404 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



We took ill ice at Springfield, and left for Albany at 9 o'clock. We 

 reached Albany at 1.20 p. id., the thermometer indicating 90° in the 

 shade. By occasional additions of ice-water the temperature in the 

 cans had been kept down to about 7G°. By way of experiment we took 

 from the hatching-boxes a considerable number of ova not yet hatched, 

 or just in the process of hatching, thinking they might bear transporta- 

 tion better than the fry. The loss was much greater among the ova 

 than among the fry. Our cans were transferred to the Albany and 

 Susquehanna road. We had a complete change of water at this point, 

 and thorough cleansing of the cans by pouring the water from one can 

 to another, and throwing away all sediment. We secured a fresh sup- 

 ply of ice, and left about 3 j). m. The water is very good along the line 

 of this road, and we found no difficulty in making frequent changes, 

 and in keeping the temperature down to 70°. At one watering-tank, 

 near Binghamton, the water was at 55°, quite too cold for the fry. 



July 3. — The fish passed the night safely. We reached Salamanca at 

 5.30 a. m. As the Alleghany Eiver touches the railroad at this point, 

 and this seemed to be the best place for stocking the Ohio, we left here 

 three cans estimated to contain 400,000 fry, in charge of the ticket- 

 master, who promised to see them immediately put into the river. The 

 Erie trains form close connection here with the Atlantic and Great 

 Western, and we left in a few minutes for Akron, Ohio, on our way to 

 Indianapolis, where we had determined to make our next large deposit 

 of fry. We reached Kent, Ohio, at 4.15, and as the Cuyahoga liiver 

 was near the depot, we put in a few fry at this point. At Akron we 

 were troubled to get good water. We drove a considerable distance to 

 the canal, and secured enough to give the fry a change. The heat had 

 reached 96° in the cars during the day, and the fish had suffered consid- 

 erable loss. 



jiijy 4. — We reached Indianapolis a little too late for the last morning 

 train to Saint Louis, and this involved a delay of ten hours. As the 

 fry suffer much more in standing still than in transit, we concluded to 

 make sure of a laige stock in White River, and poured the contents of 

 three cans into that stream, a little below the railroad bridge, in the 

 suburbs of the city. We estimated the number at 400,000. We now 

 had but a single can left and changed the water several times during; 

 the day. We determined to make an experiment with the remaining; 

 fry to see how far they could be carried. We thought if we could carry* 

 them across the plains and plant them in the Platte at Denver, it would 1 

 be demonstrated that all the streams in the country can be furnished \ 

 with shad fry. The experience would be worth all it cost, even if wei 

 failed. We left Indianapolis at 8 p. m,, with fresh water and plenty of 

 ice. The heated term had passed, which was very much in our favor, i 



July 5. — We left Saint Louis at 8.25 a. m., with a partial change of 

 water and a fresh supply of ice. We took in a supply of Mississippi 

 water from the hydrant, but it did not seem to agree with the fish so 



