62 



under the board and carried along to the lower end ot 

 the trough. The fish are also crowded together ahead 

 of the cleaning operation and out of the way of the 

 broom. When the lower part is reached the fry are 

 driven above and the operation completed by netting out 

 the larger pieces of meat or dirt, and by rubbing the 

 finer particles through the screen at the lower end of the 

 trough ; or, a high cross bar may be put in, the screen 

 raised for a moment and the waste plug opened. 



When there is not accommodation in the troughs for 

 all the fry and they can not be distributed, a temporary 

 place of retention may be made by using the shad boxes 

 which are described under the chapter on shad hatching. 

 These need not generally be set at aii angle to the cur- 

 rent, as the mere ordinary disturbance of the water near 

 the outlet of the ponds will give them motion enough to 

 change the water. These will only answer temporarily 

 and must be cleaned as carefully as the troughs. They 

 are to be scrubbed all over the inside and on the bottom. 

 To do this without injuring the fish, the box is tipped up 

 so as to bring one part after the other out of the water 

 where it can be brushed, while the fry are safely swim- 

 ming at the other end. 



If the fry must be kept in confinement, absolute clean- 

 liness is a necessary prerequisite to their health ; but we 

 can not too strongly impress upon our readers the desir- 

 ability of turning them out into the email rivulets 

 connected with the waters where they are to live, as 

 soon as possible after the sac is absorbed. Although 

 they encounter some perils to which they are not 

 exposed if kept in preserves, they escape still more dan- 

 gers and acquire the habit of taking care of themselves 

 which is necessary when they come finally to be thrown 

 upon their own resources. 



