FOE PLEASURE AND PROFIT. 83 



CHAPTER VII. 



STOCKING. 



In my introductory remarks I have pointed out that the 

 delicate processes of spawning fish, incubating eggs, and rear- 

 ing very young fry need not necessarily form part of th? 

 operations undertaken by the amateur nsh-culturist in th^ 

 early stages of his work. But as the proprietor of a water, who 

 has so fa,r followed my instructions, should now be possessed 

 of a suitable home for trout, it remains for him to stock it. 

 Therefore, I leave the explanation of the operations referred to 

 above for the pi esent, and deal with the subject of stocking 

 with fish or eggs which haive been advanced beyond these 

 delicate stages by a commercial fish-cultunst. 



Many proprietors of fisheries' who stock artificially pre- 

 fer buying from a fish-farm to breeding and rearing 

 themselves. For my own part, I am inclined to think that bj 

 so doing they miss the most fascinating operations connected 

 with tha improvement of a fishery ; but I cannot go so far as 

 to say that they or, at least, all of them are entirely wrong. 

 Spawning, incubation, and the early stages of rearing are nov 

 such difficult matters to-day as they were a decade ago. Big 

 strides have been made in the simplification of the necessary 

 apparatus and the handling of it. Hence we are learning 

 that even the most delicate operations in connection with fish- 

 culture are not beyond the common sense of an ordinarily in- 

 telligent man or woman; and I include woman with very good 

 reason, for, strange as it may appear to be, on the biggest 

 commercial fish-farms their careful manipulation of eggs, their 



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