PROPAGATION AISTD DlSTRIBUTIOl^r OF FOOD FISHES, 1922. 37 



continued daily until October. The total collection of chinook- 

 salmon eg-gs for the season amounted to 1.665,000, which is consid- 

 ered satisfactory in view of the conditions referred to above: The 

 run of silver salmon in all tributaries of the Rogue was light, and 

 from collecting operations conducted at Elk Creek Dam only 94,500 

 eggs were realized. The steelhead work at this point included the 

 rearing and liberation in local watei*s of some 100,000 fingerling fish 

 produced from eggs obtained the previous year and the collection of 

 847,500 eggs between February 17 and May 15. Eggs of this species 

 to the number of 1,943,000, transferred from the Applegate Creek 

 field, were also hatched, and the resulting fry are being reared to 

 the fingerling stage. 



It is evident that a considerable number of the spawning steel- 

 heads escape over the Low Elk Creek Dam, and as it is impossible 

 to increase its height without endangering the county road an effort 

 will be made to overcome the difficulty by adding an apron to the 

 dam during the coming summer when the stream is at a low stage. 



A serious wind and rain storm passing over southern Oregon in 

 November damaged both current wheels to such an extent that the 

 station water supply was entirely cut off for two days, necessitating 

 the immediate liberation of all fish on hand. The eggs in the hatch- 

 ery were saved by holding tliem in a hastily constructed temporary 

 battery on the west side of Elk Creek until repairs could be made. 

 In preparation for fish-cultural operations during the succeeding 

 year the rack was reconstructed across the Eogue River in April 

 and washed out by a freshet the following month. It was replaced in 

 June, and at the end of the year a sufficient number of chinook sal- 

 mon were in evidence below it to produce a normal season's egg 

 collection. 



APPLEGATE CREEK (OREG.) SUBSTATION. 



Fish-cultural work at this point was confined to the propagation 

 of silver salmon and steelheads. During the spawning season of 

 the former, extending from November 29 to January 7, the water 

 stages were low and the weather cold. Consequently, only a few fish 

 made their appearance and the egg collections were light, the total 

 being only 113,000. • ^ 



Because of its ineffectiveness during the past three years, the fin 

 rack used at this point was converted in advance of the steelhead 

 spawning period into a solid dam. The racks were removed, and 

 after reinforcing three of the piers the spaces were spanned by 

 heavy timbers and logged, this change necessitating the raising of 

 the wings 12 inches. This somewhat extensive improvement was 

 made at a comparatively light cost, and although a number of 

 steelhead trout succeeded in their efforts to surmount it, it is believed 

 this may be prevented in future by the construction of an apron to 

 break the direct fall of water. Steelheads are fish of a most persist- 

 ent nature. Arriving as they do when the rivers are high, they are 

 very difficult to capture, and unless the obstruction encountered is 

 absolutely fish proof they will effect their escape. Numbers of them 

 were seen surmounting the dam the past season, though the obstruc- 

 tion was 8 feet high, and the nearly perpendicular stream of water 

 falling over it was more than 16 inches in its smallest dimension. 



