BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 201 



tity can be ascertained in the following manner: A common, solid fish- 

 barrel is taken, whose height is supposed to be about 20 inches. This 

 barrel is placed inside a large barrel or box, and the remaining space 

 is filled with sawdust or closely-packed hay. After the fish-barrel has 

 been well cooled off with snow or ice-water, there are put into it 50 

 pounds of finely-ground and cooled salt and 150 pounds of finely-crhshed 

 ice or snow. These two ingredients are well mixed, and in this mixture 

 is placed the square tin can containing the herring and the fresh water. 

 This tin can is about 22 inches high on every side, and its upper open- 

 ing measures about 4 inches on every side. The whole is well covered 

 with a lid and a piece of cloth or matting. The tin can holds about 

 20 potter (one pot equals 3.6 pints), and by experience one should as- 

 certain in what proportion the herring and the fresh water should be 

 filled in. No salt or salt brine should get into the tin can. 



For several reasons it will be more profitable to freeze a large quan- 

 tity of herring at a time than to freeze smaller quantities at frequent 

 intervals. In the latter case it will be necessary to have several tin 

 cans and as many insulated double barrels. These should then be used 

 so as first to put the cans in the least cold barrels and gradually move 

 them to the colder ones. As soon as the temperature of the mixture is 

 at the freezing point it has lost its strength. 



Such blocks of ice with bait frozen in them might be a remunerative 

 article of trade, if we consider on the one hand the frequent complaints 

 as to the scarcity of bait which we hear from time to time and from 

 many different places ; and if on the other hand we remember that 

 just during the cold season when ice is very plentiful large quantities 

 of herring are caught in many places. If artificial cold was used on a 

 large scale, it would probably pay to use again the salt brine from the 

 mixture, which will hardly be possible if the freezing is done on a small 

 scale. 



50.— THE FISH-CULTURAL ESTABLISHMEST OF LAKE SAINT- 

 FRONT, HAUTE LOIRE, FRANCE. 



By VsscoiHBt »E CAUSANS. 



[Abstract.*] 



This establishment, founded in 1852, has an altitude of 4,100 feet; 

 while the lake, on which it is situated, has an area of about 86 acres ; 

 20,000 fry, on the average, are yearly put into the lake. In 1852 the es- 

 tablishment did not pay expenses; but since 1SC0 the sale of trout has 

 never been less than 8570, and it has sometimes reached 81,500. Since 

 1880 the establishment has put into the lake an average of 100,000 fry 

 hatched on the spot. 



* Bulletin de la Soci&t d'Jcclimatation, March, 1885, p. 148. 



