Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-04

| il dressing the carcass for market and remove
the ripe ova. The milt, wherewith to fertilize
the eggs, ia best obtained in like manner from
living male surgeons, the reproductive organs
being cut out and the fluid passed from them.
The success which thus far has followed this
experimental method of artificial fertilization
proves that millions Of young surgeons could
be Matched annually at small expense by the
fish commission, with simple appliances, for
supplying the waters. Trained takers OF spawn
would have to be employed. as a matter OF
course. just as is done in the case of the shad
whose eggs are Matched by thousands of myriads
by the commission annually.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE YOUNG.
When the young of the sturgeon is Matched
it measures about half an inch in length. AT
this period OF its development it retains, at
tached to its body, sac, corresponding to the
yolk of an egg. which is intended for its food
support for a while. At the end Of a little more
than week the young fish, having absorbed
this natural provision, must begin to forage for
itself.
The sturgeon is scavenger and bottom
feeder. 1t preys.upon the smaller crustacea,
worms and all sorts of such life that is to be
found on the mud or sand. (which may compose
the bottom. 1t does not perceive its prey 30
much by sight as by a system Of feelers about
the mouth which constitute a most sensitive
apparatus of touch. The snout of the animal
is used to some extent as a digging implement,
for turning up half-buried mollusks and other
available food.
At Delaware CITY, forty-fve miles south of
Philadelphia. the run Of spawning sturgeon is
greatest during the month of May, particularly
the latter part Of that month. The fish are
caught with nets drawn by sail boats, and the
ordinary size Of the females is about eight
feet.
WONDERFUL FEcUNDITY OF THE FEMALES.
The roe females which are not quite ready to
Al O
much as their roes are in proper condition for
use by the packers Of "caviare." But the kind
OF roe desired by the fish commission for fish
cultural purposes is riper-in fact, just ma
ture and ready to be artifcially fortified by
the milt of the male. One female sturgeon will
contain. on an average, ten gallons or three
pailfuls Of eggs in this condition, all Of them
retaining their globular form, like so many
shot There are about ITO, 600 eggs to the gal
Ion, or l, zoe, 900 eggs to one fish. One gets o
notion from mere arithmetic in this way of the
prospects for the sturgeon by artificial incuba-
ton, 1t being supposed, reasonably, that one
egg out of every two represents ayoung fish.
The sturgeon egg, newly from the mother
fish, is globular and Of a brownish hue. At one
side darker round disk may be observed,
which is the germ of the fish. Hour by hour
it grows bigger, until it develops tail and fin
ally escapes, a sturgeon, from the combining
shell.
The BABY bTUhoEON ENEMY.
The most dangerous enemy which the baby
surgeons in the egg have to encounter is a
parasitic fungus that attacks the dead eggs
first, spreading rapidly to the live ones and
invading their substance with its thread-like
branches One method suggested for getting
rid Of this pest is to boil the water that is to
be flowed over the Matching trays subse-
quently cooling it by passing it through cold
coil OF pipe aud supplying oxygen to it by
forced air.
Such methods. il carried out, will, it is said.
assure the success Of Matching the eggs Of the
sturgeon to the extent of billions, SO that the
survival of a great proportion of the protected
young may be reasonably counted upon.
Considering it in the same category with the
eel and the catfish, the sturgeon is one Of
the few fishes that are skinned and dressed
before they are sent to market The available
ity of the CT eature's hide for leather has often
been considered; maybe the problem will be
solved before long. The heads, tails and Wis
cera are rendered in factories for oil, the re-
manning fesh bones and cartilage being dried
for guano. After skinning, the carcass of a
sturgeon will weigh 100 pounds more or less.
Its market value being from to 10 cents q
pound.
cAvIARE FROM THE ROE.
Caviare, from the surgeons roe, is the most
important product Of the sturgeon The finest
caviare made in this country goes to Europe
The inferior grades are retained for the less
critical home market. The import duties paid
to the German government by packers of the
American product is about 10 cents pound,
and tine amount OF the tax thus paid into the
imperial German treasury must be considerable,
lnasmuch as single dealer operating on the
Delaware puts up 90 tons of caviare annually
for the German market. The caviare from the
lake sturgeon 10 the best.