240 Thirty-fourth Annual Meeting. 
men. A spawner, as the men comprising this force are called, 
going in each boat, and as the fishermen raise their nets and the 
fish are thrown into the boats, the eggs from the live ripe fish 
are collected. By ripe fish we mean those ready to deposit their 
eggs. I think that I can describe this process no better to those 
assembled here than to give the instructions that are handed to 
each new man that is put into the field, after first stating that 
each spawner is provided with an outfit consisting of a wooden 
pail, one or more wooden kegs, a dipper and two common milk 
pans. 
Instructions to spawners: Take the eggs from one female 
if large, and not more than two if small, use plenty of milt, and 
stir with the naked hand carefully, being sure that the milt from 
the male fish comes in contact with every egg, let stand about 
half a minute, add a little water and gently stir again, then lower 
and empty carefully into the keg which has previously been 
partly filled with water. Continue this process until the keg 
has as many eggs in it as it will safely carry. After the eggs 
are all taken then add a little water at a time until the keg is 
full. In adding the water do not pour it directly onto the eggs, 
but against the inside of the keg. After the keg is full then 
pour some of the water off, being careful in so doing to not pour 
the water down so low that the eggs will be exposed to the air, 
as this will cause them to form into a cake at once. Continue 
to add and pour off water until the eggs are thoroughly washed 
free of milt, and hardened up, after which time change the 
water as often as once an hour while in your possession, or until 
you put them onto the trays for shipment to the station. 
As will be gathered from the “Instructions to Spawners,” 
some of them are located in fields near enough to the station so 
that the eggs are picked up by the boat kept for this purpose, 
and brought to the station in the kegs, other kegs being left with 
the spawners for the next day’s collection; while others are sent 
to fields so remote that this can not be done, in this case the 
eggs, after becoming fully hardened up, are evenly spread on 
cotton flannel trays, the trays placed in cases made especially 
for the purpose, and shipped to the station. Owing to storms 
and other causes, the shipment of the eggs from the field is 
often delayed for several days, the eggs remaining in the cases 
during this time, and usually with no apparent bad results. 
