57 



solved some time, and that we can find a natnral food. 



Relative to commercial liatclieries, I have visited 

 several that are commercial hatcheries, notably those 

 of Mr. Hoxie, at Carolina, R. I., Mr. Gilbert, Ply- 

 mouth, Mass., and Mr. Hurlbut, at Freetown, Mass. 

 Of these three, the one at Carolina and the one at East 

 Freetown, the food supply at those stations is entirel}^ 

 liver. At Plymouth Mr. Gilbert has a more natural 

 preserve for his trout, that is, the waters approach 

 more nearly to nature. They are located in a cran- 

 berry bog — some of you may have seen them. He 

 makes quite as much out of his cranberries as from his 

 trout ; but in addition to the large pond for the pre- 

 serve, he has a long stream, which affords a flow of 

 water naturall}^ through the bog, marshy on both sides, 

 the natural substrata of soil being sand ; but on each 

 side of the stream, if 3'ou step off the plank walk, you 

 get into the water. It is very wet. You turn up any 

 of the shrubbery growing along the bank of that 

 stream and it is alive with shrimp. Mr. Gilbert claims 

 that the trout in that stream get as much natural food 

 as the food he gives them, which is artificial. I have 

 eaten trout taken from his ponds which appeared to 

 me as good as natural wild trout ; and I have eaten 

 trout from Mr. Hoxie' s ponds, and I must confess I 

 could not tell the difference between those trout and 

 wild trout. 



I have eaten trout weighing two pounds — that is to 

 say, a part of it — which was kept at the State Hatch- 

 ery in Vermont until they weighed two pounds, during 

 the early season, when the water was cold, which 

 seemed to be as good as any wild trout. In speaking 

 of wild trout, we know that the wild trout in different 

 waters will vary as to quality of food. If you take a 

 wild trout from stagnant water where the food is 

 plenty, they do not seem to taste as good as trout 

 taken from more lively, cooler water. I simply bring 



