14 



SHELBY HATCHERY. 



The hatching of trout at the Shelby hatchery was started in the 

 month of May. 1883, and during the year there were hatched and dis- 

 tributed over 1)5,000 trout, and, although this hatchery was started 

 very Late in the season for trout hatching, it establishes the fact that 

 the conditions and surroundings are very favorable to the business. 



The hatching house was, in 1883, under the charge of Mr. Richard- 

 son, a gentleman well versed in the art of propagating fish artificially. 

 Under his management, in the space of two months, over 95,000 were 

 hatched of the species as follows : McCloud River, Lake Bigler, 

 Donner Lake, and Modoc or rainbow trout. After the appointment 

 of the majority of the present Commission they examined into and 

 took charge of the property belonging to the State, which consisted of 

 an old building called a hatchery, situated about one mile from the 

 railroad in Alameda County, near Chabot Lake; some transporting 

 cans, and a few hatching boxes which were not worth moving. As 

 soon as we could conveniently get to work, the Commission found a 

 suitable place for a temporary hatchery, which is situated on what 

 is called Butterfly Creek, between Colfax and Grass Valley, on the 

 Nevada Narrow Gauge Railroad. The Commission received the 

 privilege of building a hatchery house, with the use of a bountiful 

 supply of water, from the owner of the property, Joseph Shelby, Esq. 



SACRAMENTO RIVER. 



The Sacramento River, which heads in the northern part of the 

 State, runs nearly north and south through four degrees of latitude, 

 and is one of the best salmon streams in the world. At the head the 

 water is clear and icy cold, and the river has a fine gravelly bottom, 

 making fine spawning grounds. 



The principal tributaries are the Pit River, which rises in Siskiyou 

 County in Goose Lake, and the McCloud River, which is one of the 

 finest streams in the State of California, and widely noted as a trout 

 stream. Here the United States Commission built their hatchery. 

 The water is very cold, more so than any other stream in the State. 



The Feather River is another branch, and in early years was a very 

 good salmon stream, but of late years the salmon have not ascended 

 on account of the impure water. 



M 'cloud river. 



The United States hatchery on the McCloud River has been a great 

 benefit to the State of California in years past, on account of the large 

 number of salmon which have been planted and obtained from it in 

 the headwaters of the Sacramento River. The abandonment of the 

 hatchery and of the propagation of fish by the United States Commis- 

 sion, leaves the State of California without any hope of depositing 

 any salmon fry in any of our streams this year (1884). It is to be 

 hoped that our next Legislature will make an appropriation that will 

 enable us to establish a hatchery, in the year 1885, on one of the 

 branches of the Sacramento River. As our interest in the packing of 

 salmon is very great, it occurs to us that the State should make liberal 

 provision in the direction mentioned. The United States hatchery, 



