REPORT ON SHAD-HA.TCniNG OPERATIONS. 409 



2. — THE DELAWARE RIVER. 



Bloomsbury, N. J., July 12, 1873. 



Dear Sir : The undersigued having been honored by you with the 

 appointment to the position of deputy Uuited States commissioner 

 for the purpose of collecting information concerning the food-fishes of 

 the United States, and of superintending their transportation to west- 

 ern waters, would most respectfully submit the following report of his 

 proceedings, reserving all observations and deductions for a future and 

 more detailed report : 



Your letter notifying me of my appointment was received on the even- 

 ing of Monday, May 2G, and I had the pleasure of reporting to you at 

 Washington on the morning of May 28. At 11 p. ra. of the same day I 

 started for Weldon, N. C, where I arrived at 10 a. m. the following morn- 

 ing. Here I found Messrs. Hoi ton and Green, who had for some time 

 been endeavoring, though without success, to obtain ripe shad for the 

 purpose of artificial impregnation. In this they had utterly failed from 

 two causes, both entirely beyond their control. First, the method here 

 employed in catching the fishes renders it almost impossible to obtain at 

 the same time males and females in a ripe condition. The fishes are 

 captured by means of a piece of apparatus called a slide, which is so 

 arranged that in passing up stream the fish is caught by a rapid cur- 

 rent and thrown upon a board platform, where it almost instantly dies. 

 From all quarters I heard of the zeal and energy displayed by Messrs. 

 Holton and Green in their efforts to obtain ripe shad, but spite of all 

 their efforts they were entirely unsuccessful. However, important and 

 interesting experiments were made with the rock-fish, and over one hun- 

 dred thousand young were hatched and placed in the river. Secondly, 

 as is well known, the Eoanoke is liable to sudden and severe fresh- 

 ets ; at the period of my visit the water of this river was about 

 fifteen feet above its ordinary level, and residents of Weldon informed 

 me that a few days previous it had risen 32 feet in twenty-four hours. 

 As there seemed to be little use in retaining Messrs. Holton and Green 

 at this point, I telegraphed you suggesting that they be at once recalled. 

 On receiving a concurrent answer they at once set about their prepara- 

 tions for departure. On inquiry at the express-office it was found that 

 the cost of forwarding the hatching-boxes would about equal their value, 

 and upon Mr. Emry kindly offering to give them storage-room free until 

 next season his kind offer was accepted. 



Leaving Weldon at 4 p. m. we arrived in Washington the following 

 day at 4.30 a. m., and I reported to you my arrival at 10 a. m. 



Desiring to ascertain the condition of the shad in the river Delaware, 

 I, at your request, telegraphed to the following persons, proprietors of 

 fisheries on that river : B. P. Howell, M. D., Woodbury ; A. J. Scarbor- 

 ough, Lambertsville ; W. M. Hutchinson, Delaware Station. The an- 

 swers received from all these persons showed conclusively that the sea- 



