168 transactions of the american institute. 



Artificial Trout Breeding. 



Mr. Stcph. H. Ainsworth, Weat Bloomfield, New York, a successful 

 trout-breeder, says : 



"I would like to see the subject discussed by the Farmers' Club, as there 

 is now a very great and rapidly increasing' interest in angling for trout. 

 The forests of the United States are penetrated for them to their utmost 

 depths, and they are decreasing yearly, like the deer, and in time will be- 

 come extinct, unless prevented by artificial propagation, and protection in 

 private ponds and streams, where they can be increased indefinitely and 

 cheaply. 



" I now propose to give you my observation of the formation of the trout 

 in the egg, and its growth from its impregnation to its hatching. I have 

 a race from my main pond running up toward the springs, 50 feet long and 

 30 inches wide, on an inclined plane, so as to make a gentle current through- 

 out its length; the bottom is covered with washed gravel three inches 

 deep. To give proper depth to the water I raise the water in the pond in 

 the spawning season, which gives one foot of water at the lower end of the 

 race and about four inches at the upper end, with wire screens at each end 

 to shut at will, to hold the trout when they come into the race to spawn 

 as all do with me from the 3d of November to the 12th of January. The 

 females never come on to the beds till the day they commence to spawn, 

 followed by a dozen or more males. At this time the cellular tissue that 

 has held the egg in the ova duct is entirely absorbed, leaving the eggs 

 loose and ready to be exuded with entire safety by hand, and sure of easy 

 impregnation. I close the screen every morning and take all the trout in 

 the race with a small net, sometimes a bushel or moi'e at a time, from four 

 ounces to two pounds each in weight, and put them in baskets in water to 

 have them ready to take in hand. I now take a pail with about four or 

 five inches of water in it, and take a female trout with one hand round the 

 gills and pectoral fins, so as to hold her with ease and safety, and rub down 

 her abdomen, with a gentle pressure, with the other. If all things are 

 right the eggs will flow with the ease and rapidity of shot from a small 

 flask into the water. I continue this gentle rubbing till the eggs are all 

 exuded, which will take a minute or more for a two pound trout. I then 

 quickly place it in the water, and in a short time it will be lively, and soon 

 recover from its handling. A two-pounder has about 3,000^ and a one-year- 

 old has about 400 spawn; from five to six of these spawn measure one inch 

 when placed in a line. One side of the egg is always heavier than the 

 other, so that it always, in passing down through the water, alights with 

 the right or same side up. This right side has a very small white speck in 

 its center. Hence this speck is always exactly on the upper side. This 

 speck is where the impregnation takes place. The eggs in the pail being 

 all this side up, and ready to receive the milt or impregnatory fluid, I now 

 take a male trout in like manner, and rub the milt from him by pressing 

 down the abdomen with a heavy pressure, and often squeezing on each 

 side to eject the milt into the pail over the eggs, which spreads out and 

 settles all over them, impregnating them in from five to ten minutes. A 

 two-pound trout will furnish about a table-spoonful of the spermatic fluid 



