The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-10-08
NEIW HATCHERY.
Y Y UNDERWRITING
IMPROVEMENT
Permanent Construction Being
Put in on State Property
SUCCESSFUL SEASON ENDS
Work Accomplished Proves Plant to
Be One Of the Best in the East
ern States.
SUCCESSFUL SEASON ENDS

Considerable extension work is in
progress at the state hatchery in the
Bushnell district to put the plant in
shape for the next season which will
begin early in the winter Now that
the availability of the water for hat
cherry purposes has been proved be-
yond the shadow OF doubt, Commits
Eioner Linus Leavens is gradually inn
proving the property along permanent
lines. One of the improvements is
ihe construction Of solid foundation
under tAe ice house. Nearly twenty
hye tons of ice were used during the
recent reason in the transportation of
lingering and Try. Such a quantity
of ice made necessary a proper build
ing and for this reason the house has
been raised and stone wall mas al
ready been partly built.
During the TWO years that the
hatchery has been in operation the
hngerling and advanced fry have
been raised in two long bitches with
boarded bottoms and sides. These are
now being replaced with permanent
raceways of concrete. The new race
ways, two in number, will be each
l20 feet long and eight feet wide with
longitudinal section in the middle.
,hps actually making four long ponds
100 feet long and four feet wide. The
new raceways viii largely incrsase
t'o rearing capacity oi the hatchery
and viii enable County Warden s. L;
raNks 20 raise many more lingering
ish The hatchery building 3s at
present constructed has 8 capacity
that VIII meet the needs OF the ne
partment for some years 10 come.
1t has been demonstrated during
the two seasons that the hatchery has
teen operated that the department
has in Bennington one Of the bes
water Supplies for lroui rearing pur-
p9ses in the eastern states There Is
q constant ioN, of aging water ea'
itc rate of 25e s&ADag q minute, an
amount far In excess OF the quantity
that is available at many Of the large
commercial hatcheries. The tempera
ture of the water. too. is all that could
be desired. The record kept last win
ter shows that the spring water was
at no time colder than 40 degrees
usually recording between SO and As
On days when the mercury touched 25
below outside. the hatchery building
interior. with no artificial heat, was
not colder than % degrees above. o
difference OF so degrees due to the
how of the warm spring water
through the building.
Some over a half million fry. ad
vanced fry and lingering trout were
shipped from the hatchery by County
Warden Hawks during the season re
Gently closed The daily record:
showed that there was an egg hatch
OF better than "a per cent. There was
some loss in rearing, believed to bt
due largely TO the use OF brood fish
eggs obtained from the commercial
hatcheries There was compare
lively small loss among fish Matched
from Wild trout eggs. The lake trou
made a remarkable showing From
between $4,000 and 10000 lake trou
eggs over $4,000 were successfully
hatched raised and shipped, II I:
probable that but few lake trout will
be raised at the hatchery in the fu
ture. Outside OF Lake Dunmor(
there are no bodies OF water in the
southern half OF the state suitable ~
the lakers The stock fish of this
variety will hereafter be raised at the
Canaan hatchery which has proved
succ essful in this line and which is y
Gated in the lake territory.
Plans for the coming season con
template the Matching of about on,
and one-half million eggs, of which {
| third will be raised TO the fngerlins
stage This number in The opinion
/ oi The commissioner viii about nee
tie requirements OF the state Durini
he past season "A. considerable nun
ber OF lingering and fry were sold {,
the owners Of private ponds and III,
money received was more thar
enough to pay the actual cost of the
eggs There is no Intention however
Of making the hatchery "A commercial
industry, The purchasers of stool
dsh were all residents Of Vernon
and sportsmen interested in the pro
sress and welfare Of he departmen
and the sales we're made as an accom-
mediation.
81 present there are about two hun
d-ed brook trout fngerling left IN on,
OF the old wood lined raceways TIL
fish are between three and four incho
Tong In another section os the race
ways are q number trout that hav,
! heen caught In the nearby streams b,
the warden and his assistants. The,
range IN size from FISH that have Jus
passed the legal length OF six inche
TO one specimen that would weigh on
= and onc.quarter pounds.
u viii require at least another sea
son to nut the hatchery property II
ihe condition that is desired by tn
commissioner, After the permanen
raceways have been constructed
viii he possible to build the exhibition
p pond which Is q feature Of ever
hatchery. and to begin Trading aud IN
proving the grounds. There isi no
likely to be any considerable
change in the biu'dings for some tim
to come. The main hatchery build
ing is large enough for all require