IV nrmoDtTCTiojf. 



mackerel, but have met with indifferent success. After waiting for a long 

 time for the fish to appear, the following firms allowed the crews to take 

 their steamers south and sell the fish to factories there : Joseph Church 

 & Co., 8 steamers; Albert Grey & Co., 4 steamers; Gallup & Holmes, 4 

 steamers ; Gallup, Morgan & Co., 3 steamers ; Fowler & Foote, 3 steam- 

 ers ; George W. Miles & Co., 2 steamers ; Tuthill, French & Co., 3 steam- 

 ers ; Maine Oil Co., 2 steamers. Three steamers spent a short time in 

 seining mackerel, landing a total of about 550 barrels.'' 



The absence of menhaden north of the Cape does not seem to have been 

 compensated for by any remarkable abundance in southern New England, 

 where most of the other factories were located. They are said to have 

 been enormously plenty on the New Jersey coast, and here as well as in 

 Long Island Sound and the Chesapeake, the unusual aljundanee of young 

 and middle-sized fish has occasioned general remark. The total catch for 

 1879 will probably fall below that for 1878, although in southern New Eng- 

 land it will exceed the average, owing to the unusually large numlxM- of 

 steamers fishing in those waters throughout the summer. 



Mr. N. B. Church, of Tiverton, E. I. , communicates to Professor Baird 

 his experience in 1878 and 1879 : "I find that I caught my first school of 

 porgies in 1878, May 3d, between Montauk Point and Shinnecock Light. 

 There had been some caught previous to that by the Long Island fisher- 

 men. The menhaden came in large bodies, and remained in this vicinity 

 about four weeks. The average yield of oil was about four quarts to the 

 barrel of fish. The Maine fishing commenced June 7th — a little earlier 

 than in previous years — and the fish were a great deal plentier than they 

 usually are when they make their first appearance. They were very plenty 

 on the Maine coast during the season, but, contrary to custom, went further 

 east, so that we were unable to catch as many as we would had they re- 

 mained on their old ground. The body of porgies left the coast of Maine 

 about the last of September, and on the 9th day of October Cape Cod Bay 

 was alive with them ; more, I think, than I ever saw there before. Our 

 fish, caught east, yielded, on an average for the season, nearly two and a 

 half gallons of oil to the barrel of fish. I can't tell exactly, as I never 

 figured it. We had no fishing on the Ehode Island coast, owing to 'blowy ' 

 weather. 



" In 1879, the first fish were caught May 6th, some ten miles southward 

 of Montauk Point. They were very plenty for five weeks, and a large 

 quantity was taken. There has been a very large body all the season be- 

 tween Fire Island and Point Judith. Sometimes they were at one place 

 and again at another — were moving all the time. Long Island Sound 

 has been well stocked with them all summer. The steamer 'G. W. 

 Humphrey,' of which I was master, caught, in 1878, 43,000 barrels ; in 

 1879, 60,000 barrels. Our yield of oil has not been large this season— not 

 averaging over four quarts to the barrel of fish." 



Mr. D. T. Church also describes the season of 1879 in Narragansett 

 Bay : " Menhaden were found about the first of May between Montauk 



