How to obtain it. 129 
rats and foul smells. ‘There are also many other inconveniences. 
I have tried both systems, and I am greatly in favour of open 
gutters on the surface. They are simple, and add but little to the 
cost of the hatchery; they are convenient and clean, and are 
always open to view. 
The floor itself, I need hardly say, should not be level, but 
should have a fall one way or the other to suit circumstances, and 
to cause all water to run off immediately into the gutters. It 
should be frequently washed, not with a floorcloth, but with clean 
water anda broom. This should be done by the manager himself, 
or by someone working directly under him, as it requires to be 
done with care. On no account should any carelessness or undue 
roughness be tolerated in a hatchery. The disarrangement of a 
pipe or a tap, or a blow on one of the hatching boxes, may do 
serious damage, and whoever cleans the floor should be acquainted 
with the working of all such contrivances. 
The door of a hatchery should be kept shut, or rats, mice, or 
birds will get in, and it is sometimes difficult to get them out 
again. Rats seem naturally attracted to a hatchery, and if they 
can get in they will. The outlet for the water should be carefully 
guarded by a grating, and every precaution taken to prevent 
any intruders of this kind gaining access to the hatching boxes. 
Where lead or iron pipes are used for bringing in the water, 
it should be borne well in mind that either may be very injurious. 
I have seen excellent work done with them, and I have also seen 
great destruction caused by them. The first hatchery I ever built, 
which was erected in one of the suburbs of a large town, was 
supplied from the waterworks at the rate of sixpence per thousand 
gallons. The water was excellent, but occasionally repairs were 
done by the company, and on these occasions it would for a short 
time run very thick and yellow, and would poison my little fishes. 
In the same way when the water has been shut off a hatchery for 
a few months during the summer the pipes will corrode, and 
afterwards send down a quantity of poisonous matter, which may 
do great injury. Care should, therefore, be taken that they are 
thoroughly clean before hatching begins. This applies not only 
to the supply pipes, but also to the hatchery itself, and all the 
apparatus which it contains. 
K 
