Nevin. — Fifty Years' Experience in Fish Culture 213 



there has been at times great waste of good seed sown 

 in barren waters adapted only to other forms of fish life. 

 Fortunately this is practically a thing of the past, as most 

 of our states before planting occurs are now having, or 

 have had, their public waters examined to ascertain which 

 kinds of fish are best suited to their needs. 



We have had considerable loss in transferring finger- 

 ling and yearling brook trout from one hatchery to an- 

 other. We have endeavored at all times to get them ac- 

 customed to the water before placing them in ponds, but 

 often after twenty-four hours the fish would acti as though 

 they were going into spasms, and turn up and die. When 

 fish begin to act in this manner they need a strong solu- 

 tion of salt in the water. It is the best remedy we have 

 for fish at this time and has saved many that would other- 

 wise have died. I have often wondered whether fish 

 when first liberated in public lakes and streams die in the 

 proportion they sometimes do at our hatcheries, where 

 we have made every effort to prevent such loss. 



On several occasions in the past I have sent out men 

 to observe fingerling trout that had been planted. In 

 two instances quite a loss was noted, although it is gen- 

 erally difficult to learn the exact loss when fish planted 

 in streams are carried away by the current and disappear 

 from view. Judging by the numbers of fish that are taken 

 from some of the waters which have been stocked, one 

 would think that they must all have lived and thrived. 

 Again, from other waters that have been stocked at the 

 same time, very few fish, if any, have been taken to tell 

 of their existence there. We are reassured, however, 

 upon finding some of these fish in nets when we are 

 fishing for carp and other rough fish. 



I have always been a firm believer in the planting of 

 brook trout fry before the" sac is absorbed and before they 

 begin to take food. We have the largest losses of fry 



