[59] FISH CULTUEE IN CENTRAL EUROPE. 597 



Fish-culture in Italy, especially in its southern portion, presents doubt- 

 less fewer difficulties than in Central and Northern Europe, by reason 

 of the milder climate, which does not expose the water in the hatching- 

 house to the danger of freezing, and renders unnecessary many of the 

 precautions which have to be taken in a more northern climate. 



There are two methods of stocking with fish the fresh waters of a 

 country : The founding of large central establishments of fish-culture, 

 or of small fish-cultural stations scattered throughout the country. It 

 has now been demonstrated that the second method is the better and 

 more practical of the two. Large fish-cultural establishments are in 

 nearly all cases more subject to diseases which destroy the eggs and 

 the young fish than small ones. "Splendid results may be expected 

 from fish-culture only when every one has become his own fish-cultur- 

 ist," says von Behr, and with good reason. But in order to obtain 

 these results it is necessary that this industry should become more 

 general and should be prized as highly as it deserves, and this can 

 only take place after long and patient labor, and if the proper im- 

 petus is given by the Government. This is the grand service which 

 the Hiiningen establishment has rendered to the whole of Europe. 

 But when fish-culture has entered the field of private enterprise the 

 Government should cease to carry it on. This is also the opinion of 

 the eminent director of the Hiiningen establishment, Mr. Haack. The 

 large fish-cultural establishments should be the centers from which 

 this industry is spread, and they should make efforts to start as large 

 a number as possible of small establishments throughout the country. 



This result has been reached perhaps in the most satisfactory man- 

 ner in Saxony, since in that kingdom there were, at the end of 1882, 

 not less than 73 fish-cultural establishments, both large and small, or 

 one to every 40,000 inhabitants and to about 200 square kilometers [77 

 square miles]. This result is due particularly to the efforts of Doctor 

 Nitsche, professor of zoology in the Academy of Forestry at Tharand. 

 Since 1878 he has given a special course of lectures on fish-culture, last- 

 ing not longer than a week. These lectures have been attended by the 

 students of the academy and by many other persons, among the rest sev- 

 eral fish-culturists. In most cases the inspectors of forests, both Govern- 

 ment and private, have founded the different fish-cultural establish- 

 ments, and have done their share in diffusing the practice of fish-culture- 

 The same could be done in Italy. The Institute of Forestry at Vallom- 

 brosa possesses, as I think, all the necessary material for a course of 

 fish-culture. This course should be made free to all, so that it could 

 be attended not only by the students of the institute, but also by per- 

 sons employed in the superintendence and care of forests. The course 

 should not merely comprise theoretical instruction relative to the phys- 

 iology and reproduction of fish, the histological development of the 

 embryo, &c., but it should be essentially practical and brief, occupy- 



