Watcr-Fannuig 



25 



labourers, under judicious direction, in three 

 weeks ; and two or three days more might be 

 occupied in a careful inspection and improve- 

 ment of the various pools and dams ; such, 

 for example, as increasing the height of the 

 falls by adding an additional faggot to some 

 of the weirs, and raising a light turf embank- 

 ment on either shore 10 or 12 inches in height, 

 so as to correspond with the additional eleva- 

 tion given to the edge of the dam." 



Having thus prepared the place for piscicul- 

 tural operations, the next step is to fit up 

 some hatching-boxes and nurseries for the 

 stock, which should be of the best kinds of 

 trout, such as can be got from Loch Leven, 

 or from some of the best English rivers. This 

 hatching process is so simple that it can be 

 performed by any one who will give a few 

 hours' study to the directions of Mr Francis, 

 yix Buckland, or any of the writers on this 

 subject. Indeed, so simple is it that Mr 

 Francis has said that he would undertake to 

 hatch a hundred young salmon with the aid 

 of a cheese plate and a tumbler of water. 



The next step is to have a regular system 

 of feeding the fish so as to secure their 

 rapid growth. A few children may easily 

 collect snails, slugs, worms, grubs, and lar^•a^ 

 of all kinds for this purpose, and distribute 

 their gatherings about noon each day in the 

 pools and dams. 



" Having thus brought our management 

 to this point Ave will epitomise," says Dr 

 Peard, " and take a rapid glance at our im- 

 proving property. A small stream, scarcely 

 four miles in length, has been altered (on 

 paper) to suit the requirements of fish-rearing. 

 Three hundred and forty-eight ponds and 

 dams have been cut, and have thus increased 

 our available space enormously ; one set of 

 hatching boxes has proved amply sufficient 

 for our wants, and, being carefully put up, ha\-e 

 since continued in good working order, giving 

 us 6000 or 7000 fry each spring. 



'• Meanwhile, our first hatch spawned in 

 their season, and the produce added largely 

 to the number of the fry artificially raised ; in 

 fact, our small farm by this time contained a 

 stock as large as it could support. Our plan 

 for feeding being based on principles as 

 natural as economical, the fields, lanes, 

 ditches, and hedge-rows yielded an abundant 

 supply of food, and our small collectors have 

 not been ill-paid at 3s. 6d. each per week. 



" Had these results really been obtained at 

 the end of the fourth year we should have 

 been enabled to fish the pools and dams for 

 market, and during the summer might have 

 disposed of about 2000 trout, averaging a 

 little over one pound each, which would have 

 produced about ^103. And now, in con- 

 clusion, let us glance at the expenses of our 

 farm. Let us suppose the construction cost 

 p{^i5 ; the hatching boxes, with fittings, £(i ; 

 and wages for portions of three years' feeding, 

 ^70 ; this will give ^()i as the total outlay. 



•' We will assume therefore that something 

 about the sum of ^100 has been sunk on this 

 petty water property; that the annual expenses 

 are ;z^5o, and that its yearly production equals 

 _;^ioo. Even at this rate, the farm would 

 yield a clear annual interest of 50 per cent, 

 on the outlay. But are we warranted in be- 

 lieving this to be the maximum of its pro- 

 duce ? AVe think not; nay, we are confident 

 it could be raised to a higher figure — for the 

 number taken from each pond, about five, was 

 very insignificant in comparison to what they 

 might easily have spared. How trout, gray- 

 ling, and other fresh-water fish can be in- 

 creased, both in size and number, by mere 

 preservation, many streams in Wiltshire, 

 Hampshire, Shropshire, and other English 

 counties prove. But preservation is only one 

 amongst the ninety-nine points of good 

 water-husbandry, If the science was applied 

 in its entirety, what might m)f reasonably be 

 expected from it?" 



Such, then, is the scheme of water-farming 

 so enthusiastically enunciated by Dr Peard, 

 which seems to offer so many advantages, 

 and which is well worthy of the attention of 

 our landed gentry. The experiment may be 

 tried not only with the common trout, but 

 with grayling, charr, or any of the other kinds 

 of fresh-water fish, whose ova are distributed 

 at the great establishment of Huningue, under 

 the management of the French Government. 



From this estabhshment no less than no 

 millions of fish were distributed during the 

 first ten years of its existence, and, as was 

 before remarked, it is producing the most 

 beneficial results throughout the Continent. 



On the whole then, water-farming seems to 

 shew a reasonable prospect of remuneration 

 for the capital employed in it, and beyond 

 this will confer on our population a social 

 benefit the extent of which cannot be easily 

 overrated. 



