REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LXVII 

 Temperatures. 



Battle Creek Station, California (John P. Babcock in charge). 



Recognizing the necessity for increasing the output of quinnat salmon 

 on the Pacific Coast, the Commissioner arranged to erect a hatchery 

 on lands controlled by the California Commission on Battle Creek; also 

 to take charge of and operate the hatchery erected by the State com- 

 mission the previous year, in accordance with the following agreement: 



This agreeiueut, made this 20th day of October, A. D. 1896, by and between J. J. 

 Brice, of Washington, D. C, acting for and in behalf of the United States Commis- 

 sion of Fish and Fisheries, of the first part, and H. F. Emeric, of San Francisco, 

 Cal., acting for and in behalf of the Board of Fish Commissioners of the State of 

 California, of the second part, witnesseth: 



That the said party of the second part does hereby agree to take charge of and 

 assume the entire control and management, under the personal supervision of Chief 

 Deputy Babcock, of the spawning station located on the land of F. R. Love, at 

 Battle Creek, State of California; and, in the name of the United States Commis- 

 sion of Fish and Fisheries, operate the hatcheries at said Battle Creek to their fullest 

 capacity. 



The said party of the first part does hereby agree to pay all the operating expenses, 

 including the salaries and wages of all men employed, from October 1, 1896, until 

 the close of the season's operations at said Battle Creek. 



The said party of the first part also agrees to deliver to the said party of the second 

 part that amount of eyed salmon spawn which the said party of the second part 

 may be able to hatch at the Sisson hatchery. 



The hatchery built by the United States Fish Commission has a 

 capacity for about 18,000,000 eggs, and is a one-story frame building, 

 144 feet long by 40 feet wide, lighted by skylights in thereof and shut- 

 tered windows in the sides and ends. It contains two distributing- 

 troughs and 92 hatching-troughs, one-half of which are 16 feet long by 

 16 inches wide and 6J inches deep and the other half 16 feet long by 12 

 inches wide and 6i inches deep. The troughs are arranged in sections 

 of four, securely bound together, two of them abutting against the dis- 

 tributing boxes, from which they take their supply of water and carry 

 it to the two below. At the head of each hatching-box is a tin aerator, 

 10 inches by 4i inches, with perforated bottom. Each trough has a 

 capacity for 200,000 eggs, and the supply of water admitted to each is 

 24 gallons per ininute. 



Mr. J. P. Babcock, of the California Commission, was placed in charge 

 of the work, and arrangements were made to operate the station to its 

 fullest cai)acity. The first eggs were taken October 20 and the collec- 

 tion continued till jS^ovember 23, when the retaining-racks were carried 



