The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-11-06
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
The Wisconsin State Fish, tchery-
Various Methods OF Preserving
Meats,
A State Fish Hatchery

vWAAVWo NANVAAONo VI \ AN0OA vAhtS
Meats.
A State Fish Hatchery
Three years ago the exhibition of
specimen from the state fish hatchery
at the Milwaukee exposition, writes u
Madison correspondent of Tile Senti-
mel, drew largo number of visitors.
as it undoubtedly does this year; but
to see "fish.farming" on such an OK.
tensive scale as it can be seen here
makes the heart of the sporting fisher
man fairly bound with pleasure. The
hatchery is under the direct supcrvis-
ion of a board of five fish commission.
crs. who appointed james Nevin
upcrintendcnt, man who possesses
thorough knowledge and practical
experience in fish culture.
The hatchery is located about fifteen
miles southeast of Mad son, in u grove
covering several acres, the property of
the state. Visitors, especially on Sum
day, are very numerous: but undoubt-
cdly would be larger still if the modes
of conveyance there were better. l
venture the opinion that il such an
institution were located within five
miles of Milwaukee II horse-car line
would he built to it readily. As it is,
the road is neither direct nor in good
enough condition for pedestrians, es.
pecially in the Matching season. In
the grove are no less than nine springs,
supplying tho numerous ponds con-
tanning tho several species of breeding
fish, or fry ut different stages of dcvcl-
opmcnt, located at short distances
from the Matching house or. incuba.
tors. Brook and "Mackinaw," or
lake, trout, California rainbow trout,
whitcisIl. and wall-cycd pike are sue
cessfully Matched. Mr.. Nevin is also
experimenting with a hybrid. which is
u cross between brook and lake trout;
it grows evenly with tho others, but
its spccks are larger. and the general
appearance Of the lisl, of a lighter
color. European carp. which require
stagnant, muddy water. are less sue
ccssfully cultivated, while the demand
for fry is greater than the supply.
The United States government, how
ever, has lately engaged man for tho
express culture Of the carp. and in
tends to ship about 5oo, oO0.O0 fry in
the course OF the year. Somewhat
better success than in former years is
also promised ut the state hatchery.
Gold fish, until this season. did not
flourish at Madison. but since Supt.
Ncvin constructed Il stagnant pond
success seems to be near. for he now
shows 81 colony Of many thousands of
fry of the beautiful tribe, scarcely an
inch long. Many orders for goldfish
are received from Milwaukee and
Chicago. with some prospect of being
filled this season. The board of com.
missioncrs hopes to lind Il source of
revenue in this kind, charging 40 or
50 cents Il pair.
Brook trout spawn about Nov. and
hatch in from eighty to ninety DAYS.
Lake trout, when three years old. bear
no less than 2. 500 eggs, and hatch in
live months. Whi.elish at years old
contain from 1000 to 5000 eggs and
hatch in five months. Carp is the
most prolific Of all, containing no less
than fifty thousand eggs. The process
of spawning and Matching is very in
teresting, and requires great deal of
labor and attention. Under SuDt.
Nevin 80 per cent of tho eggs obtained
are successfully Matched.
Green lake, so Fourth lake at
Madison, will be- planted with Mac.
kinaw trout this season. Six hundred
thousand California rainbow trout
were shipped and planted last season,
and letters were received ut the hatch
cry lately telling of some having been
caught in Green lake seven or eight
inches in length. Some carp were
planted at Riron. but have not heard
Of anybody lucky enough to lift one
from its muddy bed. Lake Michigan
has not been planted in two years, but
it is the intention to hatch and plant
forty million of whitctish ut Milwaukee
this season. The reason why wlue,ish
can not be fully Matched at
Madison is that the water ut the hatch
cry is SO warm that the eggs would
mature about Jan. /, when the water
of Lake Michigan is so cold rs to pro-
duce certain death to the fry. Being
Matched ut Milwaukee IN lake water
they will be ready for planting about
April l.
Feeding the fish at the hatchery Is
another interesting process. They are
fed on liver obtained from Milwaukee
and Madison ut a cost of from $40 to
800 per month. For the large fish
the liver is chopped in small pieces,
while for the fry it is ground so rs TO
resemble clotted blood. Carp, how
ever, is fed on boiled corn; carp fry on
cornmeal mush. Supt. Nevin prepar-
cd little fun for the writer by throw
ing about five pounds of chopped liver
in the pond containing the 4-ycar-old
brook trout. In less than half a min
ute no trace of the food was
left. Being told that they were very
fond OF frogs set about catching half
dozen-the grounds abounded with
them. 10 see the trout pursuing the
poor frogs in a race Of life or death
until caught and dcvourcd would sug-
gest the idea of using live frogs for trout
angling. Until this visit to the hatch
cry believed that fish were nearly as
deaf US they are mute. l know better
now; for at the slightest noise or mo-
tion of the arm they would make
"about face'' with an agility and pre-
cision unequaled by the best drilled
military company in existence. lean
now account for my poor luck fishing
on the government brcakwatcr this
summer while the trains of the Lake
Shore and Western came laundering
along. Such noise is enough to scare
the fish to the other side of Lake
Michigan.
am not sure whether it is general
ly known that any proprietor of
creek or pond or any county govern.
ment in Wisconsin can obtain the fry
free of charge by making out 81 regular
application. the blanks for which can
be had of any of the commiss oners.
The fry is shipped in tin milk. cans.
A ten-gallon can will hold five thou
and brook trout fry. or fifty thousand
wall-eyed pike. All railroads, even,
carry fry free of charge, and plain di-
rections for handling are printed on
the tags fastened to the cans. The
value Of this institution, from an in
dustrial point of view, as we'll as the
amount of innocent, cost less port
which the success of it may in time
produce to the people of tho Badger
state, can not be ovcrcstimatcd, or
measured by dollars and cents. No
less than twenty-five states Of the union
now hAva n fish commission, nu.l state