THE HATCHING AND PROPAGATION OP FISH 9 



individually, passed stringent laws against the defiling 

 of streams, even with sawdust, ordering at the same 

 time that all dams should be provided with fish ways. 

 With all the various destroying agents just men- 

 tioned interfering with, and in some instances abso- 

 lutely preventing, the natural hatching of fish, it 

 seems strange that any of the game and food varie- 

 ties should have been left. Had not artificial hatch- 

 ing and propagating been resorted to, there certainly 

 would not have been. This fact was long since rec- 



A fish way. 



ognized by the United States and State governments ; 

 hatcheries were built and fish commissions formed to 

 care for them. The first attempt to hatch trout arti- 

 ficially was made in Ohio in 1853, and was very suc- 

 cessful. A large number of hatcheries are now 

 located at suitable points all over the country. Im- 

 mense numbers of fish of many varieties are hatched 

 there and raised to a sufficient size to insure their 

 reaching their full growth when planted in rivers and 

 lakes. This method prevents the destruction of both 

 eggs and young fish, causing a very much larger pro- 

 portion to grow to full size than would be possible 



