The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-01-02
WASHINGTON
SETS THE PACE
IN GAME AND FISH
GAME AND FISH HATCHED IN
GREATER NUMBERS THAN IN
ANY OTHER STATE IN THE
UNION.


trout fry and raised more game birds
than during any of the preceding
years of its existence, says State
Game Warden L. Fl. Darwin in his
Third Biennial Report to Governor
Louis F. Hart. The greatest output
of trout fry was in 1918 when 2O,-239.-
5O7 eggs were taken. The next great
est year was 1917 when in round num-
bers some 100000 eggs were taken.
In 1918, 1921 Chinese Pheasants were
reared and liberated or retained as
brood stock at the State Game Farm
while several hundred pheasants of
other varieties were also reared and
distributed or retained as brood stock.
This remarkable record was Obtain
ed during the two years in which the
United States was engaged in the
Worldwide war and it is all the more
remarkable, says the Game Warden.
in view of the fact that during those
two years practically every other state
IN the union was decreasing its out
put of game and fish fry and game
birds, while in most of the European
countries propagation work was en-
tirely suspended
The number of trout fry planted in
Washington in 1918 was greater than
the paintings of all the other Pacific
Coast states combined during that
year Were Steelhead to be classed as
trout, says the report, and they are
so classed in Oregon and California,
the trout egg production in 1918
would have exceeded a total of 80 ,OOO.
600. The cost of Matching trout in the
state of Washington in 1918 was only
35c thousand as against an admitted
cost in the state of Oregon of over S5
and cost in the state of Maine of
$9.O5.
The reason for the comparatively
low hatchery report, saws the report
is because of the ability of the game
department to make use of the states
extensive salmon hatchery system.
Washington has a total of more fish
hatcheries than are possessed by the
United States government within the
territory of the United States and
Alaska combined
The results of the states great eff
forts at game fish propagation has
been perceivable for several years,
and in the spring of 1919 the leading
daily newspapers of the state were
unanimous in stating that game fish
ing conditions were the best of which
the white man has knowledge. Dur
ing the biennium two new trout hatch
cries were built: one at Lake What
som in Whatcom county and the other
at Walla Walla where a new hatchery
supplanted the old one, which was no
longer capable of use. Attention is
also called to the increasing difficulty
in the securing of trout eggs, because
of the objection of counties to having
any of their streams closed to fishing
and particularly do some of the small
Ter poplated counties, where most of
the trout eggs are secured. object to
having these eggs taken out of their
county for planting in the more popu-
lous counties.
The State Game Farm is situated
on grounds owned by the State Peni-
tentiary and in the main is operated
by inmate or convict labor. During
the war the importation of all game
birds ceased, resulting in demands on
private game farms of the country
far beyond their ability to satisfy.
This makes it all the more fortunate
that Washington was producing her
own game birds and not depending up
on any other state or any other cou-
try. Appended to the report is large
halfone of the State Game Farm
showing 3.61 acres of breeding and
rearing pens under wire. OF the fu-
ture of the game farm, the report
says: "The plans were so made and
the work so far has been done
along lines so extensions may be made
as they are necessary and as funds
are available. In only three other
states is there attempted artificial
ants there We're hatched at the game
carrying on in Washington.
In addition to the Chinese pleas
game bird preparation such as we are
farm, Mongolian, Silver, Golden
Lady Amherst, Prince of Wales and
other varieties. These pheasants
were distributed for the most part to
the parks of the cities of the state, fol
which they are valuable in an educa.
tional way Attention is called TO the
stct tlra- irs.rtai ti-'s pinG.ys,ly