The Washington times., 1895-05-26

that swims the Potomac, and the tens of
thousands who know all about the deli
cious planked shad OF this vicinity, VIII
doubtless agree with that application OF
an old sentiment
A visit to the Fish Commission station at
Bryan Point. on the Potomac, where they
propagate the toothsome shad from the
egg, is a valuable and interesting expert
ence. It is just opposite Mount Vernon.
The station is in charge of Superintendent
Worth, who has since 1883 been connected
with the commission and is now superintend-
ent of the central station in this city. His
assistant is Mr.. /. G. Harron, who is also
an expert in the business. Both of these
gentlemen have conducted the business OF
propagation for the commission for about
seven years.
SIMPLE EQUIPMENT.
The equipment Of the station is very
simple There are small boat house,
dozen or so tents, kitchen and mess
hail, a propagating house, an engine house,
a very old-iOoking wharf and fleet OF
dozen boats, and a Seine The tents are
the boat house are sleeping quarters for
an equal number of colored men, the seine
haulers. A cook and an assistant cook are
employed for the white men, inasmuch as
the catching OF shad is both day and night
work Tho eolored people do their own
cooking The family of Mr.. Worth, wife
and several children, stay in tent, where
they keep house. Independently OF the
camp mess and other ARA ngements.
Between Alexandria aud Bryan Point
there are a great many fish ira psa sandg gill nets
The trap lets very few unfortunates escape
that come It's way. The device consists of
long net let dowuinto the waterfroma point
near the shore in the direction ofthe channel.
On tie eilsitIltl hjtIt4 There d Ht-I C.or-u at
the bottom which is called pound" in
which the fish are imponnded. Between
the long extent OF net and the pound there
is Il htart-shaped aTraligenieiit or uetting
which is connected with the pound by q
funnel opening into the pound.
CAUHT IN THE POUND.
Ansh strikes thenet, finds he is obstructed
and tries to escape into deep water in the
channel. He follows the long line ofnetting
or ''ileuge, rs brought up IN liie hearI-
shaped net and lastly plunges through the
funnel into the pound where he is1mprisoned
fast and forever.
ANY time one looks into the pound he can
see a procession of the unfortunates swim
ming around aud around and around, and
instinctiyely keeping away from the sides
OF the nets. The fisherman when he wants
TO empty the net pushes his boat into the
pound, draws it up gradually and scoops
out his booty.
The gill net is a wall of finely meshed
linen threads, which is let down into the
water. supported on the surface by float
ers. The method is simple enough. The
gs,-N.. k,fc h1.d ira hnS
and in his effort to escape entangles him
self more and more, and there Is 40 escape
but deatn.
The seine is the third great fish catcher.
1t is of great length. 1t is of netting, is
let down into the water according to the
depth and is attached at the shore end.
1t is trailed out into the stream in long,
| sweeping curve. the shore END being at
tached 10 q windlass.
AT slack water or any time on the ebb
it is hauled in by another windlass, when
the off end has been hauled in and at
tached The seine gathers in everything
in its wide sweep-herring, terrapin, bass,
etc Everything is fish that comes to
this net.
The Fish Commission does not depend on
the catch of its own Seine for the great
work il undertakes Below Bryan Point
! are the following great seines: Golden &
| Ewing at WinnfDil POINT: WaIiers, al
/ Whitewater; Theo. Baliinger, Frees tone
! Point: Al McCuyens, Plumtree; Capt Will
lam Neitzey. Stoney Point: George L. Gale,
/ Chapmau's; John Luckett, Bar Landing
! Henry Ranm, Tulip Hill; William Faunce,
/ Tent Landing.
MILLIONS OF YOUNG SHAD.
The number OF young shad raised annually
ranges from 60 ,OOO, 900 TO 75,000,0OO
The officers az the station say that only
! from oue-eighth 10 one-serenth of the mum
4 Der are the product Of the seine run by The
government Taking The aTerage produc
/ Of fhe female shad in eggs, at 20 GOO, it re
! quircs 8 600 to be stripped" as thel
term it, to obtain that number of eggs
An equal number OF male fishes is alsC
| used in the process ofinpregnation, making
5000 for the government purposes alone
When the work Of taking the eggs is done
at the government station, 1T is an eas1
and simple process. The female shat
are taken and robbed of their eggs, which
are placed directly ID tinware pans. il
is only small proportion of the female
shad caught that are available for thi!
scientific process, and it requires skill
| experience ana Judgment to make the prope
selection The eggs are vitalized in The
pans 10y the male shad.
The eggs are then washed aud trans
ferred TO the propagating house In this
shad nursery the babies are kept 10 white
glass jars, on shelves, which gives th'
room the appearance of a primitive apoth
ecary shop BY means of small pipes {
constant stream OF water is passing owe
and through the mass of eggs, and Keeping
them in perpetual motion, just as II the,
were rocked in the cradle of the deep.
The young shad begins to develop rap
idly in his egg. lie is kept at this station
| for about thirty-six hours, when he IL
shipped to the central station, in this