122 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



other advantages of the wooden car as compared with the canvas 

 bag must be added its capacity to function as a hatching pen. The 

 design and construction of these wooden cars, together with many- 

 other recent improvements, should be credited to Mr. E. W. Barnes, 

 the superintendent of the station. 



In the beginning of the experiments at Wickforcl the fry were 

 transported from the Woods Hole hatchery by the Bureau of Fish- 

 eries, with whom we were in cooperation. Later experiments 

 showed that the eggs could be stripped off in the usual way and placed 

 in small rearing bags, where they would hatch. From these the 

 fry were transferred to rearing cars. This method gave place to that 

 of putting the ripe egg lobsters in shallow crates floated near the 

 surface in the big canvas rearing bags, and then the two modifica- 

 tions just described were introduced. 



CARE OF THE FRY. 



After the fry have been hatched and transferred to the proper 

 rearing car they respond well to careful treatment, and the degree of 

 success of an individual experiment depends to a large degree on the 

 care that is given. 



Screens. — Attention to the condition of the screens is worth while, 

 for the intake and outflow of water can thus be regulated and, in- 

 cidentally, the fine particles of food can be retained in the car for 

 longer or shorter time by this means. The screens which we have 

 used have been made of copper wire, bronze, galvanized iron, gal- 

 vanized steel, scrim, and painted wire of various meshes and sizes 

 of wire or thread. None are thoroughly satisfactory. They are all 

 apt to clog up or to tear easily. It is to be hoped that the perforated 

 sheet brass or bronze, which has been tried by Professor Gorham to 

 his satisfaction in small experiments, will prove to be a great improve- 

 ment. 



Food. — An appropriate and available food supply sufficient in 

 quantity to fulfill the demands of healthy growth is, of course, a 



