THE HISTOEY OF FISH-CULTURE. 521 



iu rivers where there are no fish of the salmon kinrl, bat only white- 

 fish ; and on the other hand, fish of the salmon kind, live in water 

 which contains neither pike nor perch, bat white-fish, on which they 

 feed. 



Unfortnuately, this is not the case in France, where fish of prey are 

 found in all the rivers, which to a great extent depopulates them. The 

 necessity of a good law regulating the raising of these species is being 

 more and more felt as an essential condition for successful pisciculture. 



In France, we must confess, there has recently been a time when but 

 little was done; this time has been filled, it is true, by the progress of 

 some establishments founded in the Puy-de-Dome, in the Pyrenees, iu 

 Crease, in Savoy by M. Costa Bauregard, in the department of Haute- 

 Yienue, &c., and by the interesting publications of De la Blanchere, 

 Haxo, Millet, Jourdier, Wallon, Koltz, Carbonnier, Chabot, Maslieurat, 

 the Viscount of Beaumont, Lamy, Chenu, Blanchard, and the various 

 communications made to the Academy of Sciences, &c., besides the 

 societies of oyster cultivators which have been formed, and whose serv- 

 ices will be appreciated at no distant period. 



Several general conferences have favored private enterprise by extend- 

 ing financial aid; this ought to be followed up, and new resources 

 should be given to France. 



The essential point, as M. Coste has shown, is to preserve by artificial 

 fecundation that innumerable quantity of eggs which are lost before 

 being hatched, or in an embryonic state. In order to carry on these 

 experiments on a large scale and to furnish an abundant supply of this 

 " manna" to serve as food for the human race, the government ought to 

 found four large establishments in the four principal basins of France, 

 into which the rivers of our country are divided, and which would develop 

 pisciculture to its greatest possible degree. 



A committee appointed by the government and composed of experts 

 and engineers should examine the rivers, and in each basin designate 

 the most favorable place. 



These establishments would afford the advantage of replenishing the 

 rivers of the country with those species of fish that could live there, and 

 would endeavor to acclimatize those species which on account of the 

 changes of temperature are not accustomed to live in our climate. These 

 studies might be accompanied by experiments with apparatus and the 

 different systems of raising fish, and all these different experiments 

 should be under the control of the College of France. The programme 

 should embrace the influence of the nature of the water on the develop- 

 ment aud acclimatization of different species, experimeuts which are im- 

 Ijossible in laboratories, which are generally only supplied with water 

 of one kind ; the different systems of food should also be studied. The 

 administration of bridges and roads would, on account of its admirable 

 organizatioD, be naturally destined to be at the head of this whole under- 

 taking and superintend it. 



