INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 25 



him, or from my own experience which grew out of his 

 teachings. I will give a brief description of his establish- 

 ment and that of his neighbor, Seth Green, in a subse- 

 quent chapter. 



Breeding and raising trout for private use and to supply 

 our markets is destined to become a national branch of 

 industry, and many who possess the requisite natural advan- 

 tages are now turning their attention to it. I shall notice 

 the efforts of many of those who have commenced it, under 

 its appropriate head. 



I have alluded on a former page to the fact that the 

 French government is making every effort to extend 

 this branch of industry, so that waste waters which were 

 entirely barren, are now beginning to be more productive 

 than the same area of cultivated land. The fish ponds of 

 Doombes extend over thirty thousand acres. Under the 

 advisement of proficient persons appointed by the govern- 

 ment, all kinds of waters are stocked with fish suitable to 

 them : carp, perch, eels and pike for sluggish streams, 

 lakes and ponds; trout for the bounding cool brook, and 

 the salmon for the clear swift river. France being a Roman 

 Catholic country, with its many fast days, fish are more 

 requisite than where Protestantism prevails; therefore, 

 fish of the cheaper kinds are more in demand than with 

 us, and are used where meats would be bought in our 

 markets. The cultivation of oysters, a>s well as Crustacea, 

 is fostered by the government; so, also, is that of sea-fish. 

 Experiments are even being made on the sea coasts, in the 

 propagation and rearing of the finer kinds of turtles. 

 3 



