﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  51 
  

  

  The 
  latter 
  procedure 
  is 
  attended 
  to 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  stock 
  of 
  eggs, 
  but 
  

   is 
  of 
  special 
  importance 
  in 
  case 
  of 
  those 
  that 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  transported. 
  It 
  

   may 
  be 
  performed 
  any 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  good 
  eggs 
  become 
  hardy 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  

   after 
  the 
  eyes 
  become 
  black 
  — 
  but 
  becomes 
  easier 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  The 
  

   unimpregnated 
  eggs, 
  which 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  fully 
  equal 
  in 
  hardiness 
  to 
  the 
  

   impregnated, 
  lose 
  in 
  that 
  respect 
  as 
  time 
  passes, 
  and 
  finally 
  are 
  readily 
  

   killed 
  and 
  turned 
  white 
  by 
  a 
  shock 
  which 
  does 
  no 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  impreg- 
  

   nated 
  eggs. 
  When 
  this 
  time 
  has 
  arrived, 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  turned 
  from 
  the 
  

   trays 
  into 
  spawning-pans 
  with 
  a 
  moderate 
  quantity 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  

   poured 
  from 
  pan 
  to 
  pan 
  back 
  and 
  forth 
  a 
  dozen 
  times, 
  each 
  time 
  falling 
  

   a 
  foot 
  or 
  more, 
  and 
  striking 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pan 
  with 
  considerable 
  

   force, 
  giving 
  each 
  egg 
  a 
  severe 
  shock. 
  They 
  are 
  then 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  

   trays 
  and 
  troughs 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  convenient 
  are 
  picked, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  

   operation 
  has 
  been 
  thorough 
  almost 
  every 
  unimpregnated 
  egg 
  has 
  

   turned 
  white 
  and 
  is 
  picked 
  out, 
  while 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  embryos 
  

   are 
  developing 
  have 
  not 
  suftered 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  PACKING 
  AND 
  TRANSPORTING. 
  

  

  Eggs 
  may 
  be 
  safely 
  transported 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  eyes 
  have 
  become 
  

   thoroughly 
  colored, 
  and 
  until 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  (five 
  or 
  six 
  in 
  cold 
  

   weather) 
  of 
  the 
  date 
  for 
  hatching. 
  In 
  shipments 
  made 
  too 
  late 
  the 
  shells 
  

   burst 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  and 
  the 
  embryos 
  perish. 
  The 
  method 
  of 
  packing 
  eggs 
  

   at 
  Craig 
  Brook 
  is 
  to 
  put 
  them 
  in 
  layers 
  alternating 
  with 
  wet 
  sphagnum 
  

   moss 
  in 
  shallow 
  wooden 
  boxes, 
  placed 
  in 
  cases 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  to 
  afford 
  on 
  

   all 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  inner 
  package 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  2i 
  or 
  3 
  inches, 
  which 
  is 
  filled 
  

   with 
  some 
  light, 
  porous 
  material 
  that 
  will 
  form 
  a 
  good 
  nonconductor 
  

   of 
  heat. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  thrown 
  from 
  hatching- 
  trays 
  into 
  a 
  large 
  rectangular 
  

   pan, 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  poured 
  with 
  water 
  into 
  tin 
  measures 
  which 
  

   hold 
  2,500 
  each. 
  A 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  moss 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  a 
  

   packing-box. 
  A 
  little 
  fine 
  snow 
  is 
  sifted 
  upon 
  the 
  moss, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  is 
  

   spread 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  mosquito 
  netting 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  soaked 
  and 
  rinsed 
  in 
  

   clean 
  water. 
  A 
  measure 
  of 
  eggs 
  is 
  now 
  poured 
  on 
  and 
  spread 
  out 
  and 
  

   covered 
  by 
  folding 
  over 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  netting, 
  which 
  now 
  completely 
  

   envelops 
  them. 
  Next 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  moss 
  is 
  sj)read, 
  followed 
  by 
  snow, 
  

   netting, 
  and 
  eggs, 
  as 
  before, 
  and 
  the 
  series 
  is 
  repeated 
  until 
  the 
  box 
  is 
  

   full. 
  The 
  moss 
  must 
  be 
  sufficiently 
  wet, 
  so 
  that 
  with 
  the 
  melting 
  of 
  the 
  

   snow 
  it 
  shall 
  have 
  all 
  the 
  moisture 
  it 
  will 
  hold, 
  and 
  no 
  more, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  

   very 
  desirable 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  wetting 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  packing. 
  If 
  the 
  

   moss 
  is 
  too 
  dry, 
  the 
  eggs 
  may 
  dry 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  becoming 
  indented, 
  

   and 
  the 
  same 
  result 
  may 
  come 
  from 
  crowding 
  the 
  moss 
  in 
  too 
  hard 
  on 
  

   the 
  eggs, 
  though 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  pressed 
  in 
  so 
  tightly 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  will 
  

   not 
  slide 
  out 
  of 
  i^lace 
  if 
  the 
  case 
  is 
  turned 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  on 
  its 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  packing-room 
  is 
  below 
  50° 
  F., 
  and 
  packing 
  

   materials 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  place 
  which 
  is 
  cool, 
  yet 
  not 
  much 
  below 
  the 
  

   freezing-point. 
  Salmon 
  eggs 
  packed 
  as 
  above 
  commonly 
  go 
  a 
  three 
  

   days' 
  journey 
  without 
  completely 
  melting 
  the 
  snow 
  that 
  was 
  sprinkled 
  

  

  