Vol. IX.— No. 8. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



61 



Salmon Pishen/. — \ corre[<|)Oii(lcnt of the Wif- 

 Bsset Citizen gives tlie following account of this 



hory in the Ki-nnehec. 



The Sahuon is a river fish. All the theories 

 Bsjiecting its wintering at sen, &:c, are unfound 

 d. Several facts are well known that make it 

 vident tliis fish remains in the deep holes of 



iVcsli rivers the jTrealer part of the year. 

 V^hen Col. Win Lithgow coaunanded at fort 

 [alifax, he discovered Salmon in the month of 

 luuary on Tyconuk falls. Salmon have also 

 een taken from Pcirpoles hole in the Sandy river, 

 1 the town of Strong, in the winter season. A 

 entlenian informed iiie, when first acquainted 

 ith that fisliery, that Salmon were never taken 

 lentifully, until after the spring freshet ; and 1 

 )und that to be the ease every year. .\nd they 

 jounded according to that occurrence invariably 

 bile I owned Salmon privileges at the numth of 

 le Kennebec. The first that are taken on the 

 Lennebec in the spring, are at Jones' Eddy, Par- 

 er's Flatts, and Back river. The conclusion I 

 raw from this is, that the fish drop down with 

 le current in search of salt water; and meeting 

 ith it in those large eddies, leave the channel 

 id play in shore. But by far the greater part 

 r what are called school Salmon, go directly to 

 ;a and follow the current until it is lost in the 

 lean to the westward of Seguin. They then 

 rike in shore and follow the shore into the river, 

 stinctively steming the current to the source of 

 e river or rivers, to which they belong. The fe- 

 ale Salmon are about three in five of the whole 

 limber. There is no external difference between 

 le sexes. Those who have split thousands of 

 em , are not sensible of the marked difference 

 :tween the spawn, and a substance lying in the 

 me place and order in their bodies resembling 

 le white of a duck's egg, inclosed by a flesh co- 

 red case, of the same form as that in the female 

 >ntaining the spawn. The Salmon deposit their 

 awn thus : The female in the month of August 

 lakes a little incision in the sand in clear water 

 ith her fin, and drops a quantity of spawn, each 

 ! out the bulk of a middling sized pea — she then 



Its forward seeking a place for another deposit 

 ■ the male follows her, and impregnates it, and 

 en moves himself forward with a dexterous 

 loke of the tail, stirring spawn and sand togeth- 

 ■ . They make this deposit in clear water, 

 here the current is moderate, and the bottom 

 Uel, and so shallow that the back of the Salmon 

 le out of water. 



But fevr men now on the stage, appear to have 

 Jiowledge of the superabundance of these fish as 

 r back as the period before tha Revolution. If 

 y memory does not misgive me, a Mr Rogers 

 d his company, seven in all, in the year 17S4 or 

 i'at Hunnewell's point, exclusive of Fox island, 

 ok in set nets between eight and nine thousand 

 ilmon. The average weight of each was 20 

 unds of the first shoal, and the last eighteen 



unds. When I owned the same fisheries, the 

 dmon were two or three pounds lighter. Where 

 ogers caught a thousand, ray fishermen had 

 ed be industrious to get one hundred. In the 

 ar 1813, I kept an account of the number and 

 eight of Salmon caught. In five nets, were 

 ught that year, 1143 Salmon. The last run 

 ere usually smoked for the New York market. 

 10 iu number weighing 2564, and 1765 when 

 loked fit for market, sold at 14 cents the pound 



the smoke bouse. I took some care that year 



to know the amount of Salmon caught on the 

 Kennebec below Fiddler's reach. l''o.\ Islands 

 caught 1000— all the l)irlhs at Cape Small Point, 

 500 — Hunnewell's point 1143 — Stago Island and 

 all on the east side below the Fort 1500. All the 

 above was one eighth of the quantity below Batl 

 on the Kennebec, of Salmon only making 33,000 

 You perceive that the small schools, from tin 

 above would average about $1 to the Salmon 

 Those sold fresh in Boston, before the middle of 

 ftlay did average 12J cents net profit, and 18 to 

 20 and 22 lbs. each, so that in a lot of 13, weigh- 

 ing 270 lbs. sold May Ist, of that year I received 

 $33 76. From which data, the conclusion may 

 be drawn that every Sahnon caught, was at that 

 time worth a dollar. The Salmon fishery alone 

 then on the Kennebec, below Fiddler's reach, 

 was worth to the State $33,000. And it is a fair 

 estimate to value the Shad and Alewive fishery 

 within the same compass at one half of the Sal- 

 mon, making a total of $49,500 to the Kennebec, 

 below Fiddler's reach in the year 1813. This ap- 

 pears large, but by the manner the trade was carried 

 on, the fact can be demonstrated with tolerable cer- 

 tainty. One third at least of the Salmon were 

 sold fresh in the markets of New York, Newport 

 and all the seaports between that and Portland. 

 There were three regular trading sloops witii a 

 capital of about 3,000 dollars each, who purcha.sed 

 Salmon only, and generally exchanged the whole 

 of their produce readily for that article, tiiaking 

 up 9,000 dollars value. And' 11,000 for the 

 consumption of the inhabitants was but a rea- 

 sonable proportion in all the other methods of sa- 

 ving and cooking that fish. If therefore the Sal- 

 mon, Shad and Alewive Fishery, even in that part 

 of the Kennebec could be restored, it would 

 give a source of wealth to the State about equal 

 to the amount of the State tax. 



When Hrinley, the great Enghieei-, told n commU- 

 lee of f'ailiuineiit, lo whom Bridgewattr's |ictitlon ivas 

 refeneil, tliat can.ils were bolter ihaii rivers, and would 

 supersede llicm for the purposes of navigation, the com- 

 mittee were shocked, and asked him, 'And pr.iv, Sir, 

 what were rivers made for.' ' To feed canals,' was 

 the answer. 



DrFR\NKLiN suiveyed the route of the Delaware 

 and C e>apeake Canal, at his own expense, in 1757. 



Baron Napier suiveyed the route o( the Foitli and 

 Clyde Canal, at his orvti expense, in 1761. Ijoti have 

 been accomplished, but after great delay. 



Dr Zabdiel Boxlston introduced inoculation for 

 the small pox in Boston in 1721, and tried it first on his 

 son Thomas, andother members iif his (amily. But such 

 was the force of prejudice and unbelief, that the other 

 physicians gave a unanimous opinion against il, and the 

 populace would have lorn him to pieces if he had not re- 

 tired from the city. — Centinel. 



sriaw ssTcaaiiSJiD Siii2sai3i3a 



BOSTON, J-RIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1830. 



Some facts illustrative of the tardiness with ivhich 

 mankind adopt improvements. 



Canal Locks were invented in 1581 by engineers of 

 Viteibe, in Italy. They were nearly a hundred years 

 in getting fairly into use in France, and about ojte hun- 

 dred and fifty in crossing the British Channel. 



At this time it was made felony in several European 

 States to ride in wheel carriages. 



The Steam Engine was invented, or rather the prin- 

 ciple of it discovered, by the Marquis of Worcester, as 

 early as 1660. Few encouraged and none understood 

 him. He died in great morlitication. The honor was 

 afterwards engrossed by Savary. 



In 1765 the Earl ol Stanhope applied the steam en- 

 gine to propelling a vessel. A steam boat was^run 20 

 miles on th.' Sankey Canal, Liverpool, in 1797, and 

 another on the Forth and Clyde Canal, in ISOl. Mr 

 Niles, of the Register, says that he made a trip on the 

 Delaware in a steam boat as early as 1791. fii 1807, 

 when F"ui.T0N was fitting up his first steam boat at 

 New York, respectable, and sensible, and grey-headed 

 men, said he was a fool. Now there is scarcelv 

 an interest in the community that does not depend, more 

 or less, on steamboats. 



Oliver Ev.vns went before committees of Legisla- 

 tures, first in Pennsylvania and then in Maryland, with a 

 project of a steam carriage as early as 1804. He asked 

 a little aid to defray the expense. They could hardly be 

 prevented tVom reporting in fjvor, not of steam engines 

 for carriages, but of a straight jacket for himself. Now 

 we seem to hear the huzzas of a transatlantic nation, who 

 have had the sagacity and ingenuity to seize and utilize 

 the precious idea. 



When Peter the Great, in 1700, or thereabouts, com- 

 menced a canal between the Wolga and the Don, the 

 Governors and Boyards of the country opposed it ear- 

 nestly, thinking it impiety to turn rivers out of the chan- 

 nels which Heaven had assigned them. 



When some Dutchmen proposed to make the river 

 Manz^inares navigable lo the Tagus, and that to Lisbon, 

 the Council said, if it had been the will of God that the 



FREE MARTIN 



Is a term signifying a barren heifer, which is a 

 twin with a bull-calf, and partakes in some degree 

 of the nature of a male as well as a female. 

 Many scientific persons have doubted the exist- 

 ence of an animal of this description, but it is now 

 as well established that they are and what they 

 arc, as any other fact in animal economy. 



' The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal,' for 

 May last, contains an article on this subject, from 

 which we make the following extracts. 



' Free Martins. We have been favored with 

 the following account, which will not he found 

 uninteresting to the anatomist, by a gentleman of 

 this city, who is highly distinguished for the intel- 

 ligence and success 'with which he has pursued 

 the science of Agriculture. 

 To Iho Editor of tlie Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. 



' De.4r Sir — I some years ago had a valuable 

 cow of the English breed, whicli brought twins, 

 a bull and a heifer calf. As I had heard much of 

 the character of these animals, commonly called 

 '• Free Martins," and knew that some investiga- 

 tions by ingenious anatomists were taking place in 

 Europe, as to their peculiar construction, I decided 

 at once to raise them for the purpose of minute 

 observation, and ultimately for dissection, if it 

 should be thought advisable. 



' At about four years of age, the heifer was 

 slaughtered. Dr Harris, of Milton, being desir- 

 ous, with some friends, of remarking on any pe- 

 culiarity of organization in the case, was present, 

 and the result of his particular observations I send 

 you. It was the opinion of the Doctor, that it 

 would be well to give a description of the form, 

 appearance, and hahits of the animal, as tending 

 to illustrate the case ; which must be my apology 

 for this intrusion. 



' The male took a premium at Brighton, and 

 was, it is believed, as perfectly formed an animal 

 as has been raised in the State. There is much 

 of his stock in very valuable descendants. 



' The heifer was of a delicate form and slender 

 figure ; deer-like in the neck and limbs. Her 

 habits were rather shy and solitary, though well 

 tenii)ered. No disposition for the male ever ap- 

 peared. This is the more to be noted, as our 

 fanners have, as to this particular, an opposite 

 idea. They are besides, said, on the same author- 

 ity, to resemble so exactly, that they niay well be 

 yoked and worked together. However true this 



rivers should be navigable, he would have made them so. ! may ''« iu some cases of imperfect organization, 



