MANUAL OF FISH-CULTURE. 197 



A spawn-taker's outfit consists of a water bucket or pail, a dipper, a 

 siphon, a thermometer, and a tin spawn-kettle about 2 feet long, 1 foot 

 wide, and 8 to inches deep; the kettle has a cover and handle. 



When new spawn-takers are employed they are instructed in the 

 work and sent out in vessels with the experienced men to familiarize 

 themselves with the methods. The spawn-takers ordinarily leave their 

 boarding-places at 1 o'clock in the morning (though the time varies 

 somewhat, according to the weather) and join the boa s anchored in the 

 harbor of Kittery or at Portsmouth. During moderate weather the men 

 frequently go aboard before midnight, as the vessels must sail when 

 the tide is favorable, to avoid getting becalmed or meeting a head tide, 

 either of which might prevent them from reaching the fishing-grounds 

 in good season. 



After joining the vessels, the spawn-takers usually assist the fisher- 

 men in getting under way, managing the ship, etc., and on reaching the 

 place where the nets or trawls are set — usually G to 10 miles distant — 

 the spawn-takers help the crews in hoisting out and dropping the dories 

 on the gear as each buoy is reached, the men remaining on the vessel's 

 deck with the captain while the fishermen are hauling or under-running 

 their gear, and until they return to the vessel with the fish. 



As soon as the dories begin to arrive with fish, the work of the spawn- 

 taker begins. As the fish are pitched aboard, the spawn-taker stands 

 ready to examine each one and select those tbat may contain ripe eggs 

 or milt. As the dories are usually picked up in the same order in which 

 they are dropped, there is opportunity to strip the fish without much 

 hurry, but sometimes several are picked up in a short space of time, 

 and if a large quantity of fish is landed the catch remains on deck 

 until the spawn-taker can overhaul it. In bad weather, however, when 

 the fish would be in danger of being washed away, they are put in bins 

 on deck and can be i^itched from one bin to another by the spawn- 

 taker as the condition of each is determined. Usually one of the crew 

 assists in this work and often renders valuable assistance. Great care 

 is taken not to get any green or dead eggs with the good ones and to 

 keep the eggs as free from foreign matter as possible; but in rough 

 weather, when the vessel is pitching or rolling heavily, vigilance in 

 these respects is necessarily somewhat relaxed. 



The spawn-taker seizes the fish Dy the tail, places the head under the 

 left arm, if it is not too large, leaving the right arm free for stripping 

 the fish, which is done in the usual way. Only live fish or fish recently 

 dead are used. 



The eggs are first taken in a common pail, the inside of which has 

 been moistened with water. Then a sufficient quantity of milt to 

 fertilize the eggs is added and thoroughly mixed witli them and allowed 

 to remain from 10 to 20 minutes, or longer, after which water is added 

 and the eggs are carefully cleaned by sijjhoning off the old water 

 and putting in fresh water until all the slime and milt are drawn from 

 the pail. The good eggs, which rise to the surface of the water, are 



