16 FISH CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
Mr. Seth Green gave his opinion, based on information re- 
ceived from one of his men engaged by Green & Co., in this 
state, that eggs taken from soft-water fish did not appear to 
stand handling as well as the others. 
For the past three years I have had my attention called to 
this subject several times, and will, in a few words, present some 
of the conclusions I have come to as tothe advantages and disad- 
vantages of soft and hard water for trout breeding and rais- 
ing. 
The eggs taken in soft water (as I have found them) have a 
much thinner shell. 
After they have made a journey and are unpacked and put in 
hatching-troughs, for the first day or two some dead eggs may 
be picked out ; but in about a week, the time depending on the 
age of the eggs, many begin to hatch prematurely, head first, 
and die before getting entirely out of the shell; and many 
others, after hatching, have what is termed the “ blue-swelling.” 
I have seen some lots of eggs of which 50 per cent. have been 
picked out dead from the time of unpacking to a period of 30 
days after hatching, owing to their shells and “ blue-swelling ;” 
but on the other hand, I have often seen a much better showing. 
But soft water has its advantages. When the eggs are undis- 
turbed, they turn out well, the fry tlourish and grow faster and 
with less mortality than in hard water. At one year old they 
are in many cases as large as two-year-olds of hard water. 
As a general thing, I donot think, from what I have seen, 
that food alone, or a variety in food, makes the difference in the: 
growth ; for in our stream at Caledonia, the water of which is 
hard, | never saw as much and as many different varieties of 
food, but for all that our fish grow slowly. 
Eggs taken from hard-water fish seem to have a very strong 
shell.) -Mr. A. S. Collins once: said tome, “It ‘was abewgethe 
same with them as in the case of hens that had plenty of lime 
—that their eggshells would be very hard and strong. 
I do not wish to be understood by this that I consider one 
kind of eggs any better than the other, only as far as transpor- 
tation goes. 
I have planted eggs from Caledonia in soft-water streams 
