The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-07-19
NEW HATCHERY
AT Bennington
State Fish and Game Head
Inspects it and is Much
Pleased
SUPPLY OF WATER
UNUSUALLY GOOD
Ten Thousand Trout Fingerlings from
New Plant Sent to Brattleboro Yes
terday Million or More Will Be
Raised Annually.
Raised Annually.

BENNINGTON. July l9.-State Fish
and Game Commissioner Linus Leavens
recently inspected the improvements that
are being made at the new state hatchery
in the Bushnell district of this town The |
work of grading the land about the build |
ings is now In progress and grass seed
will be planted and other changes will |
be made to beautify the property. The
contemplated improvements can not all |
be accomplished during the present sea
son but they will be carried out as funds
are available.
The commissioner expressed much sat
lsfactlon with the results that are being
attained at the hatchery this season
There are now in the troughs in the
hatchery building and in the new con
crete raceways a half million young
trout most OF which have already reached
the lingering stage. Some of these fin
gerlIngs Matched in January and February
are now two and one-half inches in length
lhey are strong, stocky built fish and as
lively as wild trout Two hundred thou
sand lingering have already been distrib-
| uted from the hatchery and shipments
must be made rapidly during the next
| SIX weeks In order to distribute the stock
IN the streams. A truck load of l0,500
| left the hatchery for Brattleboro yester-
day and another load will be taken to
| Windsor early next week
Every season adds proof to the belief
| that IN the Bushnell district hatchery
the state has secured one of the finest op-
portunities for the growing of fingerling
brook trout in New England Fry can be
| hatched without much difficulty but to
grow lingering requires conditions of wat
er that are rarely available. With two
sources of supply, the springs and the
mountain brook, it is possible at the new
hatchery to secure any degree of temper
ature desired, Just at present County
| Warden S. b Hawks, who has charge of
the hatchery, is tempering the spring
water from the brook The fish grow
more rapidly and more or less natural
feed comes into the troughs and the race
ways from the stream
One of the most interesting sights at
the hatchery is to be seen in two of the
old wooden raceways. These are much
deeper than the new cement structures
In one of them are number of wild
trout caught in the South stream last
summer by the warden These fish have
grown rapidly and there are some speci
mems that will weigh pound. In the
other raceway the warden last fall placed
$50 fingerlings that were not distributed
when the years hatch was cleaned up
There is not a fish in the lot less than
seven inches long and some of them vii
weigh quarter of a pound each They
: are thick, heavy fish and they prove that
3 a brook trout Will grow almost as rapid
: ly as pig if it is given food enough
e At present the commissioner has no in
e tentlon of attempting to produce trout
. eggs at the hatchery as this stock car
. be purchased from the large commercial
{ trout ralsers for less money than wouIt
b be required to keep a pond of stock fish
4 1t is his intention, however, to put
n dam across the small brook fowin,
8 through the property for the purpose o
making an exhibition pond Every goo,
fisherman and people who do not fish Ell
joy waehing big trout where it can b
plainly seen. The exhibition ponds ar
one of the features of most state an,
4 government hatcheries and are a grea
attraction to visitors
There is not the slightest doubt tina
" the Bennington hatchery is doing NOR
to maintain the trout fishing in the stat
than any other institution in the state
Its production so far has been remarkabl
and the limit has not been reached 1t
! no idle boast to say that in another yea
II or two million or more fngerling wi
u be raised here annually, providing a
y amount of stock that will go far towar
u maintaining the trout fishing in the tel
I ritory that can be reached During til
y present season lingering have been saf,
= ly transported as far north as Burlington