American Fisheries Society. 253 
this have noticed that there are certain seasons when the eggs do 
not turn out well, and they figure that it is the season following 
an unusually severe winter. 
Mr. Clark: That would not explain why during the same 
year we get a hatch of 70 per cent from eggs taken from the St. 
Clair river, and 10 per cent from eggs taken from Saginaw Bay. 
Mr. Whish: When they had an unusually severe winter on 
Oneida Lake, 50 per cent hatched; last year when it was warmer 
they got 90 per cent. 
Mr. Fullerton: I would like to ask Mr. Lydell if his idea in 
using the corn starch was because he did not want to stir the 
eggs? 
Mr. Lydell: Yes. 
Mr. Fullerton: You say you pour the corn starch into the 
pail? 
Mr. Lydell: We put corn starch in the keg with plenty of 
water, and when the eggs settled the corn starch settled with 
them, and got between the eggs, and kept them from adhering. 
Mr. Fullerton: There is nothing in the world worse than 
corn starch to settle at the bottom and get into a hard cake; and 
it is worse than sand. It is like white lead after white lead set- 
tles, and I do not see how you can use it except you keep it 
stirred all the time and wash it off. 
Mr. Lydell: Undoubtedly you use too much corn starch. 
Mr. Fullerton: We use a pound package to a gallon of water, 
stir it thoroughly and put it in a tub holding about thirty gal- 
lons. We dip it out with a dipper. We never allow any one’s 
hand to touch the eggs. The water is poured in with a dipper. 
Mr. Seymour Bowers: I am strongly inclined to think that 
temperature has a great deal to do with the quality of the eggs. 
A peculiar thing about the spawning season in Saginaw Bay is, 
that during the season we operated there we found that we would 
get mature fish just as soon as the ice went out, while the water 
was pretty close to a freezing temperature. 
