﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  235 
  

  

  The 
  completion 
  of 
  tlie 
  new 
  marine 
  laboratory 
  and 
  liatcbery 
  at 
  Woods 
  

   Hole 
  in 
  1885, 
  with 
  its 
  complete 
  system 
  of 
  salt-water 
  circulation, 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  experiments 
  in 
  artificial 
  hatching 
  on 
  a 
  

   large 
  scale, 
  which 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  practicable 
  theretofore, 
  although 
  small 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  lobster 
  eggs, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  crustaceans, 
  had 
  

   been 
  successfullj^ 
  hatched. 
  In 
  188G 
  the 
  experiments 
  had 
  progrevssed 
  so 
  

   successfully 
  that 
  several 
  million 
  eggs 
  were 
  collected 
  and 
  hatched 
  at 
  

   Woods 
  Hole, 
  the 
  fry 
  being 
  deposited 
  in 
  Vineyard 
  Sound 
  and 
  adjacent 
  

   waters. 
  From 
  1887 
  to 
  1890, 
  inclusive, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  collected 
  

   was 
  17,821,000. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  eggs 
  collected 
  u}) 
  to 
  1889 
  the 
  average 
  production 
  of 
  fry 
  was 
  

   about 
  54 
  per 
  cent. 
  During 
  these 
  years 
  experiments 
  were 
  conducted 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  best 
  method 
  of 
  hatching 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  appa- 
  

   ratus 
  used 
  were 
  the 
  Chester 
  jar, 
  the 
  McDonald 
  tidal 
  box, 
  and 
  the 
  

   McDonald 
  automatic 
  hatching-jar. 
  In 
  1889 
  the 
  resalts 
  secured 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  form 
  of 
  apparatus 
  were 
  so 
  much 
  better 
  than 
  with 
  the 
  others 
  that 
  

   it 
  was 
  adopted, 
  and 
  in 
  1890, 
  from 
  the 
  4,353,000 
  eggs 
  collected, 
  over 
  81 
  

   per 
  cent 
  yielded 
  fry. 
  Work 
  was 
  continued 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  on 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  scale 
  until 
  1894, 
  when 
  the 
  collections 
  aggregated 
  97,000,000 
  

   eggs. 
  In 
  tlie 
  same 
  year 
  lobster 
  propagation 
  was 
  undertaken 
  at 
  (Glouces- 
  

   ter 
  and 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  10,000,000 
  eggs 
  was 
  made 
  there. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  189' 
  > 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  was 
  105,188,000, 
  the 
  resulting 
  fry 
  liberated 
  numbering 
  

   97,579,000, 
  or 
  about 
  93 
  per 
  cent; 
  and 
  in 
  1897 
  the 
  collections 
  amounted 
  

   to 
  150,000,000 
  eggs, 
  of 
  which 
  135,000,000, 
  or 
  90 
  per 
  cent, 
  were 
  hatched. 
  

  

  COLLECTION 
  OF 
  EGG-BEARING 
  LOBSTERS. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  new 
  eggs 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  lobsters 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  

   July 
  and 
  August, 
  no 
  special 
  effort 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  secure 
  egg-bearing 
  

   lobsters 
  until 
  the 
  following 
  spring. 
  The 
  collecticms 
  usually 
  commence 
  

   in 
  April 
  and 
  continue 
  until 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July. 
  At 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  the 
  recent 
  practice 
  to 
  receive 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  and 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  

   hatching-jars 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter 
  any 
  lobsters 
  having 
  external 
  

   eggs 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  captured 
  by 
  local 
  fisherman. 
  The 
  collecting-grounds 
  

   extend 
  from 
  ISTew 
  London, 
  Connecticut, 
  to 
  Rockland, 
  Maine. 
  For 
  Woods 
  

   Hole 
  station 
  eggs 
  are 
  secured 
  from 
  fishermen 
  operating 
  between 
  New 
  

   London, 
  Connecticut, 
  and 
  Plymouth, 
  Massachusetts. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  grounds 
  in 
  Connecticut 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Xew 
  

   London 
  and 
  Xoank; 
  in 
  Massachusetts, 
  New 
  Bedford, 
  South 
  Dartmouth, 
  

   Plymouth, 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  and 
  numerous 
  localities 
  in 
  Buzzards 
  Bay 
  and 
  

   Vineyard 
  Sound. 
  Eggs 
  for 
  the 
  Gloucester 
  station 
  are 
  secured 
  from 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  operating 
  between 
  Boston 
  and 
  Rockland, 
  which 
  territorj'^ 
  

   comi)rises 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  lobster 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  The 
  

   schooner 
  Grampus 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  collections 
  between 
  Portland 
  

   and 
  Rockland, 
  the 
  lobsters 
  being 
  delivered 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  

   season 
  and 
  later 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  Hatch, 
  which 
  is 
  stationed 
  at 
  a 
  

   suitable 
  point 
  in 
  Casco 
  Bay. 
  

  

  