CONSTRUCTION OF THE PONDS. 



83 



to complete the suite. A sluice made of fine wire-grating 

 admits of the superfluous water being run off into the Tay, so 

 that an equable supply is invariably kept up. It also serves 

 for an outlet to the fish when it is deemed ejqjJedient to send 

 them out to try their fortune in the greater deep near at 

 hand, and for which their pond experience has been a mode of 

 preparation. The planning of the boxes, ponds, sluices, etc., 

 has been . accomplished with great ingenuity ; and one can 

 only regret that the whole apparatus is not three times the 

 size, so that the Tay proprietors might breed annually two 

 or three million of salmon, which would add largely to the 

 productiveness of that river, and of course aid in increasing the 

 rental. 



For the purpose of showing 'the level of the pond at Stor- 

 montfield I beg to introduce what the French people call " a 

 profile." 



PROFILE OF STORMONTFIELD SALMON-BREEDING PONDS. 



A. Source of water-supply. 



B. Fond from which to filter water 



on boxes. 



C. Egg-boxes. 



D. Pond for young fish. 



E. River Tay. 



The salmon-breeding operations at Stormontfield originated 

 at a meeting of the proprietors of the river Tay held in July 

 1852. On the suggestion of Mr. Ashworth, a practical pisci- 

 culturist was engaged to inaugurate the breeding operations, 

 and to teach a local fisherman the art of artificial spawning. 

 The preparation of the spawn for the nursing boxes was com- 

 menced on the 23d of November 1853, and in the course of a 

 month 300,000 ova were deposited in the 300 boxes, which 

 had been carefuUy filled with prepared gravel, and made aU 

 ready for their reception. Mr. Eamsbottom, who conducted 

 the manipulation, says the river Tay is one of the finest breed- 

 ing streams in the world, and thinks that it would be pre- 

 sumptuous to limit the numbers of salmon that might be bred 



