The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-07
SUCCESS IN MATCHING sHAD.
Methods Pursued by the United
States Fish Commission,
From the New York Times.

From the New York Times
Capt. James A. Smith. who may be
said to be the father of 6O.OOO. 100000 shad
told the story of how the United States
has assumed the responsibility of launch
ing. several billions of parentless shad on
their downward career in life. Capt.
Smith perhaps knows more about the
raising of shad than does any other man
within or without the annexed district
of the United States. He has spent over
twenty years with the United States Fish
Commission, and during that time has
raised shad enough to supply half doZ-
en- states with the fish for years to come.
out over 67,OOOOO0 shad, most OF which
entered the world through the channels
OF art, science and force.
The work of artifcially Matching the
shad began at Washington Park, almost
opposite Philadelphia, on the Delaware
river Hele there were the huge shad
seines under the supervision of Capt. AL
bert Rice ALSO of the Fish Commission.
Half a dozen Of the crew of the trim,
yacht-like vessels men we're at work
hauling in shad at the rate of a thousand
or more at a clip.
As the big net was hauled In It was
alive with squirming, surprised silvery
shad. Such fish as are ripe are select
ed, the others being thrown back into the
water Then come the simple process
of making the fish lay eggs whether they
like Il or not.
"A shad that can lay eggs and won't
lay eggs must be made to lay eggs was
the motto of the Fish Hawk. and each
fish that was ready for the operation
was then taken up and stripped" The
aa..a..s
OF it's roe or its milt as the case may
be. This must be done while there is life
in the fish, for the moment the animal
loses interest In the operation the eggs
become useless for Matching purposes. The
stripping Is done by taking up one fish
after another, and. while the fish - firm
ly held under abe arm the disengaged
hand is passed firmly and quickly along
its belly, the mllt or the tiny eggs oozlng
out between the thumb and the foretin-
ger of the operator.
The eggs and the milt are then run DO
gether into big jars filled with water.
Each jar is two feet In hight and foot
in diameter, and supplied with long
tubes through which che water enters and
departs. In each jar, II is estimated. there
are 10000 eggs, and there are 1856 Jars
on the table. SO exact has become ,he
science OF Matching these fish that only
from 10 to 10 per cent. of the eggs now
fail to produce.
The 1856 Jars Of eggs on the Fish Hawk
will represent at the same time eggs In
all stages of maturity In appearance
these eggs are coloTleses and gelatinous
and they float as a thick, revolving mass
In the Jars. Some may be too Tiny to
show life, being only the size OF The head
of pin. Others are swollen to the size
of peas, and within the Transparent walls
OF these the youngsters can be seen kick
ing up a row, wondering what all the re-
traint is for and working away at the
shell, II so II may be called, to get QUE
into the world Even as the jars are un-
der observation, here and there an egg
case would be absorbed or broken, and
a tiny fish would appear only to be caught
In the suction Of the connecting tubes and
70 be hustled In true American fashion
along the passage into a sort OF glass
aquarium.
A newly hatched shad is no longer than
the little finger nail. II is transparent
Under the throat of the little fellow there
is globule. like drop Of water, which
contains the nourishment necessary 10
sustain him unri three or four days have
elapsed and It's mouth has found time 20
open. As soon as the mouth opens, this
globuie withers and falls Off. much 10 the
Improvement OF the appearance of the
little chap.
The success attained In Matching these
fish Is all the moro remarkable consider
Ing the pains necessary 10 insure success.
The time II takes 10 hatch an egg de-
ponds upon the temperature OF the wa
ter AZ GO degrees the eggs hatch IN
seven days: at % degrees In six days. aud
al "a degrees within four days. The ar
Management Of tho jars IL az nearly as
possible ara exact reproduction Of the con-
ditiOng existing az the rivor Dotmm whore
the breeding takes place naturally. Tue