6 Report of the American 



Mr. Rosevelt deserves the thanks of this association and of all 

 patriotic men for these appreciative words spoken in his place in the 

 House of Representatives, in behalf of this movement for stocking 

 the barren rivers. This appropriation is valuable, not so much tor 

 the amount given and for the good work it has enabled Prof. Baird to 

 inaugurate, as for the precedent it has established. 



If the enterprises begun shall be successfully developed, there will 

 be little difficulty in securing further appropriations from Congress, 

 and all the money that can be advantageously used will be furnished. 

 The commencement of the artificial stocking of the rivers of the 

 Mississippi valley is another item of interest. The California Fish 

 Commissioners had employed Mr. Setli Green to put Hudson river 

 shad into the Sacramento the previous year, and to the astonishment 

 of all fish breeders, including Mr. Green himself probably, a few 

 thousand did survive the journey and swam in California waters. 

 But the thing was so novel that many doubted whether it could be 

 done again with any amount of skill and watchfulness. 



Although the appropriation was not made until June, and the 

 arrangements for the transportation of fry were not completed until 

 the hatching season was nearly closed upon the Hudson, Mr. Green 

 succeeded in planting many thousands of the fry in the Alleghany, at 

 Salamanca, N. Y., and in the Mississippi just below St. Paul. 



A still larger number of fry were taken from the Connecticut and 

 planted in the Alleghany at Salamanca, in the White river at Indian- 

 apolis and in the far Platte at Denver. I think these experiments 

 demonstrate that shad fry can be planted in all of our great rivers at 

 a very moderate expense, and that the stock can be furnished thereat, 

 from which breeders can be taken for fish hatching establishments 

 upon these rivers a few years hence. The meager planting of a few 

 thousand fry in these streams should not be regarded as the end of 

 the work. 



Breeding appliances, like those at Hadley Falls, are wanted near 

 the head-waters of the large rivers, where shad by the hundred 

 million can be turned into the waters. 



This work can be done so cheaply that it is only necessary to 

 demonstrate that shad will certainly return to their hatching grounds 

 to make the States threaded by these rivers eager to help the enter- 

 prise. If, for instance, shad put into the White river should return 

 in considerable numbers after three years, a single shad dinner would 

 convert every member of the Indiana Legislature into a fish breeder, 



