Anirriciin FisJieries Society. 117 



lack of reoard as to the size, vigor and color of tlic fish. In this 

 process, I repeat, little or no attention is paid to the size, vigor, 

 or color of the fish spawned. Everything is tiireshed out, so to 

 speak, that will produce eggs and everything is stripped that will 

 ])rodnce milt. 



The eggs thus taken are laid down in hatching troughs and 

 incuhated. The first of the season's crop of fry is usually saved 

 for the use of the hatchery to increase and replenish the hreeding 

 stock in the ponds. The remainder of the crop is sold by the pri- 

 vate hatchery or planted in public streams by the state hatchery 

 as the case may be. The fry saved for the use of the hatchery is 

 transferred to ponds, and here protected from enemies without, 

 and as far as possible from cannibalism within. This system has 

 been called protected propagation, and very lu'operly, for you 

 will note that unlike their Ijrook-reared cousins, they are pro- 

 tected from beginning to end. 



In saving the first of the season's crop for the hatchery ponds 

 the fish culturist, or many of them at least, take the first of two 

 steps in practice toward keeping the stock of trout in their ponds 

 from deteriorating in quality, size and color. The second step 

 consists of purchasing from time to time a few thousand eggs or 

 fry from some other hatchery where the fish are bred in exactly 

 the same haphazard way as a rule. 



The first of the season's crop of fry is saved as it is found to 

 be stronger, larger and perhaps more hardy than the fry hatched 

 later. The early hatched fry usually comes from the older fish, 

 hence has not been inbred as much as that hatched later. Fry is 

 ])urchased from other hatcheries for the infusion of new blood in 

 the breeding stock. This, with some variation in individual 

 cases, is, in a general way, the system of trout breeding in vogue. 



The results of this system of breeding under the wi-itcrV ob- 

 servation are, that the fish deteriorate in color, size, vigor and 

 ])roductiveness. A considerable number of barren fish are found. 

 The markings of the fish are variable and indistinct. ;uid the 

 color of the flesh changes from i)ink to white. 



It is possilde. perhai)s probaljle, that all \hv defects noted 

 here in i)ond cultured trout are not due to what ! t'onsidcr a loose 

 system of breeding; hut it has been established almost l)eyond 

 doul)t that deterioration alouy- the lines mentioned takes place in 



