Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31

Uncle sam is Going In for Propagafing
Trout just at Present.


Uncle sam lie Going I'm for Propagafing
Trout Just at Present
rJ,HE FISH COMMISSION Is DdiNa IT'S
Il best just now 10 make the streams Of the
country swarm with trout. Three times
many trout are being distributed this year over
the United States rs were propagated Inst year.
Two new trout stations have been started-one
at Neosho NO., and the other at Lesdville. Col.
The latter is likely to be in the future the most
important OF all trout stations. During the
past twelvemonth about S.ooo,0oo lake and
brook trout have been contributed by the COM
mission to the waters OF this country in the
shape Of eggs and young fry.
Trout cannot be successfully propagated in
Jars, like shad. Troughs must be used. through
which running water passes over the fortified
eggs. The commission maintains trout hatch
cries at wytheville, Va. NeoSho. Leadville
and Worthwhile, Mich. II is not so easy TO Sc
lect a locality for the purpose. To begin with,
there must be water. That means a spring
with a big fow OF perhaps 1900 gallons q
minste. regular water works must be estsb
iished to make use Of this. Furthermore. the
water must be cool. The distribution OF trout
for this year will be completed about the end
OF February.
sHAp PLANTING.
OF shad the commission planted last year in
waters all over the Union about 5000. 900
young fry. All these were propagated at the
stations, the most important Of which is az
headquarters here in Washington. The next
biggest station rs ut Havre de Grace, on the
Susquehanna. while a third is located at Glou-
cester, on the Delaware. The fish commission
steamer. the Fish Hawk, has headquarters at
Gloucester and propagates shad by millions on
board. Eggs are gathered by expert employees,
who so on: with the shad fishermen. Many Of
them also are contributed by the fishermen
themselves. who have learned how 10 strip
the females OF their eggs and to impregnate
them with the milt of the males The fisher
men are paid SO much quart for those of the
eggs they bring in which prove fertile.
The gathering Of shad eggs has not yet be-
gun. Of course. II will commence in the
spring. during April, and will last into June
After it is done the commission will start in
upon its work OF distributing.
FREsH-wATER FISHES OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
This is q very curious sort Of task. In the
summer the waters of the Mississippi river and
Its tributaries begin to lower and in thousands
Of pools in the low,ands the fishes are left DIV
the receding tide. Ordinarily the pools dry up
sooner or later and their finny occupants die I;
but the fish commission has found a way to
make use Of this condition of affairs. Its
agents go at the proper time, draw the pools
with seincs and ship the fish in all directions
to he planted where stock of the sort is desired
Last year 13l 900 such fishes a year or more
old and ready 10 spawn this season, were gath
cred in thus and dispatched 10 all quarters,
particularly throughout Illinois and neighbor-
ing states. Among them were the crappie and
the black bass. these being the most valuable;
but there were also catfish, yellow perch, white
bass, sunfish, red-eye perch, pike perch and
other species.
FROM THE LAKES.
distributed last year than that Of shad. Ninety
three million young ones were duly planted, and
SO. 900, 900 eggs were sent out. There are three
great whitefish hatcheries-one at Put-in-Hay
Island; another at Duluth, and a third It
Apena. Mich. Two hundred thousand white
fish eggs were sent to England.
The fish commission distributes about 800 900
young carp on an average yearly. Their eggs
cannot be shipped, and nothing is to be done
for propagating them save TO assist nature by
taking the eggs. fertilizing them. and placing
them in the carp ponds near the Washington
monument, surrounded by bri:sh for the pur-
pose Of keeping the old ones from devouring
the spawn.
THE FISH CAR.
The little fish sent out for distribution by the
commission are loaded on cars made especially
for the purpose, with all the parts ordinarily
beneath the level of the seats save for a middle
aisle. constructed box-like SO as to give room
for the accommodation of tn cans. At inter
walls on the road the water Is drawn of from
the cans with siphons and renewed with hose
from railway taps. The car stops at the big
cities and sends ont by express small cans
loaded witt fish Cor destinations marked ac-
cording to requests conveyed No charge is
made for the fab or the can; but the recipient
must pay exrressage from the place where the
car stops 10 his address.
Few things in this world are more curious
than the method by which little fish comes
into being. The grown female lays a quantity
Of eggs AID upon this spawn the male subse-
quently deposits its milt The milt. examined
beneath the microscope, is found to contain an
endless number OF minute pollywogs. Each
egg has q small hole in il, and through this
hole a pollywog makes its way into nucleus
contained within what is called the .'germinal
vesicle." The result is that the nucleus takes
life and quickly it begins to multiply. becom-
ing two, then four, then eight and 50 on These
cell, all the time multiplying by division. COM
bine together and begin to form the cellular
structure of the orsans-the eyes and the heart
frst-of the fEh that is 10 be. Finally, when
the creature is made. it bursts its transparent
shell and swims as if it had always been used to
that sort of thing