REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XLIII 



STATION REPORTS. 



Green Lake, Maine j^E. E. Race, Superintendent). 



During the spring and summer a number of improvements were made, 

 increasing materially the effectiveness of the station. The most impor- 

 tant change was the thorough overhauling of the main supply flume 

 through which the water from Kocky Pond is conducted. Its founda- 

 tion had settled in places, and this (together with damage by ice the 

 previous winter) caused leaks at many points and allowed the escape 

 of about 1,200 gallons of water i^er minute. The hatchery, stable, and 

 outbuildings were repainted and 20 new troughs, each 15 feet long, 

 were built and installed iu the nursery. The old spawning-house 

 at Great Brook and the two old buildings upon the land of Bridgham 

 Haynes, near Green Lake, were moved to the station and fitted up for 

 occupancy by the employees. A mill for grinding fish-food was also 

 devised, which resulted in the saving of much time and labor. A 

 lieavy i^lank dam was put in the drain to carry off waste water from 

 the ponds and hatchery, and in the rear of the dam a common overshot 

 wheel was connected by a large pulley to a small pulley attached to 

 the liver machine. This enables one man to prepare the food required 

 for all the fish at the station in two hours, whereas the same amount of 

 work used to require the services of two men each day. 



The stock of fish on hand at the beginning of the year was as follows: 



The landlocked salmon were held in the ponds and troughs during 

 the summer witli slight loss, only 3,381 having died between July 1 

 and December 19, when the distribution was completed. Those reared 

 in ponds were much larger than those held iu troughs, varying in 

 length from 4^ to 6| inches, and averaging fifteen and eighteen to the 

 pound. Of the brook and steelhead trout on hand at the beginning of 

 the year, 8,880 brook trout were distributed in July and 2,707 steel- 

 heads of 1897 and 1,000 steelheads of 1898, during August, September, 

 and October. The remaining steelheads — 500 of the hatch of 1897 — 

 were held in the north reservoir, which contains a large amount of 

 natural food, and are apparently doing well, having attained a length 

 of from 7 to 11 inches. The loss on those of 1898 during the summer 

 amounted to 2,704, leaving only 5,000 j these are being reared in one 

 of the ponds for brood-fish. The landlocked salmon of 1896 have 

 attained a length of 1 2 inches and will average from 1^ to 2 pounds in 

 weight. The indications are that better results will be secured in their 

 domestication than from any previously experimented with. 



The white (albino) salmon are objects of much interest to the many 



