MANUAL OF FISH-CULTURE. 107 



inches; the sides and ends are 1-inch pine and the bottoms ^ inch-mesh 

 iron wire cloth, which is continued over the rounded ends. Cleats are 

 nailed on the sides, one end somewhat lower than the other, to give the 

 box a tilt when placed in water. Each box carries safely about 180,000 

 eggs, and when it is filled is anchored either in running water or in a 

 sheltered cove of the lake. In the fQrraer case a current of water is 

 kept passing through the box, while in the latter the eggs are given a 

 slight motion by the action of the waves upon the surface of the water. 



Floating-box. 



When eggs held in floating-boxes are to be shipped they are dipped 

 into pails and taken to a place arranged for packing them, located 

 at no gTeat distance away, where a table upon which to place the 

 trays may be improvised from any material at hand. 



The trays for packing the eggs are constructed by making a frame of 

 f-iuch square pine, 18 inches square, inside measurement, with white 

 canton flannel tacked on one side. A case to contain the trays is made 

 of J-inch pine, large enough to hold 19 uf these trays one over the other, 

 allowing for a surrounding air-space of half an inch. Half-inch cleats 

 are nailed on the bottom and at the corners of the box on the inside, so 

 that the trays are securely held in position. A hinged door is at the top, 

 handles are at the sides, and the whole is jDainted and of neat appearance. 



For transferring the eggs from pail to tray a graduated dipper is 

 used, which has a capacity of about 10,000 eggs, the number usually 

 placed upon each tray. Thus, in a case containing 18 trays 180,000 

 eggs maybe stored. A dipperful is placed upon each tray. The canton 

 flannel holds water for some time, and if a little is poured upon the 

 eggs, which are at first bunched in the center, they settle and spread, 

 and by a slight dexterous movement, acquired by practice, are evenly 

 divided over the tray. Ten thousand eggs on a surface 18 inches by 18 

 inches are about two deep, and if kept at the proper temperature and 

 handled carefully they may be carried a long distance. After the eggs 



