﻿24 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  presses 
  out 
  the 
  eggs. 
  One 
  man 
  dips 
  the 
  male 
  fisli 
  from 
  their 
  com- 
  

   partment 
  and 
  places 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  i)latform 
  directly 
  behind 
  

   the 
  two 
  men 
  who 
  handle 
  them. 
  One 
  holds 
  the 
  hsli 
  by 
  the 
  head 
  ;i-nd 
  the 
  

   otber 
  presses 
  out 
  the 
  milt 
  with 
  one 
  hand 
  as 
  he 
  holds 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  tail 
  with 
  

   the 
  other, 
  the 
  milt 
  falling 
  into 
  the 
  same 
  pan 
  that 
  receives 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   practically 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  and 
  milt 
  are 
  gently 
  stirred 
  with 
  a 
  feather 
  in 
  the 
  spawning- 
  

   pan 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  expressed 
  from 
  the 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  pan 
  is 
  then 
  placed 
  

   upon 
  a 
  shelf 
  under 
  a 
  dark 
  curtain, 
  where 
  it 
  remains 
  for 
  1^ 
  minutes, 
  

   when 
  the 
  contents 
  are 
  poured 
  into 
  a 
  large 
  galvanized 
  iron 
  bucket 
  nearly 
  

   full 
  of 
  water, 
  the 
  eggs 
  being 
  placed 
  therein 
  before 
  adhesion 
  takes 
  place. 
  

   During 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1896 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  4,968 
  females 
  were 
  stripped, 
  

   producing 
  25,852,880 
  eggs. 
  The 
  greatest 
  number 
  of 
  females 
  stripped 
  

   in 
  any 
  one 
  day 
  was 
  269, 
  yielding 
  1,392,000 
  eggs. 
  The 
  spawning 
  crew 
  

   became 
  very 
  proficient, 
  having 
  stripped 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  151 
  females 
  in 
  60 
  

   minutes. 
  Spawning 
  usually 
  takes 
  place 
  during 
  the 
  afternoon 
  and 
  

   seldom 
  exceeds 
  2^ 
  hours 
  of 
  active 
  work. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  transferi^d 
  by 
  wagons 
  from 
  the 
  spawning 
  platform 
  to 
  

   the 
  hatcheries 
  in 
  large 
  galvanized-iron 
  buckets, 
  15 
  inches 
  deep 
  and 
  14 
  

   inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  which, 
  when 
  filled 
  with 
  water, 
  hold 
  about 
  70,000 
  

   eggs. 
  The 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  buckets 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  canvas, 
  and 
  the 
  

   average 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  occupied 
  in 
  taking 
  the 
  eggs, 
  transferring 
  them 
  

   to 
  the 
  hatcheries, 
  and 
  measuring 
  them 
  into 
  the 
  hatching-baskets 
  is 
  40 
  

   minutes. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  hatcheries 
  at 
  Battle 
  Creek 
  contain 
  160 
  hatching-troughs, 
  68 
  

   of 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  building 
  first 
  erected 
  being 
  16 
  feet 
  by 
  16 
  inches 
  by 
  6^ 
  

   inches, 
  while 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  92 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  building 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  size, 
  

   the 
  remainder 
  being 
  16 
  feet 
  by 
  12 
  inches 
  by 
  6i 
  inches. 
  A 
  head 
  or 
  

   distributing 
  trough 
  runs 
  lengthwise 
  of 
  each 
  building 
  and 
  receives 
  the 
  

   water 
  from 
  the 
  settling-tank 
  on 
  the 
  outside. 
  The 
  hatching-troughs 
  are 
  

   arranged 
  in 
  sections 
  of 
  four 
  bound 
  together. 
  Two 
  abut 
  against 
  the 
  

   distributing-trough, 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  take 
  their 
  supply 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  

   carry 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  troughs 
  below, 
  whence 
  it 
  i^asses 
  to 
  the 
  escape 
  

   drain 
  at 
  their 
  lower 
  ends; 
  24 
  gallons 
  of 
  water 
  per 
  minute 
  are 
  admitted 
  

   to 
  eaoh 
  trough, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  52°. 
  At 
  

   the 
  head 
  of 
  each 
  hatching-trough, 
  2 
  inches 
  above 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   water, 
  is 
  placed 
  a 
  tin 
  aerator, 
  10 
  inches 
  by 
  4 
  inches 
  by 
  1.^ 
  inches, 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  only 
  being 
  perforated; 
  4 
  inches 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  each 
  

   trough 
  a 
  retaining-screen 
  is 
  placed 
  at 
  an 
  angle. 
  Between 
  the 
  screen 
  

   and 
  the 
  end 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  2-inch 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  stopped 
  with 
  a 
  plug 
  

   which 
  projects 
  above 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  In 
  cleaning 
  the 
  trough 
  

   this 
  plug 
  is 
  removed, 
  the 
  increased 
  flow 
  of 
  water 
  causing 
  a 
  strong 
  

   current 
  through 
  the 
  entn-e 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  trough, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  capacity 
  

   of 
  200,000 
  eggs 
  contained 
  in 
  five 
  trays 
  or 
  baskets. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  eggs 
  reach 
  the 
  hatchery 
  they 
  are 
  washed, 
  measured, 
  and 
  

   placed 
  in 
  the 
  hatching 
  baskets 
  or 
  trays, 
  40,000 
  being 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  

   16-mch 
  and 
  25,000 
  in 
  the 
  12-mch 
  trays. 
  These 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  galvanized 
  

  

  