192 FISH CULTURE 



thickly along it give the whole the appearance 

 of a piece of yellowish white, accordion-plaited, 

 lace. The string is round and consists of a 

 series of concave disks fastened at the centre 

 by a thin gelatinous material, so that it much 

 resembles a string of winkle eggs. 



The spawning period of a perch varies from 

 February to May, depending on the locality and 

 temperature of the water. In the lakes of 

 north-eastern Pennsylvania the period begins 

 about the latter part of April and in the lower 

 Delaware between the first and fifth of that 

 month. The eggs seem to be deposited most 

 abundantly when the water is between 52 and 

 54 F. About two weeks before the spawning 

 period in the hatchery, thick brush is set firmly 

 all around the edges of the ponds, so placed 

 that the brush is completely submerged. Each 

 piece should be from four to six feet long and 

 the more numerous the branches the better. 

 No part of the pond must be neglected, because 

 the yellow perch is capricious and what would 

 be the spawning-spot one year might not be 

 the next. The first egg will most certainly be 

 hung on the brush in the warmest water. 



