﻿XL 
  

  

  A 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  these 
  tables 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  iniiclv 
  

   the 
  larger 
  proportion 
  of 
  ripe 
  females 
  was 
  found 
  among 
  those- 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  gill-nets 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  This 
  per- 
  

   centage 
  may 
  seem 
  small, 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  that 
  for 
  pur- 
  

   poses 
  of 
  reproduction 
  alone 
  these 
  migratory 
  fish 
  ascend 
  

   the 
  rivers. 
  An 
  explanation, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  comparatively 
  

   insignilicant 
  numbers 
  of 
  ripe 
  females 
  taken 
  is 
  oifered 
  by 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  considered 
  ripe 
  or 
  useful 
  to 
  

   the 
  fish 
  culturist 
  until 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  spawning 
  or 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  ready 
  to 
  run 
  freely 
  from 
  them. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   fish 
  caught 
  bear 
  evidence 
  of 
  being 
  near 
  this 
  state. 
  These 
  facts 
  

   would 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  hatching 
  shad 
  success- 
  

   fully 
  and 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale 
  would 
  be 
  greatly 
  facilitated 
  by 
  keep- 
  

   ing 
  over 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  until 
  they 
  become 
  quite 
  ripe, 
  the 
  fish 
  

   taken 
  just 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  ready 
  to 
  spawm. 
  This 
  plan 
  has 
  

   been 
  pursued 
  with 
  several 
  varieties 
  of 
  fish, 
  notably 
  with 
  the 
  

   salmon, 
  which 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  by 
  pound 
  

   nets 
  in 
  Penobscot 
  Bay, 
  and 
  transferred 
  thenc-e 
  to 
  fresh 
  water 
  

   ponds 
  some 
  miles 
  distant, 
  and 
  retained 
  in 
  these 
  until 
  the 
  fall, 
  

   by 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  in 
  a 
  proper 
  state 
  of 
  development. 
  

   The 
  great 
  difiiculty 
  with 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  to 
  contend 
  in 
  this 
  

   treatment 
  of 
  shad 
  consists 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  tiiey 
  are 
  so 
  ex- 
  

   tremely 
  delicate, 
  their 
  scales 
  being 
  easily 
  knocked 
  off, 
  caus- 
  

   ing 
  disease 
  and 
  death. 
  We 
  have 
  suggested 
  in 
  a 
  previous 
  

   report 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  penning 
  the 
  fish 
  by 
  such 
  methods 
  as 
  are 
  

   used 
  for 
  keeping 
  white 
  fish 
  on 
  Detroit 
  River. 
  In 
  our 
  first 
  

   report 
  w^e 
  gave 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   is 
  conducted 
  in 
  the 
  above-named 
  river, 
  and 
  urged 
  our 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  plan 
  pursued 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  fish. 
  Num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  shad 
  could 
  be 
  held 
  over 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  market 
  from 
  

   time 
  to 
  time". 
  This 
  plan 
  we 
  strongly 
  recommended 
  for 
  

   the 
  " 
  floating 
  batteries 
  " 
  operated 
  at 
  the 
  " 
  Head 
  of 
  the 
  Bay,"' 
  

   as 
  enclosures 
  for 
  keeping 
  the 
  fish 
  could 
  be 
  most 
  success- 
  

   fully 
  used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  these 
  batteries. 
  Should 
  we 
  

   succeed 
  in 
  inducing 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  battery 
  owners 
  at 
  Havre 
  de 
  

   Grace 
  to 
  provide 
  this 
  attachment, 
  w^e 
  are 
  sure 
  it 
  would 
  en- 
  

   able 
  us 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  spawning 
  fish 
  each 
  

   year. 
  

  

  