﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  25 
  

  

  McDonald 
  tidal 
  boxes. 
  Those 
  received 
  previous 
  to 
  December 
  21 
  were 
  

   of 
  excellent 
  quality 
  and 
  yielded 
  fair 
  results, 
  but 
  the 
  shipments 
  coming 
  

   in 
  after 
  that 
  date 
  were 
  very 
  poor 
  and 
  were 
  apparently 
  imperfectly 
  

   fertilized. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  44°, 
  

   but 
  by 
  December 
  12 
  it 
  had 
  dropped 
  to 
  34°, 
  and 
  by 
  January 
  6 
  it 
  reg- 
  

   istered 
  31°, 
  As 
  this 
  was 
  too 
  cold 
  for 
  hatching 
  with 
  good 
  results, 
  the 
  

   water 
  was 
  heated 
  artificially, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  

   it 
  was 
  kept 
  at 
  from 
  35° 
  to 
  37°. 
  

  

  Air 
  circulation. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  IGth 
  of 
  December 
  220,000 
  eggs 
  were 
  i)laced 
  

   in 
  two 
  McDonald 
  Jars 
  at 
  midnight, 
  the 
  water 
  temperature 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   being 
  35° 
  J 
  by 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  17tli 
  it 
  had 
  risen 
  to 
  51°, 
  and, 
  although 
  

   changed 
  frequently, 
  it 
  remained 
  stationary 
  until 
  the 
  19th, 
  by 
  which 
  

   time 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  had 
  died. 
  The 
  experiments 
  were 
  continued 
  from 
  time 
  

   to 
  time, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  keeping 
  down 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  

   but 
  without 
  success 
  until 
  the 
  jars 
  had 
  been 
  partially 
  submerged 
  in 
  a 
  

   packing 
  of 
  crushed 
  ice 
  and 
  salt. 
  On 
  the 
  31st 
  of 
  January 
  380,000 
  cod 
  

   egga 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  two 
  jars 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  kept 
  at 
  40°. 
  On 
  the 
  

   fifth 
  day 
  it 
  was 
  noticed 
  that 
  minute 
  bubbles 
  had 
  collected 
  on 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   in 
  sufficient 
  quantity 
  to 
  raise 
  the 
  top 
  layer 
  partly 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  

   where 
  they 
  remained 
  without 
  change. 
  The 
  water 
  also 
  commenced 
  to 
  

   emit 
  a 
  very 
  offensive 
  odor, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  

   changed 
  every 
  12 
  hours. 
  Later 
  on 
  it 
  was 
  changed 
  every 
  4 
  hours, 
  but 
  

   still 
  continued 
  to 
  be 
  offensive. 
  The 
  eggs 
  commenced 
  hatching 
  on 
  the 
  

   fourteenth 
  day, 
  but 
  the 
  fry 
  were 
  crooked 
  and 
  weak, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  25,000 
  

   hatched 
  only 
  about 
  2,000 
  survived. 
  On 
  February 
  18 
  another 
  experi- 
  

   ment 
  was 
  tried 
  with 
  580,000, 
  the 
  water 
  temperature 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  

   l^eriod 
  of 
  incubation 
  being 
  kept 
  at 
  40°. 
  The 
  eggs 
  commenced 
  hatching 
  

   on 
  February 
  29, 
  and 
  about 
  10,000 
  fry 
  were 
  liberated 
  from 
  this 
  lot. 
  

   Further 
  experiments 
  were 
  tried 
  in 
  March, 
  but 
  the 
  results 
  were 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  Closed 
  circulation. 
  — 
  To 
  test 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  hatching, 
  a 
  cedar 
  tank 
  of 
  

   15,000 
  gallons 
  capacity 
  was 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  northwest 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  hatcli- 
  

   erj'-, 
  so 
  arranged 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  hatching-boxes 
  could 
  flow 
  into 
  

   it 
  by 
  gravity 
  and 
  from 
  there 
  be 
  pumped 
  to 
  the 
  pressure 
  tank, 
  located 
  

   at 
  the 
  southwest 
  corner. 
  An 
  air-pump 
  was 
  provided 
  for 
  aerating 
  the 
  

   water, 
  and 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel 
  filters 
  were 
  placed 
  between 
  the 
  hatching- 
  

   boxes 
  and 
  the 
  receiving 
  reservoir, 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  could 
  be 
  

   filtered 
  each 
  time 
  it 
  was 
  used. 
  It 
  was 
  intended 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  tank 
  with 
  

   water 
  comparatively 
  free 
  from 
  sediment 
  and 
  to 
  hold 
  it 
  for 
  use 
  when 
  the 
  

   water 
  in 
  the 
  harbor 
  became 
  roily, 
  using 
  the 
  reserve 
  supi)ly 
  over 
  and 
  

   over 
  until 
  the 
  harbor 
  water 
  became 
  clear 
  again. 
  The 
  stormy 
  weather 
  

   caused 
  numerous 
  delays 
  in 
  setting 
  u[) 
  the 
  tank 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  in 
  

   working 
  order 
  until 
  February 
  4. 
  A 
  test 
  of 
  this 
  method 
  Avas 
  at 
  once 
  

   undertaken, 
  but 
  the 
  experiment 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  discontinued 
  on 
  the 
  17th, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  bursting 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  pipes 
  by 
  frost. 
  

  

  