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of California, where about two million young fish were 
planted yearly, the catch had increased in five years from 
five million pounds to fifteen million pounds, and in 1881 
there were more fish than could be utilised by all the 
canning establishments on the river. He would not 
proceed with the multiplication of examples, but would 
refer to the fact that the fish in the Detroit River, where 
the United States and Canada had established hatcheries, 
had been increased, and the supply immensely improved. 
The shad was taken in twenty or thirty great rivers on the 
Atlantic coast, and was for several months of the year 
a most important food supply. About twenty years ago 
it was found that the supply of shad was beginning to 
decrease, and Fish Commissioners were organised with 
the special object of increasing the supply. He had 
seen shad which four or five years before were selling at 
4s. or 55. a pair, and were therefore beyond the reach of 
poor people, become so cheap and common that they 
could be bought for a shilling a pair, which was entirely 
the result of fish culture. Professor Baird had been the 
leading spirit of fish culture in America. He was asked 
recently if Professor Baird was not an enthusiast, and he 
replied that he was not, but a man possessing the widest 
general and philosophical knowledge of natural laws, 
whose sound judgment and experience had enabled him 
to take up the work of fish culture and carry it on on 
an immense scale in the United States. People were 
sometimes dissatisfied because fish were sometimes planted 
in streams and nothing was heard of them afterwards ; 
but it was the theory of their Commission and of their 
Government that it was a proper thing to make experi- 
ments, and if they happened to be unsuccessful there 
was so much ground eliminated over which it was un- 
