ITS ORIGIN AND PEOGEESS. 11 



their spawn until late in the spring. Thus, two 

 distinct classes of operations are kept alternately in 

 progress. 



The establishment employs several men constantly, 

 at some periods of the year, of course, to a larger 

 extent than others. In the winter, from a dozen to 

 twenty men are required to attend to the various 

 branches of the work ; and, lately, even this number 

 has been greatly increased, as the exportations of 

 fecundated and partially incubated eggs since 1853 

 has increased from one million odd a year to six- 

 teen millions. Save for the producing of food for the 

 young fry, or as stock fish, or where new breeds or 

 experiments are conducted, comparatively few fish 

 are kept on the establishment. 



The method of packing and exporting the ova will 

 be explained in another portion of this work, so I 

 need not further allude to it here. 



Several millions of partially incubated ova of the 

 various kinds of fish treated here are thus yearly 

 sent to the various rivers of France. But large 

 quantities of ova are also sent abroad to various 

 parts of Europe, as the French Government are by 

 no means selfish in respect to the benefits they 

 desire from the art practised at Huningue. 



The total cost of the buildings, &c. since 1853, has 



