PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1921. a1 
In accordance with past custom a considerable number of brook- 
trout eggs was purchased, and as usual they were greatly inferior 
to the eggs obtained from wild stock. Such purchases amounted 
to 877,800, and 56,000 eggs in addition were turned over to St. 
Johnsbury station by a Massachusetts dealer, with the understand- 
ing that half the resulting fry were to be placed at his disposal 
for sale to persons desiring fish for stocking private waters, the 
other half to be the property of the bureau. Two shipments of 
steelhead-salmon eggs, aggregating 58,000, were received from one 
of the Puget Sound (Wash.) stations, and a consignment of 25,000 
landlocked-salmon eggs was forwarded from the Grand Lake Stream 
(Me.) hatchery. 
Following the custom of past years, collections of smallmouth 
black bass fry were undertaken at Lake Tarleton, and though started 
some 10 days earlier than ever before they did not precede the un- 
usually early spawning of the bass. High winds interfered with the 
work, making difficult the placing of screens and the dipping of the 
fish, and in some instances the screens were destroyed. Approxi- 
mately 54,000 fry were obtained from this source and placed in 
ponds at the St. Johnsbury station for later distribution. This 
work at Lake Tarleton enables the bureau to secure limited numbers 
of bass for distribution in the Vermont field and at the same time 
assists in keeping down their numbers in the lake, where they are 
considered objectionable. 
At the Holden substation approximately 350,000 brook-trout eggs 
were received, some from the field stations and some from commer- 
cial hatcheries, and the distributions of fry and fingerling fish from 
this lot amounted to 173,700, with 47,380 fingerlings on hand at the 
end of the year. The rather serious losses made evident by these 
figures are attributed mainly to an accident occurring on April 15, 
when the spring water supply to the hatchery was cut off. A more 
extensive system of aeration had been installed to overcome the 
losses occurring in recent years through defective aeration of the - 
water. The new system promises good results, but because of this 
accident the evidence in its favor can not yet be considered con- 
elusive. This substation also nandled and distributed the product 
of approximately 145,000 lake-trout eggs collected at Lake Dunmore, 
Vt., 25,000 of the same species transferred from the Charlevoix 
(Mich.) field, and 50,000 rainbow-trout eggs received from the West 
Virginia hatchery of the bureau. 
Work looking to the development of the York Pond (N. H.) site 
as a station for the production of brook-trout eggs was carried for- 
ward as expeditiously as the limited funds available for the purpose 
would allow. During the summer the small bottom west of the 
pond and the extensive flat below it were cleared and a small log 
cabin to house the employees was constructed. Officers of the For- 
est Service have rendered valuable aid in the work of developing this 
station. Through their,efforts the camp has been provided with 
telephone connections, and they are planning for the construction 
of a wagon road to the site. They have also rendered assistance in 
running levels, with the view of turning the flow of one or more 
of the adjacent brooks into the pond system. 
