New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-17

Christmas. Shoutu ntne teWpti"Vuic - N'O
80 degrees Matching would have to be discontinued
Next year Mr.. Nielsen intends to MT up small
vessel with Wells In which cod can be collected
at various points around the coast as soon as
they appear and brought early to the hatchery
He thinks, too that by collecting the finest nsh
around the shore he will be able to improve the
breed by crossing the Trinity Bay fish with su-
perior varieties. such as those from Cape ST.
Mary, where they are Of a large size by seiecteo
stock the breed of cod can be improved, as well
as on land the breeds Of cattle are improved oy
a similar process Of selection and crossing. Inc
audacity of science In these days takes away ones
breath.
Although the number of cod ova Matched this
year is not up to our expectations yet the oe-
gree of success reached Is very grauiylhg "hen
we consider that this is the hrst season. twenty
five or Thirty millions Of young COD added 10 the
stock in Trinity Bay means great deal. LEI
this be continued for few years and scarcity
of the noble cod will be transformed into aoun-
dance The possibility OF Matching cod on large
scale is once more satisfactorily proved, ana tw
experience now gained will insure greater sue
cess next year.
This is not ALL The fishermen Of Trinity Bay
report from various places that they have op-
served immense shoals of very small Goldfish In
the latter part of September and October. They
were rot when observed more than an inch or
two inches in length. Mr.. Nielsen has no doubt
that these are the growth from the fry planted
from his hatchery late In June and in July In Sep
TENDER and October they would have just reached
the size of those seen. This news is Of the high
est Importance and affords abundant encourage
ment to perseverance when tangible results are
already apparent.
NIELsEN's LOBSTER NESTS.
Mr. Nielsen's success in bster-hatching has
been more striking than in the former department
and, indeed has exceeded the most sanguine eX-
pectltions. At Dido he obtained 20,927,2Oo
lobster from various factories within reach
OF these 15,O7O,8OO were Matched and planted,
against 100000 planted last year. The per-
centage Of loss in the apparatus this year was 49,
against 40 1-2 last year-showing a marked I'M
prOvement in the method OF manipua' lon-the Ie
suit of experience. These 2O,927,aOO young ioo-
sters were set fee in the waters of the bay where
they would have the same chance of survival as
those brought to Lie in the natural way
This, however, is only part of the tale. For
the first time, this year, Mr.. Nielsen has employed
floating incubators for the propagation OF loo'efS.
These are small wooden. boxes so constructed tha'
when anchored In suitable localities they are coll
stantly in motion, and allow how oil pure sea
water, aerated by the motion of the ihcuoators, 10
reach the eggs. These incubators are MIR. Mel
sens own invention, and show much Ingenuity
-Four hundred and thrty-two OF them were mae
Men were carefully lis .rdcted as 10 VleT u-e.
They were then uiS ribu ed at fourteen dlhere
stations around six OF our largest bays, fon ort-
une Bay to Green Bay, in the North my were
water was pure and sufficient shelter cou4d ne
found These places were l.. the neignborhood oil
lobster factories. The men in charge oil the Ia.
cubators visited the factories daily ana c~reiuIS
removed the Ova fastened to the hbi1S Oh Tine
moter-lobsters, and placed them in the lncuoa,
tors where in due tine they were hstc ed, ana
when strong enough to strike out Tor themselves
they were liberated in The Yates
RESULTS OF INCREDIBLE MAGNITUDE,
The method is SIMPLE and inexpensive. Twenty
four men were sufficient to work 432 incubators'
Their wages were 81 day, with travelling en-
nenses paid. The cost of the inoubators is 81
each. Any man having ordinary intelligence
ran be taught the method Of working them in
short time.
Now let us see the result of this seasons opera
tons. Returns have been received from the four
teen stations and carefully tabulated The re-
turns show that $685. 800 Of HOLSTERS were
Matched and planted j &c waters. Adding 10
these the number hatcl.. at Dido, by Mr.. Mel
sen, we have 406, 005,300 young Holsters hatched
and planted in one season. Let IL DC n0teu, 700,
that these ova were all doomed 10 destracuo on
and had they not been turned to account In the
incubators would have been consigned TO the
boilers along with tine Holsters. That they were
saved and brought to life is clear gam Should
20 or 25 per cent survive and reach maturity-or
even half that numbcr-what an addltlOn 10 the
stock of Holsters in the waters in which they were
placed
AN AVERAGE YIELD PER LOBSTER OF 10 o7o
1t seems to me that in this cheap and simple
process we have the means Of arresting the de-
cline in lobster fisheries which for years past has
been experienced in every country where they
are taken, and also of restoring lobster grounds
which have been entirely depleted Protective
legislation and enactments to secure close seasons
have all failed to arrest the rapid decline in lob,
ster fisheries. Here is something more enectuai
than restrictive measures. Instead OF consignng
these precious germs of life to the boilers let
each factory be furnished with a set OF lncupaIUfs
by which the ova he brought to life. Inc
owners and managers of the various lobster rae
tories here who witnessed the process with thelI
own eyes are delighted with the discovery, ana
we anticipate that the day is at hand when they
will all, for their own advantage. procure ana
work these incubators at their own expense
From the tabulated returns some interesting
facts are CLEANED The total number OF Holsters
stripped of their ova at the whole of the stations
was 20,599. The total number of Holsters hatched
0O,934,5Oo SO that the average yield OF each
lobster was 1890. The total number OF ova
collected from the 20, 500 Holsters was 4S2,oo4,-
26O so that the loss per cent in Matching was only
TO- This is very remarkable and affords the
strongest evidence in favor of the floating
incubators. The small percentage Of loss is &C
counted for in this way: The incubators were
at no great distance from the lobster factories, sc
| that the ova were obtained fresh anC
were not subjected to any, serious in
| juries while being carried to the incubatint
stations. In the case of Dido hatcherS the ovf
J had to I've brought from long distances, and some
times overland so that the percentage OF loss wa
lor NV IN hot
accidents during their transference The averag'
size of the Holsters shipped was about IL inches
| There are now close to 200 lobster factories
| in operation in this island, and each year wit
resses an increase of their numbers. They ar
all placed under license by the rules OF the Fish
ais Commission. The animal value Of Ou1
lobster fishery is over $500 900. BY due car
and an extension of artificial propagation we ma!
hone 10 increase its value ten-fold. In our proN
unity to European markets we possess an i~portan
ADVANTAGE. This year the price Of Holsters ha
increas ed 25 per cent. owing to the scarcity Of TN
;ayoritn cristacran The lobster Is fv
yeors in reaching maturity so that the effect o