Fish Ciilturists Association. 



were allowed to remain a certain number of minutes, and then 

 were taken and distributed upon the trays. I replied to him, " I 

 have adopted a new plan this year, and I have found it to answer 

 admirably, and infinitely better than the one I have practiced 

 hitherto." I formerlv practiced the same system that I allude 

 to, namely, taking the eggs from the fish and putting the milt 

 upon them, and then allowing them to remain twenty or thirty 

 minutes. The system I have adopted this year, I think, will be 

 conclusive in itself as showing the benefit that we have derived 

 from it and the amount of labor saved. The system that I have 

 adopted is this : we take the female fish out of the water and 

 strip her as rapidly as possible ; perhaps two or three fish are 

 taken out one after the other, so that in some instances we will 

 have nearly a gallon of eggs — a half of a gallon any way, or 

 three-fourths of a gallon- — in one vessel. We then take the 

 male fish and begin stripping him in a like manner to get the 

 milt. An attendant is standing immediately alongside of the 

 other gentleman who is manipulating. He has a measure which 

 is calculated to hold a thousand or two thousand, as the case 

 may be, and he stands immediately alongside and dips these 

 eggs out as rapidly as possible and puts them on the breeding- 

 tray, and the breeding-tray is put in the hatching-trough. In 

 that way I have impregnated a larger number of eggs by far 

 than I have in the last seven years in which I have been engaged 

 in this work. It is simple in itself, and so different from what 

 has hitherto been practiced, that I thought it advisable to 

 mention it here, because it is so much better than any other 

 system I know of. 



The question may arise, " How is it possible that these eggs 

 become impregnated ?" My impression is that impregnation is 

 instantaneous under all circumstances ; it is instantaneous or 

 else not at all ; therefore when the eggs are taken from the 



