REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 33 



results obtain by stipuliiting that the domesticated eggs must be the 

 product of fish at least 2i 3^ears old. 



The rainbow trout on hand began spawning early in April and eggs 

 were obtained from them at intervals to the end of the month. Only 

 17,845 were secured, and these were very inferior in quality. The fry 

 were retained for rearing. The propagation of the rainbow trout at 

 the St. Johnsbury Station has never been very successful, owing to the 

 extremely cold water. A shipment of 50,000 eggs was also received 

 from the Manchester Station, but they proved to be very poor and 

 only a few fry were hatched from them. 



During the winter and spring 200,000 lake-trout eggs were received 

 from Duluth, Minn; 25,000 landlocked-salmon eggs from East Orland, 

 Me.; 50,000 grayling eggs from Bozeman, Mont., and 50,000 steel- 

 head-trout eggs from the station at Rogue River, Oregon. These 

 hatched with good results, and all of the fry were distributed, with 

 the exception of the landlocked salmon and a few of the gra3ding, 

 which were retained for rearing. 



The results of the fish-cultural work at St. Johnsbury for the past 

 five years have proved extremely satisfactory, as demonstrated by 

 the large catches of lake trout from Big Averill Pond, Averill, Vt., 

 which never contained any of that species until they were introduced 

 by the Commission in 1897. From Little Averill Pond, Averill, Vt., 

 in which salmon never existed until introduced from the St. Johns- 

 bury Station, large quantities of salmon have been taken. From Cas- 

 pian Lake, at Greensboro, Vt., it is estimated that 6 tons of fish were 

 taken with hook and line between May 1 and September 1, 1901, and 

 a proportionate amount for the months of May and June, 1902. Ever 

 since the establishment of the St. Johnsbury Station this lake has 

 been annually stocked with lake trout, landlocked salmon, and brook 

 trout. The species mostly caught are the lake trout and landlocked 

 salmon, speckled trout not having produced very satisfactory results. 

 The introduction of the steelhead trout in Vermont waters has also 

 been very successful. 



The introduction of the lake trout in Big Averill Pond afforded an 

 opportunit}'^ of ascertaining the actual growth of the fish from the fry 

 stage. Th& plant of 1897 afforded good fishing for anglers during the 

 season of 1901, the largest fish taken that year weighing 3f pounds. 

 The next in size weighed 2f pounds, the next li pounds, and the 

 smallest specimens ranged from 9 to 10 inches in length. Many fish 

 of the sizes mentioned were taken, and there was very little variation 

 from the weights given above, indicating that the fry planted in 1897 

 had attained in 1901 a weight of 3| pounds, and that the other sizes 

 were the results of plants in the succeeding years, those from 9 to 10 

 inches long being a year and a half old from the time the eggs were 

 taken. 



