﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LIX 
  

  

  rivers, 
  Minnesota, 
  which 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  plants 
  heretofore 
  made 
  in 
  

   those 
  streams 
  have 
  been 
  successful. 
  

  

  The 
  station 
  force 
  was 
  occupied 
  as 
  usual 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  months 
  

   in 
  overhauling- 
  the 
  apparatus 
  and 
  painting 
  the 
  buildings. 
  The 
  low, 
  

   marshy 
  land 
  at 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  building 
  was 
  also 
  tilled 
  in 
  with 
  gravel 
  

   and 
  stone, 
  and 
  jirotected 
  from 
  encroachments 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  by 
  a 
  crib 
  198 
  

   feet 
  long, 
  6 
  feet 
  wide, 
  and 
  3§ 
  feet 
  deep. 
  

  

  Neosho 
  Station, 
  Missouri 
  (William 
  F. 
  Page, 
  Superintendent). 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  was 
  directed 
  by 
  W. 
  F. 
  Page 
  until 
  April 
  4, 
  

   when 
  the 
  foreman, 
  L. 
  E. 
  Baldridge, 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  charge. 
  A 
  special 
  

   appropriation 
  of 
  $1,000 
  having 
  been 
  provided 
  in 
  the 
  deficiency 
  bill 
  for 
  

   1896, 
  the 
  money 
  was 
  expended 
  in 
  building 
  an" 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  hatchery 
  

   18 
  feet 
  by 
  18 
  feet, 
  similar 
  in 
  style 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  building, 
  and 
  equipped 
  

   with 
  6 
  hatching-troughs. 
  By 
  this 
  change 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  hatchery 
  

   has 
  been 
  increased 
  over 
  50 
  per 
  cent. 
  Bass 
  ponds 
  JSTos. 
  11 
  and 
  12 
  were 
  

   improved 
  by 
  substituting 
  brick 
  and 
  cement 
  standpipe 
  and 
  kettles 
  in 
  

   place 
  of 
  old 
  wooden 
  ones, 
  and 
  the 
  wooden 
  outlet 
  flumes 
  were 
  replaced 
  

   by 
  terra-cotta 
  pipe. 
  The 
  trout 
  pools, 
  formerly 
  constructed 
  of 
  wood, 
  were 
  

   remodeled 
  and 
  rebuilt 
  with 
  brick 
  walls 
  and 
  concrete 
  flooring. 
  

  

  The 
  regular 
  force 
  was 
  utilized 
  in 
  making 
  various 
  other 
  improve- 
  

   ments, 
  including 
  repair 
  and 
  painting 
  of 
  the 
  annex, 
  graveling 
  the 
  walks, 
  

   miscellaneous 
  repairs 
  to 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  ponds, 
  and 
  the 
  construc- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  blind 
  ditch 
  from 
  the 
  cellar 
  of 
  the 
  superintendent's 
  residence 
  

   to 
  the 
  branch. 
  This 
  ditch 
  was 
  rendered 
  necessary 
  by 
  the 
  frequent 
  

   flooding 
  of 
  the 
  celhir 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter 
  after 
  heavy 
  rains. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  there 
  were 
  on 
  hand 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  

   the 
  following 
  fish: 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Calendar 
  year 
  in 
  which 
  fish, 
  were 
  hatched. 
  

  

  1895. 
  

  

  1894. 
  

  

  1892 
  or 
  

   before. 
  

  

  Rainbow 
  trout 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Black 
  bass 
  

  

  Rock 
  bass 
  

  

  Strawberry 
  bass 
  . 
  

   Tench 
  , 
  

  

  87, 
  448 
  

   20, 
  000 
  

  

  2,000 
  

  

  487 
  

  

  336 
  

   60 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  107, 
  558 
  

  

  2,000 
  

  

  The 
  fry 
  were 
  held 
  through 
  the 
  summer 
  in 
  troughs 
  and 
  ponds, 
  as 
  

   heretofore, 
  and 
  distributed 
  during 
  September 
  and 
  October. 
  

  

  Eainhotc 
  trout. 
  — 
  The 
  stock 
  of 
  breeders 
  on 
  hand 
  at 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  

   spawning 
  season 
  consisted 
  of 
  1,700 
  two-year-okl 
  trout 
  derived 
  from 
  

   eggs 
  shipped 
  from 
  California 
  and 
  790 
  fish 
  hatcheii 
  in 
  1892 
  and 
  1894. 
  

   The 
  spawning 
  season 
  extended 
  from 
  December 
  17 
  to 
  February 
  11, 
  and 
  

   resulted 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  578,460 
  eggs, 
  509,557 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  from 
  

   the 
  old 
  breeders. 
  Only 
  58 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  California 
  fish 
  

   were 
  fertilized, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  surprising, 
  as 
  experience 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  

   only 
  about 
  half 
  the 
  eggs 
  taken 
  from 
  very 
  young 
  fish 
  are 
  of 
  value. 
  

  

  The 
  shipments 
  of 
  eggs 
  aggregated 
  229,125, 
  of 
  which 
  96,200 
  were 
  

  

  