antuinn of 187G from Mr. J. BjiiuToft Davis, at that time minister of 

 the United tStates to the German Empiie, requesting that models of 

 certain apparatus be furnished at the expense of the Verein. Tliis was 

 jjromptly attended to under the supervision of Mr. James W. Mihier, 

 and the ai'tieles forwarded gave great satisfiujtion. 



A similar application was received from the Japanese Government, 

 to include models, not only of hatching api)aratus, but of fishways, to 

 be ai)i)lied to the waters of that country 5 and a full series of models, a 

 reproduction of those exhibited at Philadelphia at the Centennial, was 

 accordingly made and presented to the Government of Japan in return 

 for the very valuable donation of the whole of its fishery exhibit at the 

 Centennial. 



Mr. A. Eisendecher, of Valdivia, Chili, applied for a statement of 

 inobable exi)enses of i^lacing California salmon and other fishes in the 

 waters of Southern Chili; the United States consul in Ecuador also 

 sought similar information for that country. 



Api)licatious have also been received from parties in British Colum- 

 bia for information as to the best mode of utilizing the refuse and waste 

 of the salmon-canning establishments. Several tirms engaged in the 

 canning of lobsters in New Brunswick embraced the occasion of the pres- 

 ence of the Fish Commission at Halifax to call attention to certain diffi- 

 culties in the j^reservation of lobsters in cans, some establishments 

 being unable at certain seasons of the year to prevent the entire decom- 

 position of the canned meat, in spite of all precautions. Information in 

 response to this query has been furnished as far as it was at the com- 

 mand of the Commission. 



As already explained in earlier reports, the United States Fish Com- 

 mission endeavors to occupy ground not covered by State commissions 

 or by private enterprise ; antl whatever species are fully cared for by 

 other organizations are not treated by the United States Commission. 



Two favorite fish in the United States, the trout and the black bass, 

 are propagated by hundreds of establishments throughout the country, 

 both State and private, which attend fully to them. They are, however, 

 available only for local waters, private fish ponds, or streams, and there 

 would be a manifest impropriety on the part of the United States Fish 

 Commission in catering to the interest of a fevr individuals. Both spe- 

 cies are of comparatively little account in the food production of the 

 nation, and it is only those who can afford to devote an abundance of 

 leisure to their captiue, or those whose means enable them to purchase 

 at a high price, who are benefited by their cultivation. Of course, if the 

 question were as to the introduction of some new variety of these fish 

 that should have some special qualification, and which could only be 

 brought to the notice of the people by the United States Commission, 

 the argument would be very different. 



As already explained, the only species that have received special at- 



