33 



of $88,525. Suppose, finally, that they are worth only six 

 cents per pound; this will give a profit of $29,712.50, be- 

 sides all the ponds, parent trout, and 300,00lT,000 eggs, or 

 young fry, in hatching-boxes, could have been taken from the 

 number of trout now in the ponds, — worth a fortune of 

 themselves ! I believe the first sum might be realized, with 

 everything favorable. But they should be located near u 

 large city, in order to obtain suflScient food. Small ponds 

 will yield a profit in proportion. Nearly every farmer has a 

 spring, if properly arranged, that will furnish trout for bis- 

 table, with but little expense." 



In a letter received from Mr. Ainsworth he says : " I hav& 

 hatched as high as ninety-nine out of every hundred put into 

 my spawning boxes, and in one instance two hundred and 

 nine out of two hundred and ten spawn put into a small wire 

 box to test the number that I could hatch on a small scale." 

 Mr. Ainsworth estimates the number of spawn in the female 

 trout to average as follows : 



A one year old has 300 



two " " " 700 



three" " " 1200 



four " " " 1800 



five "/" " 280O 



six " " " 4000 



He says : " I have taken 8000 spawn from a six year old 

 trout weighing two pounds, and hatched them all as far as I 

 could discern, mixed with others." 



The most precarious time in the life of a trout is just after 

 the umbilical sac is absorbed. They then require food and 

 pure aerated water, or they will starve for want of water to 

 breathe or food to eat. But if taken from the hatching boxes- 

 and placed in running streams of water suited to their na- 

 ture, they will nearly all live and furnish themselves with 

 food. In this way the brooks of Vermont may nearly all be 

 made ffood "trout brooks." . 



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