THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 29 
SSS 
and, indeed, no material change at all in the river, a very simple 
and readily-constructed dam would be perfectly safe. This isa 
great advantage, as it often proves a very difficult matter in a 
river subject to freshets in the hatching season, to put in an 
obstruction that is perfectly safe. 
And last, but not least, the maximum rise of the river during 
the year is so inconsiderable, that there will never be any dan- 
ger of the hatching house and other buildings being washed 
away, even if they are placed, as it is desirable that they should 
be, close to the river. 
Besides possessing the essential qualification just enumerated 
for a salmon breeding station, the Spokane location has many 
convenient features about it to recommend it. In the first 
place, it is in a good timber country, where lumber can be easily 
and inexpensively obtained for building. Then the roads in all 
directions are hard and good, even during the rainy season, 
which is a merit which can be fully appreciated only by those 
who have lived in other parts of the Pacific coast, where the 
roads become practically impassable during the rainy season, on 
account of the great depth of the mud. The ground is also 
almost level from the mouth of the Little Spokane to the town 
of Spokane Falls, which would make communivation with the 
town, and freighting to and from the breeding station, very 
easy. The climate is also a great recommendation to this place. 
It is never very cold nor very hot, but the temperature is quite 
even, and consequently very favorable for work of any kind. 
By glancing over what has just been said about the mouth of 
the Little Spokane, it will be seen that it is known to be in all 
essential points an unusually favorable location for a salmon 
breeding station. If it should prove to be capable of furnishing 
an abundance of breeders, I should not hesitate to reeommend 
it emphatically as one of the best situations to be found any- 
where for taking and distributing salmon eggs. If, however, it 
should fail to supply the required quantity of spawning salmon, 
I do not know where we could look for any one place on the 
Columbia river, or its north fork, which, by itself, would be 
adequate and satisfactory, and I think we should be reduced to 
