102 NATUEAL HISTOEY OF THE SALMON. 



There cannot be any doubt but that artificial 

 propagation will greatly increase the number of 

 salmon in any river, when it has been proved 

 that not above thirty per cent, of the ova de- 

 posited artificially is lost, and about 1 in every 

 100 return as grilse : whereas, Messrs Ash worth 

 and Ffennell have calculated that not 1 in 

 6000 deposited in the river ever becomes 

 marketable. This immense difference will not 

 be wondered at when we consider how much the 

 ova deposited in the beds of our rivers are ex- 

 posed to dangers of all kinds, and to enemies 

 innumerable, whereas those deposited artificially 

 are carefully watched and protected from enemies 

 of every kind, and reared with food upon which 

 they thrive, and rival the fry of the same age 

 in the river in size and weight. 



Nor is artificial rearing an expensive affair. 

 The Stormontfield ponds cost, at first, about 

 <^600, and they require about ^?50 annually for 

 their support. They send, every spring, to the 

 sea from 150,000 to 200,000 smoults, and if 

 1 in 100 of these return to the river as grilse, 

 and are caught, as Mr Buist's statement has 

 proved, the experiment must be a profitable one, 

 when we consider the small outlay. Thirty or 



