58 
THE FOOD-PROBLEM IN FISHCULTURE. 
BY CHAS. G. ATKINS. 
Any one reviewing the fishcultural literature of the 
last few years can but observe that attention has been 
to a remarkable degree concentrated on subjects per- 
taining to the nutrition of young fishes. The main 
question is no longer how shall we obtain the eggs of 
desirable species, or how shall we impregnate them, or 
how incubate them, or how many of the fry can we 
liberate ? but how shall we feed the young fish ?- 
There appears to be a very general agreement among 
fishculturists that it is desirable, not to say necessary, 
that the nutrition of the young fish resulting from arti- 
ficial operations, should no longer be left to nature and 
to chance, but should be made the subject of man’s most 
earnest study, and the object of his direct care. The 
negative of this proposition is hardly maintained by 
even the most conservative member of the craft. Those 
who have seemed to array themselves on the negative 
side, appear to me to be merely maintaining the 
insufficiency of the methods of feeding which have thus 
far been brought to their attention. 
I may say that for myself, after a careful study of the 
situation, and of the expressions of other fishculturists, 
I have reached these three conclusions: first, that the 
practice of holding the fry of salmon and trout in 
confinement and feeding them for some months after 
hatching is a distinct improvement over the practice of 
liberating them as soon as they can feed : second, that 
we have a fair prospect of effecting this work with due 
economy ; third, that there is good reason to expect the 
