MONTANA STATE FISH COMMISSION. 37 



graded and improved, so that a marked improvement was made 

 in the appearance of the property. 



A trip was made to Kalispell in April to prepare for the 

 construction of the Flathead hatchery, but it was discovered 

 that the site previously selected had at times been overflowed 

 by backwater from the Stillwater river, so that site was aban- 

 doned and a new site finally selected on the west shore of 

 Flathead Lake, about two miles by road from Somers. The 

 buildings have been constructed under the supervision of the 

 architect, J. B. Gibson of Kalispell. 



The station is ready for work and it is probable that some 

 eggs of the brook trout and whitefish will be hatched there 

 this winter. 



The hatchery l:)uilding is 38x84 equipped with forty cement 

 troughs iwith a capacity for hatching at least 3,000,000 trout 

 eggs at one time. There is also a whitefish battery with a 

 capacity for hatching eight or ten million eggs. 



The water supply is brought down through about 3,000 feet 

 of wood pipe, six inch, except 250 feet of twelve inch at the 

 upper end. It gives us 228 feet head at hatchery and it is in- 

 tended to use it for power for lighting and for cutting fish 

 food. The residence is 32x42, bungalow style, is modern and 

 well adapted to the purpose. 



The buildings look very neat and when the grounds are 

 laid out and graded, the station will present a very attractive 

 appearance. 



The output of fish for the year was very gratifying Over 

 eleven hundred cans of trout were sent out as compared with 

 less than eight hundred and fifty last year. Owing, however, 

 to the difference in method of counting, last year's distribution 

 was apparently larger than this. 



All of the trout sent out during my administration were 

 measured by the displacement miethod, which is approximately 

 correct. 



The fish distributed during 1911 were as follows: 



Grayling 600,000 



Rainbow trout 16,350 



Brook trout 1.299,200 



Blackspotted trout 2,604,500 



Total 4,510,050 



