﻿IIIIV 
  

  

  The 
  U. 
  S. 
  Commissioner 
  determined 
  to 
  rely 
  entirely 
  on 
  the 
  

   apparatus 
  taken 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  Lookout 
  for 
  perfecting 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   gathered 
  at 
  the 
  ]\orth 
  Carolina 
  station. 
  We, 
  therefore, 
  re- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  Maryland 
  waters, 
  the 
  barges 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  

   the 
  shad-hatching 
  operations, 
  as 
  we 
  thus 
  insured 
  their 
  being 
  

   available 
  at 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  at 
  Havre 
  de- 
  

   Grace. 
  They 
  were 
  anchored 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  held 
  by 
  them 
  in 
  

   previous 
  years, 
  in 
  Spesutie 
  Narrows; 
  and 
  on 
  board 
  was 
  placed 
  

   a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  hatching 
  corps, 
  with 
  instructions 
  to 
  examine 
  

   the 
  fish 
  daily 
  taken 
  by 
  the'haul 
  seines 
  and 
  gill-nets 
  and 
  re- 
  

   port 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  thcfirst 
  spawning 
  fish. 
  The 
  first 
  ripe 
  fe- 
  

   male 
  was 
  secured 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  of 
  May. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  corps 
  continued 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  

   seines 
  on 
  Spesutie 
  Island 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  floating 
  batteries 
  on 
  

   the 
  Flats. 
  They 
  also 
  examined 
  nightly 
  the 
  shad 
  taken 
  with 
  

   the 
  gill-nets. 
  Although 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  rij^e 
  fish 
  varied 
  each 
  

   night, 
  they 
  increased 
  gradually 
  until 
  about 
  the 
  23rd 
  of 
  the 
  

   month. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  period 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May 
  the 
  operators 
  were 
  

   more 
  successful 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  time. 
  

  

  A.n 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  table 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  varied 
  from 
  68° 
  to 
  72°; 
  and 
  during 
  this 
  period 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  secured, 
  each 
  night, 
  was 
  over 
  half 
  a 
  

   million. 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  May 
  a 
  second 
  barge, 
  fitted 
  with 
  the 
  ma- 
  

   chinery 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  used 
  in 
  Albemarle 
  Sound, 
  was 
  ready 
  

   for 
  work; 
  and, 
  with 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  corps, 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  

   charge 
  of 
  Mr. 
  John 
  S. 
  Saunders, 
  who 
  had 
  conducted 
  the 
  ope- 
  

   rations 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina. 
  This 
  second 
  machinery-barge 
  

   was 
  anchored 
  in 
  the 
  channel, 
  near 
  the 
  Old 
  Bay-fishery, 
  and 
  

   the 
  operators 
  attached 
  to 
  it 
  were 
  instructed 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  

   fish 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  gillers 
  in 
  this 
  inner 
  channel 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   upper 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  Flats. 
  

  

  The 
  machinery-barge, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  successfully 
  worked 
  

   the 
  year 
  previous, 
  was 
  kept 
  in 
  Spesutie 
  Narrows, 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  

   quarters, 
  and 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  N. 
  Clark, 
  an 
  

   experienced 
  fish 
  culturist. 
  The 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  at 
  

   these 
  two 
  stations 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  accompanying 
  tables. 
  

  

  