The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-01-26
FACTS ABOUT TROUT EGGS.
It Takes 6,500 of Them, on an Average,
 to Fill a Quart Measure.

1 It Takes 6,500 of Them, on an Average, to Fill a Quart Measure. | A few days ago, writes A. N. Cheny in the Forest and Stream, lifted a tray of trout eggs from trough in one of the state hatcheries in the Adiron- dacks, and apparently there were two distinct kinds of eggs on the tray. One kind consisted of small white eggs, and i the other of large reddish pink eggs, certainly three times as large as the white eggs, yet both were from the same species of fish. The large eggs were from a brown trout, wild fish, l taken in one of the nets while the men were netting whitefsh. The small white eggs were taken from a brown trout, about the same size as the other, l that was captured last year from the same pond, and 1t had been in the stock ponds just one year.
 All fish eggs are measured as they come into a hatchery, as that is the beginning of the count of fish that re- suit from the eggs, but eggs differ greatly in size from the same species and they have to be counted and count ed again. The trays in a hatchery trough are all of the same size twenty five and one-half inches by twelve and one-half inches, inside measurement, and they will hold from seven to nine thousand lake trout eggs, and from twelve to fourteen brook trout eggs, but they cannot be spread on tray to in- sure a trustworthy count. Trout eggs have been counted by the square inch, but an actual square inch will contain many more aggs than a theoretical square inch based on the number of eggs to a lineal inch. Quarts and squares have been counted, and fluid ounces are now continually counted to determine the number of eggs in a standard quart.
 Here are the counts made by the Uni ted States Fish commission of the num- Der of rainbow trout eggs to a quart, made at different times and places 6,S75, 6,624, 6,536 and with this for a basis one would be on the safe side to call each quart 6500 eggs, for an allow ance must always be made, and Is made, if the man who measures the eggs is fair, as he should be, to make sure that he has the number of fry that he reports when the matching is fin ished but here is another count-7,625 eggs The last count is from eggs Of domesticated fish, and the man who measures the eggs must have one count for wild eggs and another for stock eggs
 This allowance can be Illustrated by two reports that I saw within few days. One foreman had sent to the foreman of another hatchery some whitefsh eggs. The first man replied that he had sent one hundred and fifty quarts of eggs, and the second man re- ported that he had received one hun dred and fifty-three quarts. The first man said he had made fair allowance in his measurement Each mad had re- ported at a central point without know ing the figures of the other, so, on the face of it, the first man had sent 5,520,- 900 eggs, and the second man had re- ceived 5,630, 400 eggs, or an increase Of 11O,40O eggs in transit, allowing 36,S00 eggs to a quart.
 In counting eggs by measure much  depends on the trustworthiness of the men who do the measuring, that large eggs are not contedas small ones, ana that the proper standard of eggs to a quart Is used. Once I found man using a standard of forty-four thou sand whitetish eggs to d quart, ana ne believed he was right, and he had no idea of deceiving the commission that
 1-N T., ,oG a q figures by measuring a 1ineal inch of eggs and squaring them, but eggs in a souare inch do not naturally occupy position where the nadfr of an egg In one layer coincides with the zenith of the eggs below it. The safe way in fig 1ring fish eggs is to count apart of ouart if there is doubt about the stand ard and then allow a good margin loss and shrinkage.