10 



mon in Chicago ; packed in sea weed and kept cool 

 they are whirled through in good shape. 



In the early days of which I have spoken and up to 

 twenty years ago no shad came to New York from 

 Florida, nor even from North Carolina, where some of 

 the finest come from to-day, and the citizens of the great 

 metropolis waited for the first shad to be taken in 

 New York Bay. This was an event in the year that 

 was heralded far and wide and hotels bid high for 

 the first fish, as much as twenty-five dollars, having 

 frequently been paid for the honor of serving the first 

 shad of the season by the Astor House and other 

 hotels. Now that Florida begins to send shad in mid- 

 winter, the strife for the first " North River " shad 

 is ended. 



Havino- o-lanced at the different conditions of rail- 

 roading some decades ago and noted the effect upon 

 the fish markets of inland towns, let us see how the 

 changed conditions affect fish culture, which only 

 began operations on a large scale well within twent)' 

 years. The pioneers in fish culture fondly expected 

 to make fish cheaper for the masses. We expected 

 to multiply certain species to such an extent that the 

 market prices would be perjeptibly lowered, and it is 

 on record that the shad fishermen of Holyoke and 

 South Hadley Falls, Mass., rebelled at the first efforts 

 at shad hatching there by the late vSeth Green because 

 he said that he could "make shad cheap." He meant 

 that they would be made plenty, and merely used the 

 wrong word to the fishermen. We have increased 

 the yield of shad in the Hudson, the Delaware and 

 in other rivers farther south, but this increase of supply 

 has been met by an increased demand that has kept 

 prices up to, and even beyond, the old standards, and 

 the extension of railways and the improved express 

 facilities have made increased demands upon the shad 

 fisheries that has kept, and will keep, the prices up. 



