94 VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



THE BEST AND CHEAPEST METHOD OF STOCKING 



PRIVATE WATERS. 



The recent legislature enacted a law, No. 101, Acts of 1898, 

 amending the private posting law, Section 4626 of Chapter 189. 

 Under the amendment, the latter is not effective in the posting 

 of private waters " unless the owner or occupant shall stock and 

 keep stocked at their individual expense the waters of said land 

 with trout or other fish artificially hatched or reared." Chap- 

 ter 189 also specifies that the Commissioners shall not stock from 

 the State Hatchery, any privately posted waters. It therefore 

 devolves upon those who would avail themselves of the private 

 posting law to annually stock their waters at private expense. 

 In order to do so, they must either purchase fish at great ex- 

 pense, a large part of which is transportation, or procure eggs 

 and hatch the fish. 



The scope of this article is to show how individuals may 

 comply with the amended law and stock their waters at a mini- 

 mum expense by procuring the eggs of trout, which can be 

 bought at a low figure, and hatching them on their own prem- 

 ises. 



THE FINANCIAL QUESTION. 



Fry delivered in the months of April and May in small 

 lots, cost at the rate of $2.00 per thousand at commercial 

 hatcheries, most of which are located in Massachusetts and 

 Rhode Island. The fish are either shipped by express in 

 patent cans or sent in ordinary cans accompanied by a mes- 

 senger. 



10,000 fry @ $2.00 per thousand, $20.00 



Expressage, estimated, 5.00 



Cost of Fry at nearest R. R. Station, $25.00 



If a messenger accompanies the fish, which is the customary 

 method, add $2.00 per day for hisservices ; add his car fare and 

 subsistence enroute and the bill will be at least $12.00 more. 

 The cost of fry will then amount to from $25.00 to $40.00 deliv- 

 ered at the railroad station. 



Hggs can be bought for 50c. per thousand and expres- 

 sage. Estimating the expressage at $1.50 and the total cost 

 of 10,000 eggs is $6.50. In large' lots, eggs sold as low as 25c. 

 per thousand last season It may be possible to obtain the eggs 

 of the United States Fish Commission, in which case the onljr 



