PROPAGATION OF FISH. 231 



mission that] lias no equal for scientific attainments or 

 practical work in the world. For the creation of the lat- 

 ter, the author also claims not merely the influence of his 

 writings, but his assistance as a member of Congress in 

 getting the law passed which established the United 

 States Fishery Commission, and placed it under the charge 

 of so efficient a public officer as Mr. Spencer F. Baird. 



At that time there was hardly a word written on the 

 subject in this country except a pamphlet by Dr. Garlick, 

 and such translations from the French as described the 

 operations under Prof. Coste, and accounts of a few lim- 

 ited English experiments. Not a private establishment 

 for the cultivation and sale of fish on any considerable 

 scale existed, and no expectation that any large public 

 benefits would ever arise from fish propagation, was gen- 

 erally felt. Since that time hundreds of books have been 

 written in this country alone, the time of scientific men 

 has been devoted to it, fish cultural societies have been 

 formed, and there are several successful establishments 

 for the hatching and sale of young fish. In no develop- 

 ment of this wonderful country has there been so re- 

 markable an advance, such a change from darkness to 

 light, such an elevation of public opinion, as in this mat- 

 ter of the artificial increase of fish. 



The limits of this work will not permit a minute and de- 

 tailed description of all the details of fish culture. For an 

 exhaustive treatise on that subject, the reader is referred 

 to a book called "Fish-Hatching and Fish-Catching," 

 which contains in a practical form all that was known up 

 to the time it was written. But general rules are given 

 in this chapter which will enable the novice, the farmer, 

 the gentleman country resident and happy owner of a 



