Ill] 



OPERATIONS AT THE NOETHVILLE HATCHERY, 



1047 



the hatching vessels to a number of wire trays iu the picking trough, 

 and carefully feathered over to show up the dead and unimpreguated 

 eggs, which are removed with nippers. After collecting the eggs by 

 overturning and submerging the trays into a large tin vessel partially 

 filled with water, they are skimmed ujj and measured in an 8-ounce 

 graduate (equivalent to 10,000 eggs) and poured thence into the ship- 

 ping trays. These are then removed to the packing room, or where the 

 temperature is between 30° and 40° Fahrenheit, tilted and drained, and 

 the eggs spread with a feather uniformlj- two layers in depth, a half inch 

 margin being left around the outside. A single fold of dampened mil- 

 linet is then thrown over the eggs, and a suflQcient quantity of live 

 moss, previously picked, washed and wrung out just enough to prevent 

 dripping or drainage, piled on to fill the tray when rather snugly 

 pressed down. When practicable, the trays are allowed to stand a few 

 moments in a temperature of 27° to 32°, or until needles of ice have be- 

 gun to form in the moss, then placed one above the other and firmly 

 held to position by cleats nailed to top and bottom boards. The pack, 

 age is then transferred to the shipping case, having a 4-inch coating of 

 fine, dry, hardwood shavings in the bottom, and surrounded with the 

 same material quite firmly pressed in. The case is now soon ready for 

 its journey, not, however, until the usual printed instructions and pre- 

 cautions to express messengers are pasted to the cover, and which, if 

 observed and heeded, would deliver the eggs to consignees in practi- 

 cally the same condition as when packed ninety-nine times out of a 

 hundred. 



Following is the table of shipments: 



1 am unable to report the condition in which the transatlantic ship- 

 ments reached their destination, correspondence relating thereto having 

 been made directly with the United States Commissioner, or with Mr. 

 Mather. Indirectly, however, or from Circular No. 1, 1882, of the Ger- 

 man Fishery Association, I learn that the whitefish eggs arrived " in 

 the very finest condition, fine beyond comparison" ; from the same source, 



