This big fellow jumped directly at me as I stood near the edge of the apron, and as 1 
dodged him I unconsciously snapped the camera. The fish was only three or four feet away, 
and he threw water all over the camera and nearly ruined it. Photo and note by Shirley C. 
Hulse. 
tremendous output may perhaps be better 
appreciated when a season's take of eggs 
is considered as a commodity. The aver- 
age number of sahnon eggs to a bushel 
may be given at 125,000. The number 
of eggs taken, fertiHzed, and incubated 
by the United States Bureau of Fisheries 
at its California, Oregon, Washington, 
and Alaska hatcheries in 191 1 was equiv- 
alent to 1,500 bushels. The salmon-egg 
harvest of the other efficient agencies in- 
dicated would bring the yearly total up 
to 4,500 bushels. 
HOW MAN IMPROVES ON NATURE 
In the discussions of important eco- 
nomic questions affecting natural re- 
sources, especially animals, the conten- 
tion is sometimes made that man cannot 
improve on nature's methods. This plea, 
which impresses many people and con- 
duces to neglect of the needs of some 
of our most valuable creatures, is most 
emphatically and clearly refuted in sal- 
mon culture. 
It is a matter of general observation 
that nature is most prodigal in producing 
fish eggs and young far in excess of the 
needs of the species, and permitting the 
destruction of a very large percentage of 
the progeny before maturity is reached. 
With the advent of the human factor, 
there is a disturbance of the nice balance 
that had come to be established, and it is 
then that fish culture is demanded and 
justifies itself by saving a large propor- 
tion of the eggs and young that are ordi- 
narily sacrificed. 
Just how effective are the operations 
of the salmon culturist, and how strongly 
artificial propagation is now demanded 
because of the enormous drains that are 
made on the small remnants of the origi- 
nal progeny that have reached the re- 
productive age, may be seen from the 
following comparison : 
Under ordinary conditions of natural 
propagation, a certain small percentage 
of the ripe eggs are not extruded, but 
remain within the body of the female, 
and are therefore wasted ; from 10 to 20 
per cent of the total number of eggs 
escape fertilization ; a very large propor- 
tion (60 to 80 per cent) of the eggs are 
so? 
