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to be fatal to any attempt at fish culture which required 

 a uniform system in all waters to which it is applied. Take 

 as an example of this difficulty, the most southerly of all 

 known American salmon rivers of the Atlantic coast - 

 the Connecticut. This magnificent water-course, once 

 abounding in countless myriads of the noblest of fish, 

 rises amid the wild, rugged hills on the confines of Maine 

 and Canada near the lakes in whose crystal waters still 

 sport the largest brook trout of America. Concentrating 

 its numerous tributaries into one grand river, it flows be- 

 tween the green mountains of Vermont and the still 

 more imposing ranges of New Hampshire; next it cuts 

 Massachusetts nearly in two, and finally sweeping through 

 Connecticut, now deep enough to float vessels of war and 

 carry important commerce, it empties into Long Island 

 Sound. Here we have in the first place the rights and 

 interests of the estuary fishing at its mouth, once valuable 

 net fisheries for salmon, and still productive of shad ; in 

 these the State of Connecticut is deeply concerned. 

 Above these are the dams at Holyoke, fatal to all migra- 

 tory fish, among which are to be counted both the salmon 

 and shad, but which have contributed much to the wealth 

 of Massachusetts, and are busy all year long in driving 

 millions of looms and spindles. Farther north, the resi- 

 dents along the fluvial portion of the stream, in Vermont 

 and New Hampshire, complained that for more than half 

 a century no salmon or shad has been permitted to reach 

 them and to bring their welcome dowry of wholesome 

 food to their very doors. While still further to the north- 

 ward the lumbermen must be consulted as to what effect 

 the introduction of salmon and shad culture will have 

 on their rafts and rafting dams. 



Our country has a compensation in the character of 

 its fish which more than makes up for these disadvanta- 



