194 American Fisheries Society. 



bed of the stream confined in a bottomless box. Two men, 

 one at each end, now take hold of the handles and slowly 

 lift the box clear of the water, which leaves all eggs in the 

 bed of the stream under the same conditions as if deposited 

 naturally by parent fish. The quantity of eggs deposited at 

 each planting should be nearer 3,000 than 5,000; the eggs 

 should be well eyed, but not too near the point of hatching. 



As stated in a previous paragraph, the first plantings 

 were confined to small numbers of eggs but as the value of 

 the new method became recognized, the Department author- 

 ized the planting of increased numbers. 



From the collection of 1920, 750,000 eyed sockeye eggs 

 were deposited on natural spawning grounds by this method. 

 From the collection of 1921, the number of eggs thus planted 

 was increased to about 16,000,000 and from the collection 

 of 1922, 22,000,000 eggs were distributed by thi^. system. 

 The distribution from the 1922 collection includes about 

 1,500,000 trout eggs and 200,000 Atlantic salmon eggs. 



All reports go to show that the results were eminently 

 satisfactory. 



A number of experimental plantings conducted by the 

 superintendents of various hatcheries in the Province are 

 described. 



At the New Westminster Hatchery on February 26th, 

 1921, one thousand eyed sockeye eggs were planted by 

 this method in a waste ditch in the immediate vicin- 

 ity of the retaining ponds. The Superintendent reports 

 that when the free-swimming fry left the gravel, 807 heal- 

 thy, vigorous fry were counted. 



The Superintendent of the Cultus Lake Hatchery, in 

 connection with experimental plantings, reports as follow: 



"Almost a month after the eggs of the same age held in 

 the hatchery baskets had become free-swimming, the fry be- 

 gan to appear from the gravel, those from a nest of coarse 

 gravel were the first to make their appearance. From the 

 very beginning the fry were wild and undoubtedly more 

 wary than those incubated in the hatchery. 



The results are set down in the following table : 



No. planted Description of nest No. Hatched. 



500 Gravel from size of pea to hickory nut — 



some clean sand. 350 



500 Same as above with top coating of silt — 



%inch deep. 325 

 500 Fine gravel sand and small amount of clay 



in sand. 200 



