REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 79 



Little White Salmon Station, Washington. 



Although a substation of Clackamas, this station is more important 

 than the head station in all branches of the work. From it are oper- 

 ated the substations on the Big White Salmon River, and also on Eagle 

 and Tanner creeks. 



The station was opened July 9, when the usual preparations for 

 active work were commenced. The hatchery and troughs were put in 

 good condition, a combined wood-shed and storeroom was erected, and 

 four skiffs for use at the station and substations were built. All of 

 the buildings were whitewashed and the outside of the window frames 

 given a coat of paint. The dam in the supply creek was partly torn 

 out and widened, with the view to giving an easier outlet during winter 

 freshets. The mess-house, which had been almost against the hatching- 

 house, was moved to a distance of 30 yards from the latter to lessen 

 the danger of fire. A new flume was built from the source of the 

 water supply to the filter, and thence to the upper hatching-house; it 

 was then laid along this building to the lower house, and from there 

 to the outside troughs. A scow was made for use in bringing in sup- 

 plies and for the distribution of fish and eggs. 



On August 5 the upper rack was completed, and the work of putting 

 in the other racks was at once pushed to completion. The racks were 

 constructed in the usual temporary manner of tripods with one long 

 and two short legs, weighted, and tied with stringers, upon which the 

 pickets of 2 by 2 material were nailed in a vertical (angular) position. 



The fish were captured b}' means of the regular downstream traps, 

 and after being caught they were held in retention pens until the fol- 

 lowing day, when the}^ were spawned. 



The spawning was done by the use of a spawning-box to hold the 

 fish, which were stunned before being put into the box. The eggs 

 were pressed from the fish by one man into a pan held by another, and 

 the milt was immediately applied. The mixture of milt and eggs was 

 stirred with the fingers, and then the spawn-taker added water until 

 the eggs were barely immersed. After this the pan was set aside for 

 1^ minutes before being taken up and washed. The eggs were then 

 carried to the station in buckets, 15,000 to the bucket, and there they 

 were measured and placed in hatching baskets. After the eggs had 

 been cleaned and picked for a period of 4 or 5 days, they were 

 CO veered and allowed to remain in perfect quiet until 30 days old, 

 when they were thoroughly washed and picked over. After this pick- 

 ing they were kept perfectly clean until hatched. Feeding was begun 

 before the yolk-sac was absorbed. At first, with the view to accus- 

 toming the fry to food, only pure and very finely ground liver was 

 given, but later on, as soon as they began taking food well, the}^ were 

 fed a mixture of liver and mill-feed. 



It was necessary to plant many of the fry as soon as they were 

 hatched, on account of lack of water and space, but as many as possi- 



