33& FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



high level and threw a great deal of dirt and leaves into the hatchery. On 

 one occasion it required an entire day to clean up the dirt, but the eggs and 

 fish were not injured. 



Difficulties in Distribution 



In certain cases applicants for fish fail to meet messengers who have 

 fish to be delivered on their applications and the messenger is obliged to 

 take the fish to the next applicant on his route accepting his receipt for 

 them. 



Certain persons who occupy summer homes in the Adirondacks or 

 some other resort apply for fish which have to be sent after those persons 

 have returned to their winter homes. No one is on hand to act upon 

 telegrams or to dispose of the fish. It should be kept in mind that such 

 fish as yellow perch are usually distributed late in the fall, and applicants 

 should govern themselves accordingly. 



Trout Disease 



A chin tumor which was first observed at the Pleasant Valley Hatchery 

 in brook trout, broke out badly in September, 1909, among the two-year 

 old brown trout and caused a loss of a great many stock fish. The same 

 disease has been reported as affecting salmon in Maine. On October 21st, 

 Mr. Davidson stated that he had examined stock fish and found 150 brook 

 trout affected by the tumors and 223 brown trout. On December 1st, 

 Mr. Davidson's men sent in a whitefish from Keuka Lake having a large 

 tumor at the lower edge of the gills. This tumor is probably identical 

 with that observed in the brook trout and brown trout. The whitefish 

 was about twenty-four inches long and weighed about five pounds. 



Up to July 17, 1909, the tumor disease, which had been observed so 

 frequently in brook trout at the Pleasant Valley Station, was still unnoticed 

 in the brown trout and the rainbow. Unfortunately it attacked both of 

 these species later in the year and especially the brown trout. 



In order to provide against the spread of the disease in stock ponds 

 at the Pleasant Valley Station, Foreman Davidson proposed the collecting 



