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accessible troughs, tliat the trout will disturb each other's beds and 

 eat more or less of the eggs, and that no eggs can be gathered for 

 transportation elsewhere. Of course I cannot here enter into a full 

 discussion of any race, as the subject is too extensive, but can only 

 indicate some proininent points. The above-mentioned, so far as I 

 know, are the only kind of races used for the production of the fish 

 without collection of eggs into hatching-houses. The second class of 

 spawning races are those made for the pui-pose of obtaining the 6ggs 

 after the fish shall have laid and impregnated them in the natural 

 manner. These, so far as I am aware, are all either constructed on 

 OJie principle or are modifications of that principle. The idea under- 

 lying them all is the natural spawning race invented by Stephen H. 

 Ainsworth, who deserves to be called, as he often is, the '* father of 

 fish culture in America." I suppose, of course, that you are all 

 familiar with the construction of his race : the wire screens being 

 made in the shape of double boxes two feet square, each set being 

 taken up separately and the eggs removed. Now, this was a great 

 step, so far as it went. I myself do not believe that the naturally 

 impregnated eggs are better in any respect than those taken arti- 

 ficially. Opinions vary, and the question is not yet definitely settled ; 

 but be this as it may, every fish-breeder will have more or less 

 use for some screen of the kind. Those who believe only in 

 the natural impregnation will have them of course; and those 

 who, for any reason, prefer artificial impi-egnation will still need 

 such a screen in their races to gather the eggs which will inevi- 

 tably be dro})ped in the intervals of taking. The practical diffi- 

 culty in the use of Ainsworth's screen, as invented by him, 

 is that each of the two-feet boxes has to be taken up sepa- 

 rately, the top boxes set on one side, and the eggs feathered off" the 

 lower screen into a pan of water. As this must be done under water, 

 the operation is neither pleasant or endurable in very cold weather. 

 Then, again, the gravel has a great tendency to get out of the boxes, 

 and between them and on the elects, rendering a great deal of poking 

 necessary before the box can be put back again into its proper place ; 

 also, the time consumed would make a great deal of help necessary to 

 the fish-breeder, and not only much, but skilled labor, which it is 

 almost impossible now to find. Besides, the fish are driven oft' the 

 race back into the pond every time the race is taken. For these and 

 other reasons some modification of the Ainsworth plan is absolutely 

 necessary to every one who breeds fish on a large scale. The modifi- 

 cations which have come to my notice are as follows : In the " draw 



