Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-02-25
FlsH-EGGs.
dow They Are Transported from 1Ilchi
gan to New Zealand.

sxI8HSUOfE0Q
gan TO New Zealand.
When Sir Julius Vogel. Commissioners
of the Trade and Customs Department
of New Zealand, visited the United
States three years ago he took an active
interest in all matters pertaining to the
fish and fisheries of this continent, and
from Prot. Spencer F. Baird, United
States Commissioner of Fisheries, at
Washington, he received marked atten-
ton and courtesies. The relations be-
tween these gentlemen led to a mutual
exchanges of fish ova peculiar to both
countries, and the success achieved in
New Zealand with the ova sent there in
duced the Government of that colony to
apply for, a further supply. Some
months since several hundred thousand
fish eggs were sent to the Acclimatiza-
ton Society of the Colony of Victoria.
A few days ago Charles R. auckland,
Resident Agent for the New Zealand
Government, received letter from
Commissioner Baird, asking for the ship
ment by mail steamer from San Fran
cisco of one million white fsh-eggs and
twenty-five thousand salmon trout eggs
to Hon. julius Vogel, Wellington, New
Zealand.
MIR. auckland has called to his aid
the services Of several gentlemen well
versed in matters of this nature. and
great interest is taken to have the ova
packed SO as not to be destroyed while
passing through the tropics. One OF
these gentlemen gave some very inter-
esting Information to a Chronicle re-
porter, which he said would no doubt
be of benefit to those who handle. fish
eggs for transportation. Abiding to
the system in operation at the United
States station at Worthwhile, Mich, he
said: s-s s.:.s'
Eggs for shipping from that station
are first hand-picked. that is, the dead
and unimpregnated are all picked out.
This is very essential point, as the dead
imperil the living to that extent that a
small percentage is sometimes sufti-
cient to destroy them all, especi-
ally on a long journey. After pick
ing, the eggs are spread on Canton
flannel trays and thoroughly drained.
A piece of millinet, first dipped into
ice-water, is then thrown over each tray
and filled up with live moss, which has
also been wrung out in ice water. The
trays are then placed one above the other
and held firmly together by strips nailed
to a top and bottom board, making a
firm. solid package. This is then placed
in case and surrounded by four to six
inches of hardwood shavings firmly
champed in. The spreading and pack
ing are done in a temperature of thirty
two to thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit,
the colder the better, so long as the eggs
do not freeze" -..-
''What plan do you propose to adopt
here in repackingP''
Before forwarding to New Zealand
Il shall inspect each tray and pick out,
with a pair of tweezers, all the dead
eggs. There will probably be few
that have died in transit from North
vile to this city. The dead eggs can
readily be determined, as they are white
or have white spot on the surface. I
shall also sprinkle the live moss lightly
with ice water. The eggs and moss
must be damp, but not dripping or sat-
urated. All this, as I said before, must
be done in temperature not exceeding
thirty-fve degrees.
1.-The packages of eggs, discarding the
case and shavings, must be placed in
the ice-room of the vessel, surrounding
it with cakes of ice, but protected from
drippings and drainage. This condition
should be maintained the entire journey.
Should it be necessary to transfer to an
other vessel at Auckland for further
transportation, or to ship inland, special
care must be observed there, as rise of
a few degrees of temperature, even for
a short time, would be liable to cause
the eggs to hatch on the trays and prove
o total loss San Francisco Chronicle