3G4 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



self entirely to fish-culture. After having made himself acquainted — 

 both by experiments of his own and by journeys in foreign countries — 

 with the methods then applied to artificial fish-culture, he commenced 

 during the years 1855-1856 to establish on his family estate a piscicul- 

 tural institution after the model of the one at Hiiniugen, in Alsace. 

 The location selected by him was the lower portion of a valley between 

 Lake Pestow and Lake Welje, into which a small stream flows. Here 

 he made 13 huge and small ponds, or basins, according to the directions 

 of Sudakewitseh, which involved a very considerable expense. At the 

 time of our visit, however, only six large ponds seemed to be occupied. 

 These ponds are connected with each other, and with the stream re- 

 ferred to, by means of sluices and subterranean channels, so that they 

 can be filled or emptied as occasion requires. The hatchiug-house, built 

 solidly and furnished in the most lavish manner, is of such vast dimen- 

 sions that several millions offish-eggs can be hatched at one and the 

 same time. This hatching-house shows, even more than the large ponds 

 (all of which had to be dug out), how firmly the founder of the estab- 

 lishment was convinced of the profitableness of the undertaking. This 

 conviction prompted him to shun no expense to make his establish- 

 ment a model one, arranged according to a plan of his own, and fur- 

 nished with all the mechanical appliances then known. 



After Wrasky had suuk all his property in this undertaking, he 

 formed an association, which expended its entire capital of 41,000 

 roubles [about $2S,700] in maintaining and developing the establish- 

 ment. Although this association received a subsidy of 30,000 roubles 

 [about $21,000] from the Government, it soon became financially embar- 

 rassed, and owing to this circumstance the Government took possession 

 of the establishment. This took place in 18G8. Wrasky had meanwhile 

 become poor, and the association bankrupt. It has never been known 

 with absolute certainty what it cost to start the piscicultural establish- 

 ment of Nikolsk ; Sudakewitseh says in his report that it was upwards 

 of 100,000 roubles [about $70,000], whilst Professor Grimm estimates it 

 at 200,000 roubles [about $140,0i)0]. I could not learn what are the 

 present expenses of keeping up the establishment, but Professor Grimm 

 told me that there was an annual appropriation for it, amounting to 

 3,000 roubles [about $2,100], of which 2,400 roubles [about $1,680] was 

 his fixed salary. 



The hatching-house, the most important part of the establishment, 

 consists of one very large room with four heating apparatuses, and 

 several small rooms which are used by the director as a laboratory 

 and for various other purposes. It is located immediately below the 

 largest pond, and is furnished with many pipes, which uninterruptedly 

 supply all the water needed in this establishment. Along the middle 

 of the large rooms there extends a deep and spacious basin laid in brick, 

 which, [f necessary, can be divided into several small basins, so that 

 the fish can be kept separate during the process of hatching. The iin- 



