Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1885-06-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.


as one made at the national musem, by
the United States fish commission. Its
headquarters are in this city and it's
principal Matching and propagating
stations are located here, but the in
terest taken by the public in this work |
is comparatively small, when one re-
fleets what has been accomplished in
cheapening and increasing the food
supply of the country by the labors of
the commission. Much has been learn !
ed through scientific Investigation, of |
the habits and modes of life of the !
various species of the linny tribe. 1t is
known now what each species of fish
likes and what best agrees with 1t.
The establishment of the Government |
Fish Commission about fifteen years
ago was the result of a quarrel between
Massachusetts and Rhode Island re-
lative to the fisheries of southern New
England and the proper function of
legislatures in regulating them. Con-
gress appropriated $500 for the prose
cution of inquiries as to the diminution
of food fishers of the coasts and the
lakes of the U. S. and Professor Bard,
then Of the Smithsonian institution,
was appointed fish commissioner. The
results of the first seasons inquiries
were so valuable that congress in
creased the appropriation for the next
year, and continued to do so each year,
until the total amount expended up to
| this time will reach nearly million
and half of dollars.
The work of propagation and distri-
button has grown very greatly. During
the present year the commission has
developed and distributed about 13O, 600,
600 white fish, about 100000 salmon,
as many as 27.000.0O0 shad; a large
number of brook trout and California
trout, and has sent carp to over 1000
| applicants embracing every state and
territory in the union, and nearly every
congressional district. The most i'm
portant work of the year is the attempt
to stock Columbia river and the system
of streams emptying into Puget sound,
with shad. a car OF the commission is
now en-route to Portland, Oregon, for
this purpose, with 100000 shad. They
are also endevoring to stock the tribu-
tarieS of the Gulf OF California with
the same fish, and 100000 young shad
are now on their way to the Colorado
and Republican rivers.
An immense number of fish has been
sent to France, Germany and other
J European countries. The old world,
, which first began the work of fish
culture hundred years ago, is now be-
, ing surpassed in results by this COM
, mission, which has been in existence
scarcely fifteen years. AS if to prove
that there is uothing new under the
sun, it has been found that the artificial
rearing of fish was practiced by the
Chinese ages ago. They have consider
able literature on the subject too, but
1 intelligent investigation and practical
e result in this direction we've never SO
: Systematically attained as under the
direction of the U. S. fish commission
: That this country is better equipped
e for fish culture, and has more knowl-
edge of it than any other is fully shown
/ by the fact that at the Berlin inter.
national fserles exhibition, in 1880, the
n highest prize, that offered by the
e Emperor of Germany, was awarded tC
r Prof. Baird as the first fish culturist in
y the world. Then ut the London fish
i erles exhibition, in 1883, the United
States received more than one fifth o1
]. all the awards given to foreign ant
! colonial government displays, and /;
7 much larger proportion of gold medal!
7 fell to her lot than was received b,
any other country. saw this fish eX
g hibit just as it appeared at LOndoa eX
= with his charge, Prof. Baird arranged
in one of the divisions of the museum
a complete display Of the Matching pro
: cess, together with all theimproved ap
pliance used to facilitate the work.
renamed there for several days an,
q was examined by several thousan
:. people VINO received invitations to see il
- The fish commission has three ship
- in its service-the Fish Hawk, the Al
- batress, and the Lookout. 1t has thre
cars specially fitted up for the trans
portation of fish Besides this centr;
no station, and the summer headquarter
by at Woods Hall, Mass, it has a doZe
lse other stations in different states, all c
er' which are furnished with the most al
ry proved appliances for developing som
species of fish.
ID Card.
oe Editor Turner County Herald: Pleas