NTJUSERY. 35 



is a crook or bend in the Trout, giving it a semi-circular 

 form, so that when it attempts to swim it can only progress 

 in small circles. All those deformed soon die, and may as 

 well be removed from the trough at once, unless you wish 

 to keep them as curiosities. They live as long as the sac 

 supplies them with food ; when the sac is exhausted they 

 cannot swim about much to get food, and die of starvation. 



The glass which lines the bottom and sides of the trough 

 should lie closely. If there are any openings, numbers 

 of the fry will wedge themselves in and die. As the sac 

 disappears the young fish get larger and stronger. When 

 it is nearly or entirely gone they will begin to rise from the 

 bottom, swim about and forage for food. 



NuKSERY. — The most critical period in the life of a Trout 

 has now arrived. More, perhaps, die from the time they 

 begin to feed until they are six months old than at any 

 other time. In consequence many different plans for nur- 

 series have been suggested and used. We give that which 

 we have found the most successful. In place of erecting 

 other and wider troughs or boxes for nurseries, the better 

 plan is to put only a few eggs, say five hundred, into each 

 square or nest of the hatching trough. The square is then 

 large enough (with the water raised) to keep the Trout 

 well for a month or two after they commence feeding, and 

 then transfer them into the first pond. This plan econo- 

 mizes space, saves one removal, and the fish do better after 

 a month or two in the ponds than they would in troughs 

 or rearing boxes. It is probably better to remove the 

 gravel from the troughs as soon as the fish commence feed- 

 ing, because then the troughs can be kept clean more 

 easily, else particles of food will lodge in the gravel, where 

 they cannot be removed. If the water has been well filtered 

 and the flannel screens well looked after, there will not be 

 sediment enough in the troughs to require cleaning until 



