92 



survived to the average size taken, either the catch 

 might have been doubled or the supply would have held 

 its own through the agency of artificial propagation 

 alone, without any assistance whatever from the natural 

 hatch. In view of the relative numbers of young 

 brook trout and white fish turned out and the strik- 

 ing contrast in visible results, we may fairly conclude 

 that a large percentage of the trout have survived, while 

 there is little room for doubt that 95 per cent, of the 

 white fish have perished. 



Up to the hatching point, so-called, artificial pro- 

 pagation saves the enormous waste that occurs in a 

 state of nature and thereby multiplies results a hund- 

 red or a thousand fold ; this is possible only because 

 the conditions that are taken advantage of, and all the 

 essential features that contribute to this result, are 

 under our immediate observation and control. When 

 ninety healthy fish are produced from every hundred 

 eggs, taken, as is now the case with white fish, there is 

 little leeway for improvement in this direction. But 

 progressive fish culture demands something more, and 

 progressive fish culturists should not rest on their 

 laurels, nor relax their efforts, simply because a supply 

 of germs in prodigal numbers, and a knowledge of 

 how to fertilize and brin^r them forward to the hatchinor 

 point, has so cheapened the cost of producing fry by 

 the millions that the narrow margin of survivors to the 

 age of commercial value, more than compensates the 

 outlay. The important question for progressive fish 

 culture to answer is, how shall the percentage of 

 survivors be increased? May not these millions of fry 

 be so placed or disposed, that the loss by starvation 

 and predatory fishers will be greatly diminished ? Who 

 can compute the enormous material wealth that would 

 be created if the ratio of survivors might be increased 

 from five to fifty, or to twenty-five, or even ten ? 



