124 



SEASON 1874-75. 



HATCHING-BOXES 



FIG. 65 scale ^. 



embodied these principles very fairly (Fig. 65). Little alteration 

 has been found advisable ; and the changes have been principally 

 in the direction of lightness and aeration. The wood chosen 

 was yellow pine ; the sides were reduced from 2-inch plank, 

 got by running a cleft of 3 inches. The lower edge was 

 kept its full width, and the reduction stops 1 inch from it. 

 The width of the plank was 8 inches, so 6 had to be worked 

 down to the extent of half an inch. This was to give a sup- 

 port for the grilles, and also to leave more hold for the nail 

 fastening the bottom. The bottom was of flooring, tongued 

 and grooved, as is usual with flooring in Scotland. The back 

 of the groove in flooring is always slack, to show a neat 

 joint when laid ; the groove therefore had to be re-dressed and 

 deepened, and the tongue or feather squared. This is of more 

 importance than it seems, as flooring is the most convenient size 

 of wood in the market for nearly every purpose of fish-culture, 

 and its last and fitness depend much on the nature of the joint. 

 The flooring after being thus prepared was cut into short lengths, 

 just wider than the hatching-box. The upper end of the hatch- 

 ing-box was of H" plank; the lower was formed of four pieces 

 of the same one of the depth of the water in the hatching- 

 box, its upper edge being chamfered slightly to form an overflow. 

 The upper piece was kept a sufficient depth for strength, and two 

 narrow side-pieces, to stretch the zinc on, more than for strength. 

 held the upper and lower pieces together with mortice joinings. 

 The two ends being now complete, two grooves were run in each of 



