As ifc was thought that 8eth Green's hatching box was cov- 

 ered by letters patent^ and was the only one adapted to Shad 

 hatching in our waters, your Commissioners deemed it advi- 

 sable to have a conference with the inventor in hopes that he 

 would modify the terms on which he had offered the use of 

 his boxes to the States, two thousand dollars in cash, royalty 

 for their use for three years. We were unable to obtain more 

 favorable terms than the following propositions : 

 '^Proposed memorandum of ufjreement between the 3Iari/land 

 Commissioners of J^ishcries, and Sctli Green of Bocliester, 

 New Yorl',for Jiatchinr/ ^Jind in Maryland durimj fJie spawn- 

 ing season of 1874. 



Setli Green agrees to furuish the necessary labor for man- 

 ipulating the fish and the necessary implements and equip- 

 ments, and perform all tiie work connected therewith during 

 the spawning season for Shad, furnish the necessary trans- 

 portation for. and board the men employed by him for two 

 camps, one on the Patuxent river, and one on one of the 

 rivers of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Commissioners 

 of Fisheries for Maryland, agree to furnish the fish as taken 

 at the several camps to Seth Green to be manipulated for 

 spawn, and agree to pay to Seth Green eleven hundred dol- 

 lars, one-half of the amount, being five hundred and fifty 

 dollars, to be paid when the camps are established, and the 

 other one-half, being five hundred and fifty dollars, to be paid 

 at the close of the season." 



The second proposition submitted by Seth Green, was that 

 the Commissioners of Fisheries should pay to him, six hun- 

 dred and sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents for the right to 

 use his boxes, for one year, and, two dollars per diem for men 

 to operate them, the Maryland Commissioners to pay all ex- 

 penses of transportation and board. After consultation witli 

 the U. S. Commissioner, it wa.s ilecnied advisable to decline 

 these modified terms, as the season was then so far advanced, 

 that the probable results would not authorize the expenditure 

 of so large a portion of the appropriation. This letter was 

 therefore addressed, declining to perfect either agreeinent 

 proposed, viz : 



Maryland Co.m.mi.s.-iun. Fish and Fisuerils. 



192 N. Charles St.. Baltimore, 3Id., 



3fay 21.SY, 18T">. 

 Mr. Seth Green, Eochester, N. Y. 



Dear Sir : — I found on my return, after a careful examina- 

 tion of the subject, that it would not be advisable for us to 



