30* REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



quent agitation of the waves. Tlie period also during wliicli tlicre is no 

 current whatever is injurious to the eggs, and frequently produces seri- 

 ous casualties. 



Another objection to the floating boxes is the small number of eggs 

 that they can accommodate in tidal waters, 20,000 being quite a maxi- 

 mum for one. This would make it necessary to employ fifty boxes for the 

 hatching of 1,000,000 eggs, which is by no means a large gathering even 

 for a single day. 



The attention of Mr. Ferguson, a gentleman of great mechanical inge- 

 nuity, was early directed to the question of the possibility of a more 

 wholesale manipulation of the eggs of shad, and he ultimately devised 

 an apparatus which promised to be of very great efflciency in this respect. 

 In this method the work is done by an apparatus combined with steam 

 machinery, by means of which the eggs receive the necessary mechanical 

 agitation, being plunged up and down in the water, or placed in cones 

 constantly suiJi)lied with a current of water coming in from below, and 

 over-flowing at the top, in the latter case the water being derived from 

 a tank at a higher elevation, which is kept filled by a steam-pump. 



In addition to these advantages, the work is prosecuted under cover, 

 and the ])ersons engaged are protected from dangers and exposure con- 

 sequent upon the old-fashioned method. 



Early in the spring of 1877 Mr. Ferguson commenced his operations 

 by fitting up three scows or stone boats, borrowed from the city of Balti- 

 more for the iiurpose, each about GO feet long and 20 feet broad. One 

 was furnished with the necessary machinery for the v.ovlc. An arrange- 

 ment was made with him to hatch out all the fish eggs procured by the 

 United States Fish Commission for transportation to distant waters, 

 their shipment, hov^e^'er, being entirely under the direction of Mr. James 

 W. Milner, the representative of the United States Fish Coumiission. 



One of the three scows was fitted up for the accommodation of Mr. 

 Milner and his party of messengers, and another for ]Mr. Ferguson's men, 

 and the first locality selected was in the JS'ortheast River at the head of 

 Chesapeake Bay ; but as soon as the large seines operated on the Eastern 

 Shore of the bay were discontinued towards the close of the season, a 

 station was taken in Spesutie Narrows, between Spesutie Islands and the 

 Haiford County shore, about six miles below the railroad bridge at Havre 

 de Grace, as being more sheltered and more convenient to the center of 

 operation of the gillers, upon whose catch the supply of spawn was 

 dependent. 



The work of shad-hatching commenced early in May, the eggs, as 

 stated, being first obtained from fish taken in seines, but subsequently 

 from those taken in gill-nets. The season closed on the Susquehanna 

 on the 13th of June, uj) to which time there were distributed more than 

 six millions of shad. 



The result of this experiment was entirely satisfactory. At much less 

 trouble and expense than usual, this large number of shad were handled 



