440 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [4] 



position is confirmed by the fact tliat the impetus given to fish culture 

 in Finland came from France, and its model establishraeDt at liuniugcn, 

 whose operations were based on the spring water theory, that fital 

 theory which works on the supposition that success in hatching can be 

 obtained only by keeping the water as much as possible at an even tem- 

 perature. This very theory has proved very hurtful to the develop- 

 ment of artificial fish-culture, for, owing to its application, many pisci- 

 cultural establishments have failed. 



In my review of the " Guide to Artificial Fish -Culture," by Mr. net- 

 ting, royal inspector of fisheries for Norway, published in Circular YII 

 of the German Fishery Association for 1S71, and giving a sketch of fish- 

 culture in ISTorway, I have pointed out the unsatisfactory results of the 

 exclusive use of spring water (see Circular A^II, 1871, ]>p. 42-45), 

 and to this day fish-culture in Sweden and Xorway is languishing from 

 this cause. Mr. von Yhlen, royal inspector of fisheries for Sweden, 

 in his article on salmon culture in Sweden, published in the Deutsche 

 Fiseherci-Zciiung, complains of the serious drawbacks of working with 

 spring water, and advises to cool it with ice. But if spring water has 

 not, for some time, flowed above the ground, the cooling with i(!e can 

 not remedy the most serious evil, namely, the lack of air. In some es- 

 tablishments tliere is a contrivance for turning the spring water to a 

 spray, and thus to saturate it with oxygen, before it enters the hatch- 

 ing apparatus. But this contrivance is of a somewhat (jomplicated cliai-- 

 acter, and requires special conditions of level in order to ob ain the 

 necessary pressure for making the water rise; and even then it is 

 doubtful whether the water, during the short time wliich is occupied by 

 turning it to spray, is able to absorb enough oxygen to afford the nec- 

 essary amount of air for large quantities of eggs and young fish. In 

 large establishments it would, moreover, be very difQcult to subject the 

 necessary quantity of water to this process. I would advise all Scan- 

 dinavian fish-culturists to choose for their establishments locations 

 where they have both river and spring water; whenever there is any 

 lacic of river water, spring water may, in case of necessity, be tempo- 

 rarily employed, or mixed with the supply of river water. The artificial 

 hatching of winter fish-eggs will yield favorable results only when the 

 development of spawn and fish in the hatching house keeps step with 

 the conditions of free nature, which can only be obtained by emi)Ioying 

 river, brook, lake, or pond water. I would, therefore, also urgently 

 recommend for Russia, where efforts are now being made to spread ar- 

 tificial fish-culture, to study this important water question and decide 

 it as indicated above. Unless this is done, there will only be new dis- 

 appointments, which will cause people to take the dark view of artifi- 

 cial fish-culture which we find in Professor Malmgren's report. This re 

 port contains but little information relative to artificial fish-culture in 

 Russia, and, owing to the lack of material, I am not able to supplement 

 this report. Professor Malmgren mentions the efforts made by Dr. 



