﻿88 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  that 
  are 
  raised 
  in 
  troughs 
  and 
  tanks 
  in 
  a 
  healthy 
  state, 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  give 
  

   them 
  a 
  salt 
  bath 
  occasionally, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  salt 
  in 
  their 
  food 
  

   will 
  at 
  times 
  do 
  them 
  good. 
  A 
  little 
  sediment 
  from 
  the 
  reservoir, 
  or 
  

   such 
  as 
  collects 
  on 
  stones 
  in 
  the 
  streailis, 
  is 
  beneficial 
  to 
  fish 
  if 
  mixed 
  

   with 
  their 
  food. 
  It 
  seems 
  proper 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  have 
  something 
  of 
  

   this 
  nature, 
  since 
  all 
  or 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  their 
  natural 
  food 
  contains 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  sediment 
  of 
  the 
  kind, 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  serious 
  disease 
  among 
  adult 
  rainbow 
  trout 
  shows 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  symptoms: 
  The 
  afflicted 
  fish 
  refuse 
  to 
  take 
  food, 
  and 
  very 
  dark 
  

   spots, 
  from 
  ^ 
  to 
  1 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  appear 
  on 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  

   varying 
  in 
  number 
  from 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  up 
  to 
  twenty 
  or 
  thirty 
  on 
  each 
  

   fish 
  affected, 
  a 
  light 
  spot 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  green 
  pea 
  appearing 
  on 
  

   the 
  head 
  immediately 
  over 
  the 
  brain. 
  The 
  fish 
  become 
  restless 
  and 
  

   seek 
  the 
  shallow 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  pond, 
  hiding 
  among 
  tbe 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  begin 
  to 
  die 
  within 
  twenty 
  four 
  hours 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   ease 
  is 
  noticeable. 
  They 
  jump 
  and 
  dart 
  around 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  a 
  

   frightened 
  manner, 
  settling 
  back 
  on 
  their 
  tails 
  and 
  sinking 
  to 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  of 
  the 
  pond 
  in 
  their 
  last 
  struggles. 
  This 
  disease 
  made 
  its 
  

   appearance 
  at 
  Wytheville 
  in 
  December, 
  1895; 
  it 
  was 
  first 
  observed 
  

   among 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  637 
  yearling 
  Von 
  Behr 
  or 
  brown 
  trout 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  

   delivered 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  on 
  IS^ovember 
  29. 
  The 
  first 
  sign 
  of 
  the 
  disease 
  

   was 
  noted 
  about 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  December, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  12tli 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  

   455 
  of 
  the 
  637 
  fish 
  were 
  dead. 
  

  

  These 
  fish 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  nursery 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   ease. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  held 
  passed 
  from 
  them 
  through 
  an 
  

   empty 
  pond 
  into 
  a 
  second 
  one 
  containing 
  about 
  1,000 
  large 
  rainbow 
  

   trout 
  that 
  had 
  recently 
  been 
  stripped 
  of 
  their 
  spawn. 
  On 
  the 
  morning 
  

   of 
  December 
  23 
  the 
  disease 
  made 
  its 
  appearance 
  among 
  the 
  latter, 
  and 
  

   by 
  4 
  o'clock 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  day 
  56 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  died. 
  

   Salt 
  was 
  applied 
  and 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  pond 
  was 
  drawn 
  down 
  to 
  about 
  

   300 
  gallons, 
  and 
  150 
  pounds 
  of 
  common 
  salt 
  were 
  sprinkled 
  evenly 
  

   through 
  it. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  this 
  brine 
  about 
  15 
  

   minutes, 
  when 
  they 
  showed 
  signs 
  of 
  weakening 
  by 
  turning 
  on 
  their 
  

   sides 
  ; 
  then 
  fresh 
  water 
  was 
  turned 
  on 
  freely. 
  Good 
  results 
  were 
  at 
  

   once 
  noticeable, 
  the 
  fish 
  became 
  quiet 
  and 
  appeared 
  to 
  rest 
  more 
  easily, 
  

   and 
  steadily 
  improved, 
  another 
  application 
  not 
  being 
  necessary. 
  The 
  

   final 
  result 
  was 
  that 
  70 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  rainbow 
  trout 
  that 
  had 
  

   been 
  treated 
  with 
  salt 
  were 
  saved, 
  while 
  of 
  the 
  yearling 
  brown 
  trout 
  

   that 
  were 
  not 
  thus 
  treated 
  nearly 
  71 
  J 
  per 
  cent 
  died. 
  

  

  Foul 
  ponds 
  cause 
  disease, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  fish 
  become 
  sick 
  from 
  this 
  reason, 
  

   they 
  must 
  be 
  removed 
  to 
  a 
  clean 
  pond 
  at 
  once 
  and 
  given 
  a 
  salt-and- 
  

   clay 
  bath, 
  which 
  is 
  applied 
  as 
  follows: 
  While 
  the 
  salt 
  bath, 
  before 
  

   described, 
  is 
  being 
  given, 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  bushels 
  of 
  clay 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  

   reservoir 
  or 
  supply-trough, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  fresh 
  Avater 
  is 
  turned 
  on 
  after 
  

   salting, 
  the 
  reservoir 
  is 
  flushed 
  for 
  30 
  minutes 
  with 
  roily 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  

   clay, 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  washed 
  away 
  an 
  increased 
  amount 
  of 
  fresh 
  

   water 
  is 
  turned 
  on 
  for 
  ten 
  days 
  or 
  more. 
  

  

  