Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1909-05-28

and in others later, the mouth becomes
useful organ, and the baby fish begin
to feed, at first on minute animals or
finely divided artificial food furnished
by its foster parent, the fish-culturist,
and later or larger bodies in keeping
with its size.
Most species are planted soon after
Matching, or abont the time they begin
to feed although the trout and Allan
tic salmon are held in captivity aud
reared in onds until they reach foil
maturity and become brood-fish for
/ fresh thousands. There are fish whose
ancestry has been dom esticated and
| artificially Matched and reared for gem
erations.
! Probably better results would be OBJ
tanned with most species were it POI
sble to protect the fry until they are
stronger, better able to care for them
selves; but the difficu ties attending
such an undertaking on such large
scale are many, some of them being
created by the ungrateful conduct of
the fish themselves, through theft
probeness TO cannibalism. The sprob-
lem of feeding and providing suffi-
Gent volumes Of water are also serious.
/ The number of fish spawned artifi-
cially, must always be exceedingly
small compared with the number
spawned naturally, with the ex cep-
tlcu in the cases of the trout and sal
mon.
The justification and the efficiency
of fish-culture lie in improving npon
nature, and securing more complete
and efficient fertilization of the eggs,
in Matching large proportion Of the
eggs fertlzed, and in protecting the
eggs Of the young in all stages of de-
velopment from their many enemies,
from one another and from the results
of untoward physical environment.
For this reason the SAME care must
be exercised in transporting and plant
ing the fish as is required in carrying
them through their early develop
ment. Some are planted close to the
hatcheries, and here the principal pre-
caution required is to deposit them
where they are least likely to be de-
stroyed, either by their enemies or by
exposure to adverse rhy steal condi-
tons. A lot of little Holsters, for il
stance, planted whe e young pollock
abound would be eaten to almost the
last one and the labor and expense of
a season would go for naught.
Much care has been expended in per-
fecting the methods and means of
transportation, and it is now possible
to transport many species across the
continent, or to such distant places as
/ Argentina and New Zealand. For this
parpose the Bureau of Fisheries now
maintains SIX especially equipped cars
and in addition, millions of eggs and
| fry are carried i'll baggage-cars by mes
| sengers, who often haze to work uu-
remittlngly day aud night 10 care for
the tiny lives committed to their
charge.
| Our government carries on this work
on vastly greater scale than any
other country, and the Bureau Of Fish
cries maintains fifty-three stations and
steamer-the Fish which is
employed as a floating hatchery at
| various places along the coast.
The work is constantly growing.
Ten years ago the number of fsh-try
planted was four hundred and ninety
eight million four hundred and eighty
eight thousand two hundred and sixty
eight while in 1908 the product reach
ed the enormous figure of two billions
eight hundred and seventy-oue mil
lions planted in every state and terri
tory of the United States, in river,
lake and sea.
In its early days fish-culture was
ridiculed, but 1t is strongly advocated
by both sportsmen and Commercial,
fishermen, who often make claims for
its success which the bureau would
hesitate to urge. 1t increases the fish
supplies of waters already stocked,
and it introduces others in waters
where they were unknown before. 1t
has refilled exhausted trout and bass
streams and has maintained to large
extent the shad and the whlte-fish,
which under poor laws, inefficiently
enforced, would have been sadly de-
pleted.
It is difficnlt in many cases to show
absolute proofs of the results of the
is impossible to distinguishing
they have adolescense-the hatchery's
product from that of nature; but there
are numerous eases where circum-
xa no in