452 SALMON AND TROUT. 



the two were brought into contact. 1 It is well known now 

 that the ova will retain the power of absorption of the milt for 

 a considerable time, if water has not already entered the 

 ' micropyle ; ' but if water enters first, the spermatozoa does 

 not take effect. It is also known that * milt ' will not live long 

 in water two minutes being the supposed limit. ' Paradoxical 

 as it appears, water drowns them ' (Stone, p. 107). It is stated 

 that the * Spermatozoa of the milt remains alive several days 

 when kept from the air and water,' consequently crosses of 

 breed can be effected which should lead to valuable results. 

 The introduction of ' fresh blood ' by these means would be 

 very simple, and of the greatest advantage to waters where the 

 fish have become degenerated ; it would, however, take at least 

 five or six years for the improvement to be seen, but the time 

 might be shortened by the introduction of yearling fish from 

 other waters. 



Both the eggs and the milt are now put into a spawning pan 

 with no water save that which falls from the body of the fish in 

 the process of taking the eggs, and the results are in the highest 

 degree satisfactory. Water is of course added after a few mi- 

 nutes, and the usual rinsing is necessary. I have frequently had 

 samples of eggs in which 100 per cent, have been impregnated, 

 and many other pisciculturists have similar experiences. A 

 table is given in Stone's book (p. 104) of thirteen samples of 

 eggs, amounting in all to 72,300, in which 96 per cent, were 

 impregnated, and on the next page he very naturally considers 

 the difference in the labour which this makes, calculating that 

 in a million ova it would take about thirty-five whole days to 

 pick out, one by one, the worthless 40 per cent which are 

 found by taking the eggs on the old system. The bad eggs 

 must be removed sooner or later, and it will be immediately 

 seen that the work of a pisciculturist is very much lessened 

 when he has 95 per cent, of good eggs, and but 5 per cent 

 remain to be picked out. 



1 On the day the above was penned the writer operated on 350 fish in two 

 hours ; this, without allowing for pauses, gives twenty seconds for each fish, 

 and is tolerably quick work. 



