24 FISH-CULTURAL : ASSOCIATION. 
the great Columbia are so wonderful that, although upwards of 
two thousand million eggs are annually abstracted from the 
river, there seems to be a doubt remaining yet whether the eggs 
that are left are not sufficient to, keep up the stock. 
However, if the fish-eating world does not go backward, the 
danger limit will soon be passed, if it has not been already, and 
it is none too soon to consider the question of taking measures 
to guard against the danger by artificial propagation, 
What has been done in the Sacramento in this direction is 
well known. I take the liberty to quote from an article bearing 
on the subject, by Mr. C. A. Smiley, of the United States Census 
Bureau. Mr. Smiley, after mentioning some of the difficulties 
of fish-culture says: 
“T will close with citing one of the most remarkable of the successes 
thus far attained. The salmon canneries of the Sacramento river an- 
nually increased in number until by 1870 the entire run of salmon was 
being caught and utilized. The greatest natural capacity of the river 
under these circumstances may be considered to have been reached 
in 1875, when the yield to the canneries was 5,096.781 pounds. 
“The first possible fruits of fish-culture were in 1876, when the young 
of 1873 may be supposed to have returned. 
“The United Statés hatchery was established in the latter year at 
Baird, Shasta County, California, and a half a million young released 
in 1873 and again in 1874, 
“In 1875 the number was increased to 850,000, in 1876 to 1,500,000, 
and during each of the years 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, two million young 
fry were placed in this river, From an annual catch of 5,000,000 
pounds the river has come up to the annual catch of over 9,500,000 
pounds, which figure has been maintained during the past four years. 
“The figures were: 
Pounds. 
MeO ee Cote rr ee ae eee SEMIN BO eel ei SER Se 10,837,000 
i204 Cy ed gee MS So BEG ch of she Naa Fo) Ala AR He Sy 9,600,000 
POC AL lem 2. Ly shee ee ee Ree ae ..+ 9,605,000 
USC A ah a MRE Head Be ab ed) nea) dh 9,586,000 
“Allowing the three years which it takes for salmon to come to 
maturity and enter the river for spawning purposes, the increase in 
yield to the canneries for ten years has been almost exactly propor- 
tionate to the increase in the disposition of fry. Taken into con- 
sideration the cost of hatching 2,000,000 salmon annually, and the 
value of the increase of 4,500,000 pounds, it will be seen,” Mr. Smiley 
