B— NEW JEESEY. 



Sir : T have the honor to report that the share of the spawn of the 

 Maine salmon awarded to the State of New Jersey, amounting to forty 

 thousand, were shipped by Mr. Atkins per express February 25, of the 

 present year, and arrived at Troutdale March 1. 



On being unpacked, they were found to be in excellent condition, the 

 entire loss being not over one per cent., by far the least percentage of 

 loss of any lot of spawn ever received at Troutdale. This I attribute to 

 the method of packing adopted by Mr. Atkins, which consists in placing 

 fine gauze above and below each layer of eggs, the nettiug being 

 attached to a wire ring. The weight of the superincumbent mass is 

 thus evenly distributed over the spawn, and th5y can also be unpacked, 

 cleaned, and placed in the hatching-troughs with much greater facility. 

 There is but little doubt but that many eggs are destroyed by the rough 

 handling rendered necessary in unpacking and cleaning them when 

 packed in the ordinary manner. 



The entire forty thousand were unpacked and placed upon the grilles 

 of my hatching-troughs in less than an hour. 



Few spawn died after unpacking, though some were lost by the prema- 

 ture bursting of the shell of the egg, an accident of common occurrence, 

 but of which I have not as yet been able to ascertain the cause. 



The trays were examined twice daily, and the young removed to the 

 nursery-trough, on the bottom of which fine gravel, throughly boiled to 

 free it from any dirt, had been placed. The alevin stage was short, the 

 sac having disappeared by April 20. The young were then fed upon 

 beefs-heart freed from all fibrous x)articles, reduced to a fine pulp in a 

 chopping- machine run by water-power, sifted through a fine screen of 

 wire gauze, and fed them drop by drop through a bulb-syringe. The 

 tedium of this process may be imagined when I state that nearly three 

 hours were occupied in feeding the lot. This is the most critical period 

 in the existence of the young fish, and the greatest care and patience are 

 required. 



On the adjournment of the legislature of the State of New Jersey, 

 without making any appropriation for the use of the commissioners of 

 fisheries, I at once wrote you in regard to the final distribution of these 

 fishes. Acting under your advice, they were placed in streams as fol- 

 lows : May 1, 18,000 were placed in a i)ond containing no other fishes, 

 and communicating by a small rivulet with the Musconetcong Creek, 

 a tributary of the Delaware ; May 2, 15,000 were placed in Salmon Eun, 

 at the head-waters of the Earitan Eiver ; May 14, about 2,500 were 

 placed in two streams upon the southern coast of Long Island. 



Hoping that the above will meet with your approbation, I am, sir, 

 respectfullv, yours, 



J. H. SLACK, M. D. 



Prof. S. F. Baird, 



United States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries. 



