124 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[Jink 1, 1900. 



ages the monks kept ponda of carp in preparation for 

 their fast days, and Jacobi, who wrote an elaborate 

 treatise on the subject, brought the art down to our 

 own time. 



When in Scotland last autumn I had the opportunity 

 of examining at leisure a large modern fish farm, the 

 Solway Fishery, and it is this that I am about to 

 describe. 



Most of the quotations appearing in this article, the 

 sources of which are not stated, are from " An Angler's 

 Paradise," by Mr. J. J. Armistead, who, some nineteen 

 years ago, started the fish farm on its present site. 



The fishery, which is situated in a beautiful valley, 

 surrounded by h ather-clad hill-; and grouse moors, is 

 sheltered from gsles by extensive fir woods, and, what 

 is naturally of the greatest importance in an under- 

 taking of this sort, is copiously and unfailingly watered 

 by the Pow and Tannox burns. The source of the 

 latter aris'js on the mountain Criffel, which stands like 

 a grim sentinel in the background. The grounds of the 

 fish farm, which comprise many acres, are divided into 

 various sized ponds, connected by " raceways." through 

 which water is always flowing. 



Each pond is inhabited by fi.sli either of different species 



ponds, now in course of construction, are lined with 

 concrete, and so are easier to keep clean. At the end 

 of each pond is a perforated zinc plate that allows the 

 water to flow through but keeps the fish prisoners. This 

 has to be scrubbed every evening to keep clean and free 

 from weeds, as, the water supply being natural, in the 

 event of a heavy storm, there would be a rush of water 

 which, if the outlets were insufficient, would flood the 

 ponds mixing all species and sizes of stock together ! 

 This, as may be imagined, would be fatal for more 

 reasons than one, for Shakespear was quite correct in 

 stating that " fishes live in the sea — as men do a-land; 

 the great ones eat up the little ones."| 



Yes, all fish of the same size and age have to be kept 

 in separate po.ids. as trout are great cannibals ; year- 

 lings eating fry, three year olds devouring yearlings, 

 and so on. The stock fish, when allowed to spawn 

 naturally, have been seen eating their own ova ! When the 

 fry have become yearlings '' it is found necessary to 

 take them out of the pond and sort them. If this be not 

 done the larger fish will eat many of the smaller ones, 

 and at the end of two or three vears their sizes would 

 be altogether disproportioned. some weighing two or 

 tliive r}nnces. others a.s many pounds. I have known 



HaiCHEBI .11 THE SOLWAV FlSHEET. 



(Photo III AY. ASDEBSOX.) 



or of varying ages. For instance, one pond has 800 

 specially selected British two-year old trout, another 

 from 2,000 to 3,000 large Rainbow (Salmo irideus) and 

 American trout (S. fontinalis), and others are the 

 homes of innumerable fry, two-year old salmon (S. 

 salar), dace, bream, roach, perch and other fish. One 

 stagnant pond is inhabited by carp, and there is also a 

 pond of stickleback in which the greater duckweed 

 flourishes. There is never any scarcity of water as, 

 besides the two streams already mentioned, there are 

 splendid springs ; but the water from these is unsuit- 

 able for fish until its character is entirely altered by 

 flowing through raceways which are inhabited by 

 various aquatic plants and moUusks. 



The fry ponds are about 60 feet long by 4 feet broad, 

 and those that contain the adult fish are about the 

 sams length but from 9 to 10 feet broad. The newer 



cases of trout (Salmo fai'io and S. levenensis) reaching 

 the weight of four- pounds in two years, whereas it 

 usually takes three years for a trout to reach a 

 poiuid."§ 



The process of modern fish culture is briefly as 

 follows : — Trout and salmon are the only fish, as a rule, 

 artificially spawned and hatched, the so-called coarse 

 fish being allowed to make their own family arrange- 

 ments in the ponds. For instance, perch spawn 

 uatiu'ally on weeds. 



Salmon are generally disposed of in the " eyed ova " 

 stage, as, being anadromous, they will not come to per- 

 fection if kept entirely in fresh water. According to 



t Pericles,' II., 1. 



§ " Atmospheric and other Influences on the Migration of Fishes," 

 by J. J. Armistead. 



