268 Second Annual Report of the 



From time to time a portion of the milted liquor is poured off 

 and replaced with clean water, meanwhile the eggs and milt are 

 continually stirred with bunches of feathers until as many eggs 

 as possible have become fertilized. In the course of 50 minutes 

 to one hour or longer the eggs which are beautiful, golden in 

 color, show plainly in the clear water, and their tendency to stick 

 together which is so strong at first, is entirely overcome. The 

 process of separating the eggs has sometimes been finished in 50 

 minutes, and sometimes it has continued an hour and one-half. 

 When properly prepared for the hatching jars the eggs are car- 

 ried in tubs in a liberal quantity of water to the hatching house 

 where they are transferred to the jars and the circulation of 

 water, which must be continuous, is begun. Eggs properly 

 hardened may be shipped by express in egg cases for considerable 

 distances, and with small loss. They must, however, be un- 

 packed and separated in tubs of water before they are placed in 

 the hatching apparatus. At the Oneida hatchery the estimate of 

 eggs to a quart is 130,000; but some authorities find 150,000. 



The hatching period varies greatly, but is usually from 18 to 

 20 days at a water temperature of about 48 degrees. The longest 

 hatching period observed at Constantia was 36 days. The short- 

 est record for the incubation is seven days ; but this did not occur 

 at Constantia. The preponderance of males among the pike- 

 perch is remarkable. On one occasion, the milt of 200 males was 

 used in fertilizing the eggs from 43 females. 



During the 5-year period ending in May, 1912, the total num- 

 ber of pikeperch planted by the Commission in tributaries of the 

 St. Lawrence river, in St. Lawrence county, was 11,175,000. All 

 of these were placed in waters from which they could descend 

 into the St. Lawrence river, and this probably explains the in- 

 crease and spread of the pikeperch in the region. 



Blue Pike. 

 On May 23, 1912, a case of eggs of the blue pike, taken in 

 Lake Erie, were received from the Pennsylvania Commission 

 of Fisheries. The fry resulting from these eggs were planted in 

 the lake. 



