94 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



sigumeut of 2.")4,0()0, by car No. 3, May 14, was for Soutli Carolina 

 streams at Columbia. May 1 to 9, tliere were transferred 1,44-4,000 fry, 

 the first of the season, to the fish ponds, Washington, 1). C, the object 

 being, as in former years, to have them reared to fmgerling size before 

 liberation. 



The product of the United States fish i^onds located in Washington, 

 D. C, reaches public streams and applicants through Central Station, 

 fish being consigned from the ijonds as reipiired, stored in tanks, and 

 subsequently counted and placed in vessels suitable for transportation. 

 Many are counted out in carload lots, sometimes placed in the tanks in 

 bulk, at other times in pails containing 25 to 150 fish each. Numbers 

 are also sent by express shijiment to States nearest Washington. To 

 obviate complaints, indicating that fish were removed while in transit, 

 a system of sealing the i)ails was introduced. The method consisted in 

 passing a string through the handle supports and two small rings sol- 

 dered on the edges at i)oiuts equally distant between the handles, when 

 the free ends were slipped through the openings in the lead seal. The 

 sealing was then effected by means of a hand press, in all essentials 

 the same as those used for sealing doors of railway cars. This method 

 was so favorably received that the order was made for presses for each 

 of three special cars and the Neosho and Wytheville stations. 



A summary of operations with flngerling and larger fish is repre- 

 sented in the statement below : 



Kind. 



Whence derived. 



Leather carp 



Blue carp 



Scale carp 



Mirror carp 



Spotted catfish. 



Tench 



Golden tench... 



Golden ide 



Goldfish 



Do 



Black bass 



Do 



Do 



Kock bass 



Warmoutli basa . 



Grapple 



Kaiubow trout. . 



Total 



United States fish ponds, Washington, D. C. 



do 



do 



do 



do 



...do 



do 



do 



do 



Wytheville Station 



...•^.do 



Quincv Station 



TTiiiteil States fish ponds, Washington, D. C. 



SVythoville Station 



Quincy Station 



do 



Wytheville Station 



Number 

 received. 



33, 629 

 2, 122 



38, 741 



26 



1,270 



336 



20 



398 



9,424 



3.815 



463 



25 



34, 379 

 950 

 227 

 165 



9,784 



Number 

 shipped. 



135, 774 



72, 341 



1,235 

 336 



20 

 271 



11,926 



34, 867 



787 



227 



165 



9,111 



Among the improvements at the station was the introduction of 

 an American watchman's time detector, with 12 stations distributed 

 throughout the general offices, aquaria, etc. 



The superintendent was instructed, in 1880, to develop a scheme 

 for the production of artificial eggs, and more or less study was given 

 the subject from that time. The question was satisfactorily determined, 

 and in the early part of the fiscal year covered by this report sup- 

 plies of eggs were prepared and shipped to the World's Fair. The 

 method of producing them consists in passing resin through heated 

 tubes of metal, the falling drops being received below in Avater. It was 



