that the men experienced in fish-cultural work in the different States and 

 in the Federal Government should be accorded the right and privilege 

 of making the selection of sites. State Legislatures and Congress have 

 located fish hatcheries without consultation to learn what conditions are 

 necessary, and the results in some cases have naturally been failures. These 

 matters should be referred to some one in authority who has the necessary 

 technical knowledge. 



Mb. N. R. Duller, Harrisburg, Pa. : It is very important that the 

 men in authority and the men who have technical knowledge of what is 

 necessary for a successful hatchery should be the men to locate the 

 hatcheries. What is the reason for the condition at Northville? My 

 recollection is that when Frank N. Clark was superintendent it was 

 known as a heavy produ.cer of brook trout. What has occurred that has 

 now made it unsuitable for brook trout? 



Mr. Leach : Even though a hatchery is established where conditions 

 appear 100 per cent perfect, later years may indicate the unwisdom of 

 continuing operations along past lines. Northville was very important 

 at one time. Possibly unfavorable chemical qualities of the water have 

 developed somewhat or possibly the long years of producing brook trout 

 have contaminated the surroundings in some way and rendered it impos- 

 sible to continue with past success. Possibly newer methods in other 

 fields will produce the eggs at much less cost for help and for food used 

 to maintain the brood stock. All of these are contributing factors in 

 reducing the efficiency of any station. 



Dr. D. L. Belding, Hingham, Mass. : I am very glad that Mr. Titcomb 

 has sounded a note of warning, because I do not believe that one, two, or 

 even several years with a small experimental station will absolutely 

 determine whether a hatchery will prove an ultimate success, although 

 I realize that it is the best and in fact the only evidence we can get. Mr. 

 Titcomb's paper might warrant the conclusion that we should select the 

 hatchery that turned out the larger fish. At the present time our poorest 

 Massachusetts hatchery is turning out the largest fish. I feel sure that 

 Mr. Titcomb will agree that there are other more important factors in 

 the selection of a hatchery than the rapid production of large fish. 



Mu. Titcomb : One phase of the Northville situation is the expectation 

 of doing things on a bigger scale today than when the station was 

 established. There are a number of old hatcheries that cannot be 

 criticised along the lines that I have been criticising. 



One of the hatcheries in New York is supplied with water from the 

 bottom of the lake, 40 feet deep. That hatchery is all right. It has 

 both surface water from the lake and deep water. All we need there is 

 a little money to put in new pipe lines and get more water than we have. 

 The fish will then develop more rapidly than they do today. At another 

 hatchery, which is on Long Island, the artesian wells and springs have a 

 temperature of 52° the year round. If you can get your fish to come on so 

 as to feed them in April, or even have them feeding well in May, you are 

 going to bring them out in good season ; but if there is six months of 

 winter, twice as much labor in picking over the eggs will be necessary and 

 there will be an abnormal loss. 



Dr. Belding : Were these trout hatched from eggs from the same source 



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