and his reply
indicates the extent of his labOrs.
"When l was quite young" he con-
tinued, 81 would lie on the limbs of trees
that reached out over the water entire
afternoons watching the movements of the
fish and studying their habits. In this way
l discovered many characteristics which
were before unknown. l saw, as every OBJ
server must see, the destructive elements
that are warning against fish, and real
lied that unless something were done, the
life in the streams of this country would
become extinct. To counterfeit this disas-
trous end became my life work, and am
happy to say | have seen its accomplish
ment.O
"Were you successful on the startW
''No, indeed Up to that time all arti-
fetal attempts to hatch and raise fish from
the spawn had failed, and l was compelled
to experiment in an entirely new manner.
The work was careful AMI tedious one,
but l finally succeeded, and to-day / am
able to hatch and raise fully seVenty-tive
per cent. of all spawn"
Enormous! Why, that is a larger per
centage than either the vegetable or ami
NAL Kingdoms produce in natural con-
dition."
II know it, but we exercise the greatest
care in the start, and guard the little fell
lows until they become able to care for
Themselves
The foregoing conversation occurred at
Caledonia, where the representative of this
paper was paying visit to the State Fish
Hatcheries. 1t has been his privilege to
report very many interesting sights within
the past twenty-five years, but the view
presented here exceeds in interest anything
ever before attempted.
How many fish are there in those ponds,
Mr.. Green?''
As we have never attempted to count
them it viii be impossible to say. They
extend way up into the millions though.
We shipped over three millions out Of the
ponds this year, and there seemed to be as
many afterward as before. We have near
ly every variety of the trout family and
many hybrids."
'Y GU speak of by birds, Mr.. Green. What
do you mean by thaty"
81 have experimental for years in cross
ing the breed ofthe various fish, and am still
working upon it. We cross the female sal
mon trout with the male brook trout, and
thus produce hybrid. Then we cross the
/ hybrid with the brook trout, which gives
us three-quarter brook trout and one quar-
ter 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 yermiliOn
| spots on his sides, rises readily to a fly. is
4 far more vigorous and fully one-t third
I larger than ordinary brook trout of the
/ same age. The possibilities of develop
me0t in the fish world are great, and we
| are rapidly ascertaining what they are"
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
/ investigators who, from a rich aud life
/ long experience, bring great benefit to the
! world. Let the reader imagine 4 strong
! and stalwart frame, surmounted by q head
! strongly resembling that OF Socrates, and
/ covered with a white, silky beard and lux
4 uFiant gray hair. Seth Green, tho father
/ of fish culture, is a picture of health, and
4 the reporter could not help remarking so.
eff you had seen me the last winter and
/ spring, young man, you might have
i thought differently" said the veteran.
/ ''HOw is that? One would think, to look
\ Gt yoa, that sickness was something Of
which yea knew nothing"