29 



the maximum temperature advisable. Much difficulty 

 was found in inducing the fishermen to supply ova, 

 especially of a suitable and uninjured character ; this and 

 the temperature question will have to be arranged for, 



Mr. Wilson also successfully carried fertilised hilsa 

 ova to the West Coast where he deposited many 

 thousands of eggs in a part of the Ponnani river in good 

 positions such as the fish would select if running up the 

 river to spawn ; it will be remembered that at present 

 there are no hilsa on the West Coast. 



General. — Much oeneral work, the results of which 

 cannot be reported on paper, was done during the 

 year, such as the study by Mr. Hornell and myself in 

 Europe of motors, boats, fish and oyster culture, fish- 

 curing, curing and canning plant, etc., to which may be 

 added numerous interviews with business men either for 

 obtaininof or for oivino- information. Mr. Wilson's 

 chief work has also been that of investigation and the 

 preparation of plans as noted above. Correspondence 

 has been considerable, and includes enquiries during 

 the year from officials in Bengal, Eastern Bengal, the 

 Punjab, Bombay, Gwalior, etc., on the matter of fishery 

 operations. The stations have been visited by quite 

 a number of persons interested, of whom some spent 

 several days in studying operations in view to imitation ; 

 several persons have started fish-curing as a direct 

 consequence of such studies and were at work, though 

 not perhaps in a large way, at the end of the year ; the 

 representative of a Karachi firm came specially to 

 Cannanore, studied the work there going on, and made 

 business proposals regarding a supply of cured fish ; 

 several firms and individuals of this Presidency have 

 also made enquiries, especially as regards the fish-oil 

 and guano industry which is likely to develop this 

 current year along the lines which I have suggested — 

 that of numerous very small factories scattered along 

 the coast line — and which Mr, Choyi of Cannanorc has 

 been the first to adopt with, I am glad to say, good 

 success which I hope to see increased. Several persons 

 proposed to come or to send delegates to work as 

 regular students in the stations ; two of these actually 

 came, one of whom is a young man from Travancore 

 with some capital who shaped well during several 

 months at Cannanore and will be with me next season. 



