XXU REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



ei'iiiiient were developed first, tliose at Freiburg requiring some further 

 time, so that it involved considerable effort to combine the two sets so as 

 to prepare them for shipment to the United States at the same time. 



Mr. Hessel, in accordance with the agreement, took charge of the eggs 

 at Hiiniugen, as also those at Freiburg, and brought them to Bre- 

 men, where they were to be shipped on board one of the steamers of the 

 oNorth German Lloyd's. Unfortunately several circumstances concurred 

 to render it doubtful to Mr. Hessel whether these eggs would come safely 

 through. In the first place, the weather was exceptionally warm through- 

 out Germany, no cold weather being experienced up to the middle of 

 January, so that the eggs were developed in their shells much too fast 

 for their welfare. It was impossible to retard these by the application 

 of ice, as the stock in Bremen was very low, and supplies Avere only to 

 be had at an enormous expense. 



Again, the steamer upon which the eggs w^ere tirst placed broke down, 

 and was obliged to return to port. Mr. Hessel's packages were thus 

 delayed and exposed to the continuous heat for another week. The 

 consequence was that on his arrival in JS'ew York, to his great distress he 

 found that the eggs had in large part been prematurely hatched, aud 

 the gases resulting from their putrefaction had destroyed many more 

 of the eggs. 



Application had been previously made to the Se(;retary of the Treas- 

 ury for permission to land the packages containing the salmon-eggs with- 

 out delay, and every facility was offered by the inspector of customs 

 and other authorities. The boxes, sixty in number, occupying nearly 

 300 cubic feet of space, were transferred to the hatching-houses of 

 Dr. Slack, near Bloomsbury, N. J., and the contents immediately as- 

 sorted, but of the 750,000 eggs only four or five thousand were sound. 

 Tliese were successfully hatched out, and ultimately introduced into the 

 Musconetcong, a tributary of the Delaware, and on which Bloomsbury 

 is situated. 



Much help was rendered in this experiment by the authorities of the 

 IsTorth German Lloyd's, who gave up a special house on deck for the ac- 

 commodation of the eggs, and assisted in various other ways, especially 

 by advancing all the funds needed for the expenses in Germany and allow- 

 ingtlie settlement of the account in New York. I had the assistance, also, 

 in the reception and transfer of the eggs, of Dr. William M. Hudson, fish- 

 commissioner of Connecticut, and of Mr. Seth Green, of Kew York, the 

 whole party, with the exception of Dr. Hudson, proceeding to Bloomsbury 

 with Dr. Slack, for the purpose of giving the eggs the best attention. I 

 have no doubt that with a "winter of average severity, which would not 

 carry the eggs forward so rapidly as happened in this very exceptional in- 

 stance, the transfer of salmon-eggs can be made from Europe without the 

 slightest uncertainty as to their safe arrival. Perhaps a somewhat dif- 

 erent method of packing would be required, and the inclosure of the 

 eggs in smaller boxes would tend to promote their safety. In the ex- 



