232 THE SALMON. 



the proportions killed by the net and rod), and five to 

 spawn ; and the same thing is possibly repeated, tide 

 after tide, for weeks. Compared with both of these 

 extreme cases, and with all conceivable cases, our plan 

 assuredly would be an immense improvement. 



Such engines as we propose, and as are known to 

 be perfectly practicable, would neither expend money 

 and labour in a blind and unsuccessful attempt to take 

 a single fish, nor slaughter all that entered for a week, 

 without regard either to the interests of those above, or 

 to the providing of a supply for the future. They would, 

 under such regulations as should be agreed on, capture 

 all within a certain proportion of time, and let all go 

 free within the remaining proportion. And they would 

 do all this at a mere fraction of the expense of the 

 present more harmful and less productive system. On 

 the Tweed, the cost of labour and materials absorbs 

 about two-thirds of the selling-price of the fish. That 

 is the cost of fishing the river by fifty stations. Our 

 plan might possibly work it by one, and certainly by 

 very few. And it must not be supposed that the 

 Tweed is an unfairly selected instance. On the con- 

 trary, if we had taken the Tay, where there are between 

 eighty and ninety stations, with two boats and two nets 

 at each, we should have brought out results at least as 

 effective for our purpose. 



In dealing with the various interests concerned in such 

 a change, we foresee no difficulties which may not easily 

 and equitably be overcome. In the times in which the 

 existing system arose, it would have been absurd to hope 

 for reasonable co-operation towards such an object ; and 



