HATCHING APPARATUS. 79 



forcing its way up through the eggs, loosens them so 

 that they do not feel the weight of those above them, 

 while at the same time it reaches every egg, and fur- 

 nishes a fresh supply of air to them all. 



Let us look for a moment at the advantages of 

 this method. 



(i.) The top of the tray or basket is out of the 

 water, and always entirely dry ; consequently, in hand- 

 ling them the hands are always dry. 



(2.) By tilting one end of the tray or basket up and 

 down a little, or by lifting the whole basket and set- 

 tling it gently back again in its place, the white eggs 

 will be forced to the top. Consequently no feather 

 is required in picking over the eggs, and thus the in- 

 juries very often inflicted with the feather are obviated. 



(3.) The top of the basket being above the water, the 

 eggs can never run over the top nor escape in any way, 

 which is a great advantage over the shallow trays. 



(4.) The whole thing is so simple that nothing 

 simpler that answers the purpose can be conceived. 

 There is no complication of parts. There is nothing, 

 in fact, to look after or move but the basket itself. 



(5.) Finally, it economizes space. Fifty thousand 

 eggs can be kept on a superficial area of two square 

 feet. Two troughs twenty feet long and a foot wide 

 will, by this method, carry a million salmon eggs. It 

 is not patented. 



In closing this chapter I will simply repeat what has 

 already been said, that one form or other of the tray 

 system is undoubtedly destined to entirely supersede 

 the old methods of hatching on glass grilles, or on the 

 bottom of troughs. 



