95 
cating the planting of yearling trout. We have not made the attempt, and 
cannot do it. Our regular appropriation in our hatchery fund is only $5,000 
annually, This amount is probably swelled during the year by about $1,500 
from fines and licenses. Out of this fund we hatch and distribute yearly 
nearly or quite 3,000,000 salmon, which takes about one-half of the fund, 
The expense of distribution with us is a serious matter, as nearly all of our 
planting has to be done at a considerable distance from points on railroad. 
For illustration, we start this week with one shipment of say 25,000 fish for a 
point on the east side of the Sierras, distant some eighteen hours by rail from 
hatchery, and then between fifty and sixty miles by wagon. I do not hesitate 
to say that on the score of expense the planting of yearling fish in our State is 
impracticable and wholly out of the question. This spring we made an ex 
periment with the fontinalis, and kept them until they were five months old- 
before planting. We will not do it again, as we cannot aiford it, and, besides, 
the planting of the older fish was not as successful as that of the younger. 
We have now commenced the distribution of our rainbow. They are three 
months old, and plenty large enough. 
The Fish Commissioner of Nevada, Hon. Geo. T. Mills, is the only one 
whom I have heard of who has made a success of raising and planting year- 
lings, but he does this under most extraordinary favorable circumstances. 
His hatchery is located in Carson City, perhaps five or six blocks from the 
railroad depot. When his fish are say three months old, he transports them 
by rail to the Truckee Liver and plants them in a large pond formerly used as 
an ice pond, having direct communication with the river. Here he keeps 
them for a year, feeding them in the meantime, and when the time comes 
he opens connection with the river, and the fish distribute themselves. He 
does the same with the land-locked salmon. Toa certain extent, we are do- 
ing the same thing this year with our salmon. We have made a large nursery 
pond at our Sisson Station, which has connection with tributaries of the Sac- 
ramento. We keep them until the ice begins to form, and then let them out 
into the stream. To undertake to raise and plant yearling fish in any other 
manner would require a very much larger appropriation than we have. 
Yours very truly, 
Ramon E. WILson, 
Secretary. 
During the reading of the letter, Mr. Clark interrupted 
the reading, saying: 
Mr. CLarkK—Let me break in here. Let me say right 
there that I was the father of this idea, and not the Com- 
missioner, and don’t say he orders it. 
Mr. MatHER—You recommend it, he orders it. I know 
it was your first suggestion. I thought I would get him 
up after a while. 

