CHAPTER XV. 
SALMON CULTURE, 
Great loss in nature—Large number of eggs deposited—Bad management of 
our rivers—Some evils may be remedied—Poachers considered—Impounding Salmon 
— Where to get the best eggs—Nature's discrepancies provided for—More about 
poachers—Fate of the eggs—Falling off in catch of salmon—Rate of natural 
increase considered—Feeding of salmon—Migration—Experiments—Smolts and 
grilse—The United States—Salmon of Alaska—Alaskan and British salmon 
compared—Saprolegnia, 
HE so-called artificial cultivation of the salmon (\S. salar) is 
in a degree somewhat similar to the cultivation of the trout 
(S. fario). ‘That is to say, the treatment of the eggs is very much 
the same, as well as of the alevins and young fish. The difference 
lies chiefly in dealing with the adult salmon as well as the younger 
fish after they have been turned into the rivers, and last, but by 
no means least, in the manipulation of the rivers themselves. 
The subject is a very large one, and I can only somewhat briefly 
allude to it here, but as the presence of the king of fishes is re- 
quired, in order to make what many would consider a perfect 
“angler’s paradise,” I will give a few of my views on this important 
question. 
If we take into consideration the fact that when left to Nature 
not one egg in a hundred produces a fish that will reach four 
ounces in weight, and make a careful examination, in order to 
ascertain the cause and whereabouts of this great destruction 
during the earlier stages, we find that enemies are so numerous 
and the casualties and dangers to which they are exposed so great 
that the wonder rather is that any come to maturity at all. 
‘In the first place we know that salmon and trout will eat not 
only their own eggs, but will, if they can, eat each other; hence 
