336 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



to speak, on its own feet; and in spite of many expensive experiments 

 and improvements it has been successful, and its usefulness is capable 

 of still further extension. There is no doubt that we shall also see 

 financial successes, for the achievement of which, however, scientific 

 investigation will be absolutely required. As the result of all my obser- 

 vations I can state, from firm conviction, that the quantity of fish in 

 any body of water suited to fish culture, can be enormously increased 

 by stocking it with fish-spawn in due proportion to the peculiar qual- 

 ities of such water, and this should not be left to accident, if any ben- 

 efit is to be obtained therefrom. Every fisherman here knows this, as 

 all of them practically carry out this idea. These people have to buy 

 the fish-spawn, and often have to transport it a considerable distance 

 with great difficulty, but they shun neither expense nor trouble in 

 order that they may in later years derive a certain benefit; and they 

 thus stock the lakes which they have bought, or which they rent — 

 not to mention the ponds, with regard to which this mode of procedure 

 is under stood. 



lithe stock of migrating salmon in the rivers cannot be controlled, this 

 is a circumstance which will render it difficult to prove anything with 

 absolute certainty; but we have, as is shown by the appearance of 

 enormous quantities of salmon in the Weser and Elbe during the last 

 years, obtained results which can be traced to nothing but the artifi- 

 cial stocking of the waters with young fry. It is impossible to state, in 

 exact figures, the number of salmon annually caught near Haineln dur- 

 ing the last twenty years, or the number of salmon annually caught near 

 Bremen during the last three years ; but the rent of the Hameln salmon- 

 fisheries, which previous to 1802 was 900 marks [$214.20] per annum, 

 had in 1877 increased to 15,000 marks [ $3570], and has, as far as I know, in- 

 creased still more. In the autumn of 1881 so many salmon were caught near 

 Bremen that they sold at 50 and GO pfennig [11 and 12 cents] per pound. 

 This must, certainly, be considered a favorable result of the artificial 

 stocking of the waters. Unfortunately we do not know what is done in 

 this direction in the Netherlands. The river Oder is no longer adapted 

 to stocking with salmon on a large scale. Artificial fish-culture and the 

 artificial stocking of the waters with salmon and salmonoids has been 

 accompanied by excellent results in Ilolsteiu and along the eastern 

 coast of Germany ; and the same applies to trout, and to the raising of 

 carp in ponds. At the present time a single carp-raiser brings an entire 

 car-load of carp to Berlin every week ; and he also proposes to supply 

 the Berlin market with large quantities of trout and sea trout. These 

 are assuredly favorable results of fish-culture which cannot be argued 

 away. It is of course impossible for me to state whether such a stock- 

 ing of waters with fish would pay in Finland, with whose waters I am 

 not acquainted ; but as long as I have obtained favorable results, even 

 without the hope of a reward, as in Finland, in stocking my waters with 

 the spawn of Coregomis and bream I should think that, if intelligent 

 men would take the matter iu hand in Finland, which, to judge from 



