Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1905-07-15


y ing in Japan is lost in n
q q very remote antiquity. At
n Il least a thousand years ago
NRE0N II is known to have -four
ished, and there is tradl-
ton Of its existence upward Of two
thousand years ago. Much romance
and history are connected with the fish
cry in the early days, and the names
of some of Japan's greatest warriors
and statesmen are associated with IT.
While a commercial enterprise, 1t does
not however, give employment TO
many people and is not conducted In
many places. 1t is confined to rivers,
and the most extensive, interesting and
famous fishery is that in the Niagara
River and most noted of the cormor-
ant fishing villages is in the outskirts
of the large city Of Gifu.
At the time of my visit, the chief cor
morant fisherman, whose ancestors for
many generations had engaged in this
fishery in the same locality, attired
himself in the peculiar dress of the
H. his ht I'd the snp purpose of exhibit.
ing HIS piuS anu INV methods of
handling them. Later he and oil tho
other fishermen on the river went To
rendezvous and gave a practical de-
monstratiOn of cormorant fishing.
The cormOrants are controlled by
means of slender cord, which passes
around the birds breast and is tied in
the middle of the back. The cord Is
made of woody fibers of the cryptic
merla tree, with the exception Of a
short section next to the bird, which
consists of whalebone. There is a sup
Elemental cord tied around the neck
at the lower end of the gullet for the
purpose of preventing the fish from
passing so far that they cannot be
recovered. The tying of this cord Is
delicate operation, for If too tight
1t may injure the bird and If too loose
it will allow the fish to be swallowed.
The fishery is conducted from boats,
which are of a special type, being long,
narrow dugouts, propelled primarily by
paddles, but when en- route to the fish,
ing grounds often provided with a sail.
Each boat has crew of four men and
complement of sixteen cOrmorants.
Late in the afternoon the boats start
for a place in the river where fishing
will begin the cormorants being
slowed away in pairs in bamboo bas-
kets. The fishing grounds cover
many miles, and operations are con-
fined to successive sections Of the river
nightly, in accordance with law.
Stretches several thousands yards in
length are set aside as imperial re-
serves, on which no fishing is permit
ted.
AS soon as darkness prevails blaz-
Ing fire of pine wood is kindled in
the iron basket overhanging the bow
Of the boat, and the boats drift down
stream together, sometimes in mixed
group, sometimes in a line extending
across the river, each guided and pro-
PEELED by two men. The captain, stand
ing near the bow, manages twelve cor
morants and his assistant four, the
cords being held between the fingers
move a0our. -yV ftu---tIs1a-,us.s.ss..ssSvo
diving and dartlng in all directions,
those of different boats often mingling
it is a wonder that they do not soon
become inextrlcably tangled, but so
skillfully are they managed that the
lines rarely become fOuled. In short
time the cormorants' outlets begin TO
bulge with ayu; when they are well
filed the birds are pulled up to the gun
gently squeezed into baskets. This
continues for several hours, and each
cormorant may fill its outlet fifteen
to twenty times.
Spectators usually 60 to the fishing
grounds in Kind Of barge, illumi-
mated by lanterns, and eat their din
ner on board while waiting at con-
venient point for the fishing boats to
arrive. During the evening when l
witnessed the fishery the seven boats
in whose operations / was particularly
interested averaged 700 or 800 fish
apiece, and the aggregate catch was
worth $150-a very respectable sum to
japanese fishermen.
The fishery is prosecuted with en-
thusiasm by both men and cormorants,
and the shouts of the fishermen, the
hoarse croaking of the birds, the rush
Of the mountain stream, the splashing
and creaking of the paddles, the hiss
ing Of the embers as they fall into the
water. the weird lights and shadows
combine to make performance which
q Westerner is not likely soon to for
get.
TERRAPIN FARMS.
The cultivation Of water products has
gone hand in hand with the fisheries,
and in certain lines has attained
greater perfection and extent than in
any other country. The raising of ter
rapin, which with us is an unsolved
problem and has only recently been
seriously considered, has for years been
very successfully carried on by the
Japanese. visited a terrapin farm
near Toxic, where $4,000 to 10000
artificially grown terrapin are placed
on the market annually. Without any
outside aid or suggestions, the Japan
csc have evolved special methods for
the cultivation of many kinds of mol
lusks, including the pearl oyster, the
ark-shell, several claims, and various
other Embellishments, and, In addition,
the common oyster.
That the japanese should realize the
Importance of oyster culture is not
strange; but that they should have
taken it up century before our ma
ton was born and have recognized
the most essential factor in successful
cultivation, namely, individual owner
ship or control of the oyster bottoms,
comes as something of shock to our
national pride when we remember |
that in the most important oyster re-
glon in the world, within short dis |
lance of the capital Of the United |
States, the vital principles of oyster
culture are ignored and efforts to APP
ply them are resisted sometimes by |
- .