252 



By "W". L. Baekee, Esq. 



Read before the Society at the Annual Meeting, at Hungerford. 



rN laying before the Society a short sketch of the art of Fish- 

 I ^ Culture, I shall give the results of my own small experiments 

 as far as I can safely trust them, and, when they fail, I shall not 

 hesitate to adopt the opinions of others, whose experience is ample, 

 and whose word is beyond suspicion. 



The production of Fish by an artificial method has of late years 

 received much attention from scientific men in this country. The 

 plan indeed is not a new one, but it had lain so long in abeyance, 

 that when the French Government with its accustomed energy 

 revived it a few years ago, it had all the charm of a new and 

 important discovery, and one destined to take a high place on the 

 long list of modern improvements. 



"To Count Von Golstein, a German naturalist, the world stands 

 indebted for having in the year 1758 conceived the first idea of pro- 

 ducing Fish by artificial means and also for the experiment which 

 proved its truth. A few years later, another German naturalist, 

 Jacobi by name, made similar investigations with similar results ; 

 and at different times in Italy, in Scotland and in England success- 

 ful trials were repeatedly made. But although ichthyologists had 

 hit upon the novel idea of propagating Fish by artificial means, 

 they considered their method to be a simple scientific experiment. 

 They did not dream that it was of practical and commercial, of 

 political and social importance, inasmuch as it might be made a 

 new branch of commerce, which would add greatly to the national 

 wealth, give employment to thousands, create an inexhaustable 

 supply of cheap, nourishing and wholesome provision for all classes 

 of the people, and be in short to rivers and waters what agriculture 

 is to land." It is true that these great anticipations are not yet 



' The substance of this history of Fish-Culture was gleaned from a pamphlet 

 which appeared some years ago, but which has now unfortunately escaped from 

 my hands. — "W. L. B. 



