420 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



two driven wells. There is also a sufRcient amount of seepage water 

 through the bottom of the races to care for a large numoer of fish 

 even if the regular supph' should be cut off by accident or for clean- 

 ing purposes. The diversion ditch from Cold Brook to York Pond 

 was enlarged throughout its entire length and the embankment 

 raised where necessary. Fearing a possible interruption of the flow 

 through this ditch during the anchor ice period, fish were not carried 

 in the large artificial pond formed by the diversion of Cold Brook. 

 Some important improvements were made in the hatchery water 

 supply, and a permanent water system for domestic use was installed 

 at the main camp 



Some difficulty was experienced in capturing the spawning trout 

 in York Pond. They failed to enter the spawning races, and it 

 became necessary to resort to seining to secure them. About 1,500 

 females were thus taken. These were small fish and yielded a total 

 of 251,000 eggs in round numbers, an average of about 200 per fish. 



Of interest in connection with the work were the results of natural 

 spawning in one of the races. The spawning season — from October 

 1 to December 22 — ^was unusually extended, and it was considered 

 good practice not to strip all of the smallest fish. Some 600 females, 

 averaging about 4 inches in length, were left in race No. 2 vnth a 

 suitable number of males, and from time to time it was noted that 

 they were spawning. Fry appeared in the race very early in the 

 spring, and additional fry continued to come out of the gravel until 

 late May. By this time many of the earlier ones had attained a 

 length of 2 inches, indicating the presence of a good supply of nat- 

 ural food. At the close of the year it was estimated that the race 

 contained upward of a thousand varying in size from fry to No. 3 

 fingerlings. It is known that many fry escaped from the race. 



NASHUA (N. H.) STATION 

 [W. F. Hubbard, Superintendent] 



In the conduct of fish-cultm-al activities at this station there was 

 no departure from the methods heretofore employed. With the 

 opening of the year the hatchery and ponds were carrying consider- 

 able numbers of brook, lake, and rainbow trouts, also limited supplies 

 of small-mouth black bass and landlocked salmon. All of this stock 

 was disposed of during the summer and fall, the distributions extend- 

 ing into October. 



The first eggs of the season were taken on November 5 from the 

 brood brook and rainbow trout held in the station ponds. The 

 spawning season of these fishes extended into the second week of 

 January, and the entire collection amounted to 223,300 eggs, about 

 equally divided as to species. During January consignments of 

 brook-trout eggs ag^egating 583,000 were received from commercial 

 hatcheries. From the combined stock of eggs of this species 599,276 

 fry, or 80 per cent of the number in the hatchery, were produced. 



On January 17 a consignment of 120,900 rainbow-trout eggs arrived 

 from the Neosho (Mo.) station, and early in March 24,000 landlocked- 

 salmon eggs were transferred from the Craig Brook (Me.) hatchery. 

 The mortality on the former was heavy, the percentage of hatch being 

 only 58, but the losses on the landlocked-salmon eggs were merely 

 normal. The spring distributions were taken up on April 14 and con- 



