The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-02-20

- v declaration Is at all
times an axiom.
says the Philadel-
phla Ledger. The average female shad'
when ready TO rear family. can pro-
duce about 10000 eggs The actual
number depends upon her age II she
succeeds for several years In Hurmount-
Ing the perils Of the journey from the
sea to the spawning grounds, and OF
egg-laying and Matching she may reach
the maximum OF between 10000 and
10000 eggs. OF the ova de-
poslted naturally in the river
not more than 10 per cent
Is Matched. A large number IL not fer
tilted. and a larger number Is de-
voured during incubation by cells. Ger
man carp and other Ash. Thus. OF 30
900 eggs laid. not more than an aver
age OF 800 young fsh succeed In wrig-
Cling into life. That is only the be-
ginning Of their troubles When the
parent hsh swim 20 the headwa,ors OF
the river. the rockhsh. or. more prop
erly speaking. striped bass. which APP
preciatcs the flavor Of ahsd quite as
much as man. 20 along. and when the
spawning ground is reached hang
around impatiently for the young TO be
born feeding meanwhile on minnosi
or anything In the FISH line that comes
along, rounding up and demolishing
whole schools with a neatness and dis
patch wonderful TO be behold. As soon
as the young shad are born the rock
iish WAKES fat lie lolters with them all
summer and follows them on their
downward journey to the sea. In Sep.
tember or October.
Il Is estimated that OF the 800 youns
shad born In the spring. not more than
twenty-five or thirty on an average sue.
coed In reaching salt water. That 10
about the best nature can do. though Il
must be confessed that when she de.
signed this life history Of the shad she
did not take mans probable intorier.
ence into account. because. despite the
fact that only about per cent Of the
hsh which existed FIRST In embryo safe
ly reached the sea. that l per cent.
without mans interference. would soon
an the rivers TO overnowing.
II Il here that man steps In and
shows himself TO be a better econOmis,
than Dame Nature. who has. In fact,
shown herself 10 be wasteiul TO prodi-
gality In some OF her methods Of york
lie takes the $4,000 eggs. causes then
to be thoroughly ier,lllEed. and. by
means OF certain contriyanees. hatehei
out about 1900. against natures 800
BY her primitive methods Therefore
Instead Of only about twenty-five Of
thirty young shad reaching the sea. be-
tween $500 and 5000 accomplish IN,
trip safely. Thus man does more thar
repair the damage he causes by catch
Ing mature fsh for food purposes
How shad are artlacially hatchcd q
interesting as well as instructive. an,
when the work begins Il will repay
visit 10 the hatchery at Bristol TO wit
ness H. As soon a. the water OF IN
Delaware reaches temperature aboy
60 degrees the mature shad begin thei
rush from the sea, The run is Away
led BY the male FISH. though just VIII
this Is Is not definitely settled b
scientists. but Il d alleged by many tina
the males go ahead In order 20 choos
and take possession Of the most eliglhl
nesting sites and 10 perform the pr,
llulnary work OF nest building The
the glller and shore fishermen get on
their nets and make their casts. m
nnphtha launch OF the FISH commlssio
Is brought into service. and the en-
ployes follow up alternately the w
classes Of METERS As the shad are r,
moved from the meshes tho nsh AZ
taken by the spawn-taker and CAREFUL
. examined 10 see n they are ripe-thl
Is. whether the eggs or milt are In
condition to be expressed.
When a ripe female Is found her egl
are stripped into a pan and she Is r,
4 turned to the fisherman TO be sold az
. buck" or barren" The milt OF
4 male le then expressed over the egg
9 hut. before he Is thrown aside TO
9 sold a. food. there Is yet one mo
{ duty required OF him. The expressu
8 milt has gone irregularly over Il
Q eggs and all are not fer,iliEed. To a
10 compllsh this the hsh culturlst al
= the mass thoroughly with the tail
o the male. He Is used for a two-fo
r reason-hrst. he Il the handiesi impl
4 ment with which 20 do the work. an
A secondly. the tail is 20 soft and pliat
d. tina, the eggs are neither broken r.
In unduly shaken mp,
z As soon a. the ova are gathered q
|. ash culturist -eturns with thom to {
q Matching station. Here they are wash
, and placed IN the Matching Jars al
M the water turned on The Gov OF {
ID latter causes the eggs 20 De- kept co
|. stantly In motion. thus preyentug th,
. from adhering 10 each other In q
A., or three days the eyes OF the little "a
I. appear and are distinctly visible as q
. black spots, then the backbone sho
/. itself. aud IN a few days more me ]
p de creature breaks from Cos prison Of
> struggles 20 the top OF the mass
:, eggs. Then % Is caught by The slph
y and carried into one OF the aquar
y where u most likely finds hundreds
W. Us kind. when these hundreds I
come thousands they are dipped q
'h and placed In very large s,orage aQt
'o ria. oct In the door In the forward p,
OF the hatchery. At this period ca
little FISH has attached 20 u what
called an umhilical sac, and on the CO
tents Of this for some days Il fee
The fish commission has no means
feeding the little ones, and thorcf,
," a few days after being Matched N
are placed In large milk cans and cI