20 Report of the American 



cession of the Provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, and is now con- 

 ducted on a still grander scale under the auspices of the Deutscher 

 Fischerei Verein. This society is the "Fish Culturists' Association " 

 of the North German Confederation, and among its most active mem- 

 bers are Count Bismark, the Grand Duke, " our Fritz," Count 

 Munster (a Minister of the Empire), Geo. von Bunsen, Esleben and 

 other members of the Parliament, and Prof. Peters, of the University 

 of Berlin. Through this agency hundreds of rivers, lakes and ponds 

 in Europe are now once more teeming with the most valued species 

 of the linny tribe. Many private pisciciiltural establishments are 

 now in active operation in various parts of Europe. Probably many 

 of my hearers have visiied that interesting feature of romantic 

 Heidelberg — the trout ponds. ISTorway and Sweden are making 

 rapid strides in practical fish culture. One of the most important — 

 indeed, I may say the most important discovery — in the art, comes 

 to us recently from the Governmental Fish-hatching Establishment 

 of Russia, the system of dry impregnation. Previously the eggs and 

 milt were extruded in a pan of water, and but a comparatively small 

 per centage hatched. By the Russian plan the eggs are first pressed 

 from the fish into an empty dish, and the milt dropped directly on 

 the eggs. Livingston Stone reported at our last annual meeting that 

 he had hatched ninety-nine out of one hundred eggs by tliis process. 

 But I must pass rapidly from this continent to England, Scotland 

 and Ireland, in order that we may learn the wonderful success 

 experienced in bountifully restocking depleted and exhausted rivers 

 with the king of the finny tribes, salmo-salar. Twenty-five years ago 

 the salmon had been nearly exterminated in most of the rivers of the 

 United Kingdom, and only the wealthiest could indulge in the great 

 luxury. One of the most noted salmon rivers was the Tay. You are 

 well aware that the fishing privileges of Great Britain are nearly 

 all private property, and are leased by their owners, either at 

 so much for the entire river, or a license is granted to a single 

 fisherman with rod or net, for sport or for the market. The lessee of 

 the Tay, alarmed by the regular diminution in the number of salmon 

 taken, constructed extensive hatching works at Stormontfield. The 

 salmon captured in nets, if ripe, were manipulated and the eggs 

 placed in the hatcliing boxes. If the salmon were not ready to 

 spawn, they were liberated in an adjacent pond and retained till the 

 proper time. The eggs require about 130 days to hatch. The young 

 fry remain in the compartments six weeks, and then run into a small 



