158 SALMON FISHING 



beyond the term of his own life. Accordingly, the 

 rivers passed out of the hands of the Association 

 at the close of the season 1902, before any benefit 

 had accrued to it from three years 1 protection of 

 the spawning fish. The nets are now at full work 

 again throughout the ten miles of tidal water, and, 

 although netting has been stopped in the two or 

 three pools above the tide which were formerly 

 netted, the river seems likely to relapse. The 

 want of a close time for smelt or sparling fishing 

 promotes misfortune. Smelts ascend to the head of 

 the estuary, to deposit their spawn, towards the end 

 of April and in May, at the very time when the 

 salmon smolts are descending. Thousands of smolts 

 are netted along with the smelts at this season. 

 That is an evil which the Association provided 

 against by establishing a close season for smelts or 

 sparlings during the spring months. This was done 

 with the full concurrence of the sparling fishers, who 

 find that the fish travel very badly to market in 

 warm weather. 



Lord Galloway, whom I asked for information on 

 these streams, referred my queries to Mr. James 

 Drew of Craigencallie, for forty years Agent on the 

 Galloway estates. Mr. Drew answered : 



"The Cree, with its tributary the Minnock, is 

 entirely dependent for sport upon the weather con- 

 ditions of each particular season. Salmon run in the 

 Cree in April and May. If there is heavy rain they 

 are abundant and sport is good.. If these months 

 are exceptionally dry the season may be written down 



