STORMONTFIELD EXPERIMENT. 27 



width, and 50 yards in length, and without 

 bottoms, but filled about 6 inches in depth 

 with clean gravel. In answer to other ques- 

 tions, Mr Ashworth said the ponds were about 

 20 yards in length, and 12 to 13 yards in 

 breadth, and that it was intended to keep in 

 the young salmon for ten months, when they 

 will have grown to about four inches in length. 

 They would then be able to take care of them- 

 selves on their way to the sea. He stated 

 also, that it was indispensable the young salmon 

 should be fed daily with chopped flesh meat. In 

 France they were fed on frog's flesh, pounded 

 quite small in a mortar. The current of water 

 running through the boxes must be pure and 

 free from mud, and great care required to be 

 taken during the periods of hatching, if the 

 rivers were flooded by heavy rains, to divert the 

 muddy water from the boxes. It took about 

 100 days until the spawn gave indication of life. 

 Mr Ashworth then observed that a great deal had 

 yet to be discovered in the artificial propaga- 

 tion and feeding of salmon. They knew com- 

 paratively little of the habits of salmon, and in 

 order that a greater amount of knowledge might 

 be obtained, he had recommended to the Com- 



