New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-25


work A binding seet may be setting in when
one starts out with one of Uncle Sans fishing
ooats- The men at the oars bow their heads il
the wind and wet, while the boat captain griz-
zed, and smoking pipe in fair weather AMI
foul. stands high on the great pile of net in the
stern of the boat and guides the craft
If it is rough the spray dashes high above
ones head, and in few moments one is soaked
and then gradually stiffens, IS coat. cap AMI
mittens begin to freeze. Back near the fisher
mems shanty runs along the shore with
little French pony, while at of the two BIZ;
reels which draw in the net another is standin,
ready to start Twenty rods from the starting
point the fishing boat runs into shore and rope
is thrown to the man with the pony At the
end of this rope, nearly quarter Of Il mile Ions
is the net
straight out into the river now the boat darts,
four men pulling with might and main. and
with the spray dashing in bucketfuls Soon
the rope ashore begins to pull the net Off and
it rolls out behind 800 feet of it. and hundreds
of lead weights carry it's bottom twenty-eight
feet down into the river Now the boat turns and
cuts straight into the wind. AT times it seems
as though the sharp bow of the boat digs under
the waves. Now the oarsmen redouble their eff
forts as the last of the net slips over. One min
ute-two minutes-and the boat touches the
shore again. One of the springs out with
u
moose at the end of the rope over peg and
with a wild French hurrah the horses at both
reels are started at lively pace and do not stop
until the net touches the pier.
dozen men now begin pulling in the net, and
soon the first of the fish appear. AS they come
within reach other men dsentangle them and
throw them into big crates perhaps hundreds
Of them at haul. From here the crates are
hurried to the 'strippers." where the males and
females are separated. Before each stripper are
two pans. If one has ever seen a man with a
countryside reputation a husker show
ing stunts in the cornfeld one has some idea Of
how whtefsh and go in the hands of a
man who knows his business in stripping"
Like a flash the man catches a female fish,
places its head under his arm, and runs his
foretinger slowly along its belly. From the vent
the ova, or eggs, exude in a tiny stream. When
about three quarts of the eggs are in a pan
male fish is taken and its milt added to the
eggs Then the batch is placed in a ten-gallon
can half filled with water, thoroughly agitated
and 100000 eggs are ready for the hatchery
a modest unpretentious looking frame build
ing in suitable environment easily mistaken for
a country church. is the United States Fish
Commissions hatchery in Detroit-the hatchery
that practically supplies America with whitefish.
TO this plant the eggs are carried and placed in
! thousands of glass jars. through which water is
constantly flowing with brookside melody To
the bottom of each jar runs tiny spigot, and
the fresh stream coming from this keeps the
eggs dancing until millions of wriggling little
creatures spring into life First the eggs begin
to swell, sometimes within half an hour but
oftcner not until nearly week has passed. Two
| black dots appear, which are the eyes of the
coming fish; the vertebre follow deIicately
cOiled the tail finally breaks through. the head
becomes distinct, and a fish is born.
The little creature Immediately begins to take
his first lessons in swimming. This is the period
of his life when in his native element he would
almost surely fall prey to his voracious kin.
But here, week by week he develops, grows
stronger, and finally begins taking trip of
ploratiOn all his own tiny stream of water
is always coming up under him. So. some VIM
ter day, he struggles over the top of a jar. He
is now in a bigger and a new world. 1t is big
trough. with stream of water running through
it. Naturally the baby Whitefish heads up
stream" and every inch of the way he loses he
gives up with a struggle. Then he is gradually
forced back into another trough. in which the
water is still deeper and sWifter. Still struS-
Cling to make his way against the current, he is
borne along, until with little splash he shoots
into a great, black tank, big enough and deep
enough for scores of boys to swim in. Here
through all the long winter he grows larger and
larger, and when the first days of April come
he is an inch more in length, and strong
and active that il is pretty certain that he will