VALUE OF NORWEGIAN LAKES FOR FISH CULTURE. 597 



given, as far as possible, contiimous employment thereat, since in tlio 

 opposite event, by only employing the labor at diiferent times of the year, 

 it will become nnnecessarily expensive. As such a size I would con- 

 sider a water area of 30 to 40 hectares, combined in one or separated into 

 many connected smaller lakes, to be tolerably suitable. I shall select the 

 smallest size, in order to make the expenses proportionally larger than, 

 they will be when a larger area can be had for cultivation ; because tlie 

 expenses increase just as little in this, as in other industries, in propor- 

 tion to the size of the business. According to the previously-mentioned 

 data, should, for the stocking of such a lake, according to the same 

 proportion as estimated earlier, be required yearly 10 x 10,500, which 

 equals 105,000 impregnated eggs. In order to make the case as unprofi- 

 table as it is ever likely to be, I will assume that the lake is so depleted 

 that one in the first year must buy a part of tlie eggs in another place, 

 that no profit be had before the fifth year after the beginning of the 

 business; at the same time that the price of the product in distant mar- 

 kets can be placed at only 3^ cents per one-fourth kilogram, which 

 equals 13 cents per kilogram, although the price here now is two or three 

 times that much -, wherewith I shall place the necessary expenses so 

 high that no doubt can be entertained of their adequacy. 



I Mill assume that the business is begun iu the month of September, 

 since one must be through handling the quantity of eggs which are to 

 be hatched out, while at this time, also, as a rule, the harvesting of the 

 water's crop will be past. Hereby the 1st of September becomes the 

 proper beginning of the year with reference to fish culture. At this time 

 I calculate as expended : 



For hatching apparatus, building of spawning- 

 places, and ponds for the young in the coming- 

 year $412 50 



For a dwelling for two laborers' families 825 00 



Boats, implements, materials, &c 192 50 



Three-fourths of the necessary quantity of eggs, 

 three-fourths of 105,000 = 80,000, which easily 

 and once for all can be procured by the pur- 

 chase of GOkilogramsof living fish in the course 

 of the summer; price and expenses $2.75 per kil- 

 ogram 165 00 



The outlay at the beginning of the work iu round 



numbers $1, 650 00 



In the first year I assume to be expended : 



For two permanent workmen , 550 00 



Implements and materials 55 00 



Loss of interest, 5 per cent, of the previous out- 

 lay 82 50 



687 50 



