142 THE NEW ART OF BREEDING FISH. 



are more capable of doing so ; up to that time they 

 should be occasionally fed with suitable food, and 

 all the fish in one pond should be of similar age, the 

 larger fish proving very injurious to the smaller and 

 weaker ones." 



The spawn deposited in the Outerard boxes in 

 the middle of December, 1852, would be hatched 

 about the middle of April, 1853, and, therefore, 

 will be twelve months old next April, and those de- 

 posited 1st January, 1853, will be about twelve 

 months of age in May next. According to Mr. 

 Young's theory, and mine, they will then be sUvery- 

 coated smolts, and will about the time migrate to 

 sea. Wni Mr. Halliday mark a few score of them 

 when they assume their migratory coat, and so 

 ascertain how many will return from the sea as 

 grilse, and what will then be their average size ? 

 If I understand right, all the salmon fry will be 

 kept in the ponds until their period of migration. 

 I regret this, for if a portion of them were freed 

 from the ponds, and let into the river at two or 

 three months old, and marked, an important ques- 

 tion would be decided, viz., whether it were better 

 to confine young salmon in ponds until the smolt 

 state, or turn them when very young fry into the 

 river from which the ova were taken. If a greater 

 number of pond-imprisoned smolts, than liberated 

 fry — the number imprisoned and liberated being 

 equal — ^returned from sea to the parental river as 

 grilse, then pond confinement would be proved 



