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United States Commis.siouer for this description of the "Seth 

 Green shad hatching box," which was used by us during 

 the season of 1875, and as the methods erajjloyed were sub- 

 stantially the same, as those described by Professor Milner 

 in the Report of the U. S. Commission, we reproduce his 

 concise description, viz : 



"The apparatus devised by Mr. Green was merely a light 

 pine box, 22 inches long, 15 inches wide, and 12 inches deep; 

 the bottom was wire cloth, about' twenty wires to the inch. 

 It was used without a cover. On the ends of the box, two 

 pieces of two by four scantling were nailed diogonally to the 

 lines of the box, so that floating in the water it Avas slightly 

 tilted, the side of the box sunk to the least depth, being up 

 stream, so that the wire screen bottom was presented to the 

 current at a slight angle, sutiicicnt to produce. a circulation 

 of the water inside of the box, that kept the light shad eggs 

 in gentle motion. In a sluggish tide, current the floats are 

 usually nailed on so tliat from the upper edge of the box to 

 the top of the float in front, there is a distance of 5 inches, 

 and from the upper edge of the box to the top of the float 

 behind, there is 2-| inches. The angle of the floats is, of 

 course, less for a more rapid current, the object being to pro- 

 duce a current that will move the eggs as gently as possible, 

 a more rapid motion being regarded as injurious, especially 

 in the later stages of develojjment when it materially hast- 

 ens the rupture of the shell membrane, and effects a too 

 premature birth. The wire screen bottom is coated with coal 

 tar, or what is better, asphaltum varnish, both for the })Ur- 

 pose of preserving the wire cloth, and for a supposed eifect 

 in retarding confer void growth. 



"As soon as the bag of the seine comes near the shore, the 

 fishermen, gathering the lead line and cork line in their 

 hands, gradually work it up to the top of the water, shaking 

 the fish into the bunt of the bag, a boat is brought along- 

 side, and the fish thrown into it A\ith a scoop net, the shad 

 being at once separated from the other s])ecies. The opera- 

 tors provided witli ordinary six-quart milk pans containing 

 about three-fourths of an inch of water in the bottoms, are 

 in the boat, and taking u]i the shad nne l)y one, detect at 



