The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-10-19
THE FATHER OF FISH-CULTURE.
Seth Green's Ideas About The Finny Tribe.
Turf Field and Farm.

Turf, Field and Farm.
GLOW did you ever come to devise this
scheme? ?"
81 have been working at 1t ever since 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 in
dicates the extent of his labors.
"When / was quite young" he continued,
~ would lie on the limbs of trees that
reached out over the water entire afternoons,
watching the movemements of the fish and
studying their habits. In this way l dis.
covered many characteristics which were be-
fore unknown. I saw, as every observer
must see, the destructive elemt nts that are
warning against fish, and realized that I'M
less something was done the life in the
streams of this country would become ex-
tinct. To counteract this disastrous end be-
came my lIfe-work, and l am happy to say /
have seen Its accomplishment"
"Were you successful on the start ?"
"No, indeed. UP to that time all artif-
cial attempts to hatch and raise fish from the
spawn had failed and was compelled to ex-
pertinent in an entirely new manner. The
work was a careful and tedious one, but
finally succeeded, and to-day am able to
hatch and raise fully seventy-five per cent.
of all spawn"
Enormous! Why, that is larger per-
centage than either the vegetable or animal
kingdoms produce in a natural condition"
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 this
paper was paying a visit to the State fish
hatcheries. 1t has been his privilege TO re-
port very many interesting sight within the
past twenty five years, but the view present.
ed here exceeds IN interest anything ever be-
fore attempted.
"How many fish are there in those ponds,
Mr.. Green?'
GAS we have never attempted to count
them, 1t would be impossible to say. They
extend away 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 nearly
every variety of the trout family and many
hybrids."
"You speak of hybrids, Mr.. Green. What
do you mean by that ?"
81 have experimental for years In crossing
the breed Of the various fish and am still
working upon it. We cross the female sal
mon trout with the male brook trout, and
thus produce a hybrid. Then we cross the
hybrid 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 20 fly, Is far more vigorous
and fully one-third larger than ordinary
brook trout of the same age. The possiblli-
ties Of development in the fish world are
great and we are rapidly ascertaining what
they are"
"One question more. How many ponds
of fish have you here and how are they d.
vided ?"
"Well, we have 43 ponds, which are divid-
ed up as follows: 20 ponds of brook trout,
2 ponds of salmon trout, Of McCloud river
or rainbow trout, 2 ponds of German trout,
of California mountain trout, 2 ponds of by
birds, 4 Of one-quarter salmon and three
quarter brook trout. ponds of gold fish and
/ pond Of carp. Then we have what we
call the centennial pond or shappy family
consisting of crosses of different fish, includ-
ing Kennebee salmon, Land Locked salmon,
California salmon, brook trout, salmon
trout and hybrids. These fish range in size
from minnows to 1s-pounders. and in age
from one and one-half month TO eleven
years. forgot to say, also, that We have .
pond, which il entirely empty,
which speaks pretty we'll for community Of
many Millions