TROUT BREEDING. 45 



of hatching, the advantage of filtration must be dispensed 

 with. The first essay of P. H. Christie in hatching, was 

 by depositing the eggs on gravel in the bottom of a corn- 

 popper, and placing it on a stone in his spring. I mention 

 this to show how simple a thing the hatching of trout spawn 

 can be made. 



Many persons in France and England, for amusement, or 

 the novelty of the thing, have miniature hatching appara- 

 tus in their houses. Any spare room where the thermome- 

 ter does not mark over 55 will answer, and the smallest 

 dribble from a tank of twenty to a hundred gallons can be 

 used. No class of our countrymen are more favorably 

 situated for hatching trout spawn than farmers. Many of 

 them bring the water into their houses from springs of 

 greater elevation ; and, without occupying much space, and 

 by incurring but slight expense, might hatch thousands of 

 ova to stock streams and ponds on their own premises, or 

 to supply waters in their neighborhood. 



I have already remarked, that success in hatching de- 

 pends much on the purity of the water, and even the 

 purest must be filtered. As to the quantity for a given 

 number of eggs ; a square inch divided into four jets and 

 flowing through the same number of troughs, will sufiice 

 for three or four hundred thousand ; but double or even 

 four times the supply will be required to sustain the same 

 number of young fish for any great length of time in the 

 nursery. An additional supply must therefore be provided 

 for the fry after they have absorbed the umbilical sac, say 

 a square inck to each hundred thousand. 



