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of California, where about two million young fish were 

 planted yearly, the catch had increased in five years from 

 five million pounds to fifteen million pounds, and in 1881 

 there were more fish than could be utilised by all the 

 canning establishments on the river. He would not 

 proceed with the multiplication of examples, but would 

 refer to the fact that the fish in the Detroit River, where 

 the United States and Canada had established hatcheries, 

 had been increased, and the supply immensely improved. 

 The shad was taken in twenty or thirty great rivers on the 

 Atlantic coast, and was for several months of the year 

 a most important food supply. About twenty years ago 

 it was found that the supply of shad was beginning to 

 decrease, and Fish Commissioners were organised with 

 the special object of increasing the supply. He had 

 seen shad which four or five years before were selling at 

 4$-. or 55-. a pair, and were therefore beyond the reach of 

 poor people, become so cheap and common that they 

 could be bought for a shilling a pair, which was entirely 

 the result of fish culture. Professor Baird had been the 

 leading spirit of fish culture in America. He was asked 

 recently if Professor Baird was not an enthusiast, and he 

 replied that he was not, but a man possessing the widest 

 general and philosophical knowledge of natural laws, 

 whose sound judgment and experience had enabled him 

 to take up the work of fish culture and carry it on on 

 an immense scale in the United States. People were 

 sometimes dissatisfied because fish were sometimes planted 

 in streams and nothing was heard of them afterwards ; 

 but it was the theory of their Commission and of their 

 Government that it was a proper thing to make experi- 

 ments, and if they happened to be unsuccessful there 

 was so much ground eliminated over which it was un- 



