Mat S, 18810 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



271 



r # g nJime. 



THE NEW YOBK FISH COMMISSION. 



r\ N tho subject of the necessity for continuing tho appropriations 

 • , Jt'iirly, theBrookleu Eagle recently said : "The importance 

 ana necessity of cultivating nab for toed Ltixig since passed beyond 

 tho range of controversy. In every State in the Union the subjeet is 

 eroeiving the careful attention of the authorities This is especial- 

 ly true of the commonwealths bordering on the seacoast, where 

 the fisheries furnish Occupation for many citizens and food for 

 many more. In the Empire State tho eul'ture and protection of 

 fish|has enlisted the active and intelligent efforts of a cnsi.lcrable 

 body of public spirited citizens, whose labors have been iruque*. 

 tiouably productive of gron ; good. The gentlemen engaged in the 

 work have given their time to it without compensation, aud their 

 endeavors have been crowned with practical and beneficial results. 



■where many were lost from overcrowding, but not so (jrefi I, a. mo- 

 lality as in 'the previous year. A singular fact .vas the appearance 

 of Whitehall in Luke Elmo where none had been planted. It id 

 thought that they cami bj thu underground passage from White 

 Bear Lake, live miles awav. 



MTr, Geo. \V. Seymour, of Taylor's Falls, writes that several 

 Schools of salmon have been soon "by Mr. Tnpp, of Chisago Lake, 

 the schools numbering fitted] to twenty in euro one and the fish 

 from ten to tv.t utt i ichl f long. Two qninnat salmon were caught 

 in Die Mississippi IUvu\ near BahnbolUcr's brewery, May 22, 1 7:i, 

 with a trolling-sp 



ohu 



of Be 



.all 



" In the 



ultun 



wide 



York State i 



ent oon-ists of tho H 

 , of the A 

 1, of this 



ithe 



ed pre-i 

 a. l!la.l 



i Bobe 



of the most important 

 »rs hfrnbeen that of the aew 

 ies. The commission at pres- 

 •tB. Roosevelt, thodistiunuish- 

 cultural Association ; Mr. Eugene 

 •t the largest dealers and experi- 

 enced fishermen in the oouutiT; Mr, Richard N. Sherman, of New 

 Hartford, M. Y., aud Mr. E, M. Smith, of Rochester, N. Y. Ihe 

 expenses of the commission iu the pursuit of its labors have been 

 paid for during the past decade by an appropriation from the 

 State, the amount being $15,000 per annum. Considerable excite- 

 ment and some disappointment was occasioned "last v ear when Gov- 

 ernor Cornell vetoed the appropriation which had linen put. in the 

 Supply Bill. The veto was based ou the Governors belief that 

 enough had been done in the line of hsheniture bv the state for 

 the present. The Commissioners of Fisheries aud those who take, 

 an interest in their work, hope tlmUhoy will this year receive belter 

 treament from tho authorities. The sum of 815,000 has been pro- 

 vided for in a bill now before the Legislature, its pa8'sace"ii re- 

 garded as a foregone conclusion, and the commissioners hope to 

 convince the Governor of the advisability aud importance of ap- 

 proving the appropriation. A strong effort will be made in this 

 direction lor the benelitof Long Island where so great a pi opirtiou 

 of the. fisheries' interest is situated. 

 Mr. Blackford, of the commission, was questioned, and said : 

 '• The Commission has done a great work in the past, and we 

 hope to be able to continue it iu the future. Much will depend, 

 however, upon whether we get the required appropriation from 

 the State. All wo ask ia $15,000, aud this amount is urgently 

 needed. At least one-third of this sum should be expended oil 

 Long Island. In no portion of the State is there to be found such 

 o large j- long lute-re;- 1 as on the stores and iu the streams of Long 

 Island. It is of the first importance that this great interest should 

 be watched over and preserved. Already some njBJ-ked changes 

 are noticeable. Not more than five years ago the catch of Spanish 

 mackerel in Gravesend Bav was from 8,000-10 i,000 pounds a day. 

 Dunug the past two years no Spanish mackerel whatever has been 

 found in th .t vicinity. On the east end of Long^Island, the tract 

 including the Benson property at iuontauk Point, tho waters used 

 to yield from 300,000 to 500,000 pounds of this delicious aud game 

 fish each season, while last year the catch was not more than 2.500. 

 Spanish mackerel were formeriy very plentiful all along the Long 

 Island coast. They were caught, in great quantities all along tho 

 south side of the island and at various points in the Great South 

 Bay. They are now extinct in all the waters throughout that 

 region. Wo kuow of uo reason for this unless that it be they ere 

 fallen in greater quantities each year than they wero naturally pro- 

 duced. The decrease became noticeable some time ago, bur, it was 

 only within a very few venrs that the fish entirely disappeared 

 The departure of this delicious fish from these waters is gnatlv to 

 be regretted, aud if their absence can be remedied it should, iu'the 

 opiutou of the Commission, be done at once. It is proposed, if 

 we can get, the desired appropriation, to restock the 

 points with yonug Spanish mackerel from the Ches: 

 "It is proposed aud intended to establish at si 

 spot on the south side of the island a hatching hoi 

 fleial propagation of sea buss, striped bass, poi 

 head. Such an institutioa is greatly needed and 

 timubl-J Value. It, is the sincere desire of ovei 

 Commission that »e should have it, 1 have mac 1 

 tiou to se\ era! points iu the vicinity of Babylon 

 end of Long Island, at the Mouta'uk Point or Bui m propert 



i dozen or more were caught at different 



ii was hoped for snd suggested last . vear at the meeting of the 

 Central Fisbcnltural Society, U. S. Commissioner Baud has di- 

 rected attention to a systematic plan of spockiug the Mississippi 

 Biver with salmon. The details are in the hands of his assistant. 

 Mr. T B. Ferguson, who sent two experts— Messrs. Ellis and 

 Saurhoff— to examine streams and locate a hatchery, which they 

 finally erected at, Willow Brook, It, is expected that this will be 

 a grand work. Ponds have also been built for the German carp. 



THE CARP AND ITS CULTURE."" 



Bv Btrooun Hesisel, Scpt. U. S. Cari'Poxdg, "Wash: 



To carry on carp culture iu a regular and Judicious manner, sev- 

 eral ponds are required, according to thu various purposes they 

 are destined for. 



1. The hatching pond. 



2. The oreadiug pond. 



3. The culture or regular carp pond, 



Tho hatching pond serves mure particularly for natural impreg- 

 nation aud hatching, or rather for natural propagation generally, 

 by placing a u:im!<- of male and female fisbes into the pond. 

 Here the females drop the eggsj during the spawning season, upon 

 aquatic plants, where tiny are impregnated by the male. 



In stocking ponds, three females are calculated to two males, 

 Sometimes twice that number, per acre. The. females bear a great 

 number of eggs; as has Leon remarked before, but the smaller 

 number oioy are impregnated. i il • .'her do all these come. to life. 



The most liberal estimate will not exceed the number of from 

 S00 to 1,000 yonug fishes to one spawuer, the aggregate per acre 



able number 



jstablisli- 



ltisscaioelypo 





e to 



say 



rhat 



is t 



re most d 



of milters and spi 



wn 



•rs f( 



il- Bl 



ickii 



S I 



ouds, as th 



subject differ widt 



Ivi 



l Li 



rope 



. 1 



bell 



ve, howevi 



be correct, audit 



s a 



ocep 



ed 



as s 



ueh 



by all exte 



leuts. 



The above mentioned result will be much more favorable if the 

 old rule, now unfortunately almost forgotten, is observed, to feed 

 tho carp which arc in the spawning pond shortly before and dur- 

 ing the season of spawning, so as to prevent their searching for 

 food, which generally leads th, m to eat their ov, a eggs. After the 

 fish have laid their eggs thev must i imply be removed from the 

 ponds, which prevents their eating the eggs. This Useful rule, 

 formerly much practiced in Europe,' has uulortmiatuly fallen into 

 disuse Tin fact it has almdat been forgotten, probably because 

 carp naturally increase very fasl.f By removing the spaw 



l In 



ists 



I El 



Ulltll 



uth'pai 



at th 



.!;e JJi; 



louse for the arti- 

 •gies and sheeps- 

 would bo of iues- 

 y meini er of the 



O Visits of illSp.C- 



aud on the e.st 



Should if be decided to 

 am sure th t Mr. B. 

 tabled a lease or the 

 It embraces twenty-!, 

 United States, audi; 

 depot there I shall g" 

 mand. Mr. Benson 

 cult 



hatching house at the east 



(a 'iill afford every facility. I have ob- 

 re u"shiug privilege "of Mon'tauk for years, 

 miles of the best, fishing ground in the 

 is thought desirable to have the hatching 

 the project all the assistance at my eoni- 

 greatiy interested in the subject of fiah- 

 'etoed the appropriation li 



year, Mr. Benson called upon me and said that if' anything in the 

 |i»h-hatehing interest suffered and we needed any funds we could 

 call upon hiin for $5,000. Ho has extensive lish preserves on the 

 island, and has stocked many of his ponds with carp, 



" The people of Long Island have been practically deprived of 

 the benefits of the Caledonia, hatching house. Any one desiring to 

 Stock any of the Long Island streams was compelled to pay the ex- 

 panses of transportation and §3 a day to a man to come'with the 



h in order to secure their safe delivery. In fact, the conditions 

 nuder which it had to ho done were almost orohibitorv, tho amount 

 required to stock a single stream being from $50 to'siOO. A cer- 

 tain amount of our appropriation, if we get one, will he devoted 

 to trout culture, on Long Island. The island possesses advantages 

 for trout culture which we can hnd in no other part of the. State 

 The fish seem to rind their natural food and grow with extraor- 

 dinary rapidity in its streams. An illustration of the adaptability 

 of the island to trout culture is found iu the fact that there 

 are more private trout-culture establishments upon it than iu any 

 part of the State. It is fairly dotted with trout preserves from 

 Maspeth to Sag Harbor. H the authorities take the matter m 

 hand the production of trout will be vastly increased." 



An Icisla.s'd Evru— A serious fact with a serious moral is re- 

 corded by Mr. St. George Mivart iu a late number of the Cinitemrin- 

 rary Bemtw : "The egg of a certain tape-worm may be voided by 

 some dog into a stream or rivulet, and if such egg' be accidentia 

 drank in by a human being it grows into a kind of bladder-worm, 

 the ravages caused by the growth of which are so serious that iii 

 Iceland (where the sooial conditions lead to the maintenance of 

 many dogs) it, is estimated to be the. cause of one death out of 

 every seven. So great is the evil that the Iceland Legislature, 

 8omfiy carB ag°, ordered that all the doga of the island should be 

 uimultaneously pm ged and their excreta burned. These facts w it b 

 regard to the dog, show that the filthy, unclean habit iu which so 

 many ladies indulge, of allowing their lap dogs to lick their hands 

 aud faces, is a practice not unattended with danger." 



THE MINNESOTA COMMISSION. 



THE Sixth and sevouth annual reports of the Minnesota Fish 

 Commission for the years 1870 and 1880 are contained in one. 

 There were, great numbers of " California fry, 1 ' by which term, we 

 suppose, the quiimat salmon is meant, on baud at' the closo of 187t-. 

 They were placed in a pond near the hatchery and flourished until 

 .Tau."l, 1870, when a change of temperature to 20 dcg. below zero 

 came, fallowed by 35 deg. below. This chilled them so that they 

 refnsed food and great numbers perished. A favorable change iii 

 the weather seemed to revive the li\ing until another cold sutp in 

 February thinned them out again. Still 41,000, by actual count, 

 were distributed. The brook trout at both Red Wing and Willow 

 3rook have been healthy and prolific, and from them 201,000 fry 

 have been distributed. 



At the tiegiuning of 1880 another great swarm of lifo occupied 

 the hatchery, filling every available inch of room, and, remember- 

 ing the previous experience, the fry were kept in the troughs, 



placarded it 

 present, ™»J 



three tune 



rpia 



.ouug fish are kept aiive than by 

 ulng ponds. Ou no account should too 

 grant a quantity of y'oui g fish be placed iu a poud. The above- 

 mentioned num'ter oi 4,0uo to 5.000 y.mug fish to the acre requires 

 water which is very rich iu natural food. If there are too many 

 youuglish in the" spawning-pond they grow very slowly, as the 

 pond cahuot produce the nec.esr.aiv quantity of food. Such fish 

 are scarcely one to two inches long when they are one to two 

 years old : ouly the head grows a little, while the rest of the body 

 remains small. As soon as youug fish feel the want of food for 

 any length of time, tho gristle and houe of the skeleton harden, 

 thna bringing its development to a close, not allowing nature fair 

 play, aud the fish remains a cripple for the rest of its life, even if 

 it is placed in ponds affording unlimited supply of food. It is, 

 therefore, better ether to place fewer youug fi»h iu tho ponds or 

 to make the ponds larger ; it will be found to pay. The young fish 

 will grow rapidly; their development will be healthy, aud even 

 dining the first year they will reach the length of five to six inches. 

 Siroug and healihy fish "can thus be placed iu the growiug-pouds, 

 and here, too, they will grow rapidly. If there are too many young 

 fish for the water-uies, it ia bettor to place them in aome lake, 

 brook or river. On no account should they be kept in the. poud. 

 Begiuners in carp-culture usually consider it quite a sacrifice to let 

 so many youug fish loose in the open river or Jake ; they keep 

 them, and later they will bitterly regret their parsimony, or rather 

 their imprudence, by having weak or not fully developed fish. 



The hatching-pond should not be as largo as the breeding-pond; 

 its depth not to exceed It or 1 \^i foot. The outer portiou, or. as 

 it ia termed, the low-water margin, should generally be from 2 to 

 5 inches in depth, and from SO toll) feet in width. Provision 

 should he made that l-'rshwa Jbnlons grows there plentifully; for 

 the fishes give, the preference to this plant for the disposition of 

 eggs, as I before observed. But the bottom of these hatching- 

 ponds must be of similar construction to that of thelurger onus ; 

 that is. they must bo provided with the above described cavities, 

 or kettles, collectors aud collector ditches. The •'« Hectors" 

 must be cleauod from the mud evciy spring ; they need not be as 

 d ep in these ponds as they are in such as are intended for the re- 

 ception of larger fishes ; a" depth of from 4 to 5 inches only beiug 

 required for fishes of uiiuor size The hatching-ponds have out- 

 lets aud reserve-sluices in the dam, at the lower end or ou the sides 

 to guard against overflows. These ponds must be secured against 

 the intrr.siou of pike, eels, bass, catfish, tritons, water-snakes, 

 turtles and water-lizards, rats and Water-fowls, or any voracious 

 animals, aud in the South the alligator, A fine grating will pre- 

 vent the entrance of the former ; against the latter various traps 

 are in use, and other moans might be devised, it is of the high- 

 est importance that new ponds bo assiduously kept clear of the 

 animals mentioned, and of many others not named .here. 



In small establishments, embracing only a few acres, it will be 

 found advantageous, in spile of the somewhat greater expense, if 

 the pondB (boih natural aud artificial), either all or singly, ore sur- 

 rounded by a very close board fence 3 to 4 feet high and going 4 

 to six inches into the ground. Such a fence will aii'ord no protec- 

 tion against aquatic birds, waer-suakes and musk-rats, but it will 

 exclude tbe anapping-tmtle, the most dangerous and voracious 

 enemy of liBh, which is more to be feared than either cranes or ot- 

 ters. This detestable animal has been known to clean a pond of 

 fish, and then, led by its sense of smell, to follow the fish, going 



* From "The Carp and Its Culture lu Rivers and hakes an I On 

 Introlucllon hi Ame lea," being Port IV. ot theKeport oftUe U. S. 

 Flau Goumdaalon, lu7&-JSi 



even up hill and against the stream. At night it seizes the fish, 

 which, not suspecting any danger, rest at tbe bottom, with its sham 

 fangs, resembling shears, and kills them. It is a peculiarity of 

 carp to keep at the bottoo during tho night, and likewise during 

 cold and gloomy weal her. and the snappiug-turlle would therefore 

 have many an opportunity of destroying them. Large iron fish- 

 hooks, with a piose of meat fastened to them as bait, will do good 

 service, il distributed in slutahlo places on tbe banks. This should 

 be done from spring to October. The pieces of meat should be of 

 such a size that even large carps cannot bite them : they will then 

 form a most attractive bait for tho ugly monsters. These huoka 

 should be fastened with a -troog brs-s v. lie. a- me : mpiing-;i lb; 

 could easily bl to through twiue, and should be inspected every day. 



In placing .-pawners in ponds, great caution must, be practiced in 

 their select ion, so that only really healthy fishes may lie introduced, 

 and not such «s are affected try fungous growths, the gelatinous 

 £olyp or oilier disease. In Europe the polyp, in particular, has 

 frequently destroyed the productiveness of ponds for many years. 



The newly -obi ai ned youug fry at :t i, I 

 during the winter, after which they are to be transferred to the 

 larger ponds. 



The catching of the young fishes must be done with great care, 

 and the water must be drained off through the grated outlets very 

 slowly, so that no fishes may remain in the mud. for, if a new 

 hatching operation is contemplated hi the pond, the newly-hatched 

 fisbes will be retarded in then- growth on account of tho scarcity of 

 food, this being consumed by any remaining larger ones. Tho 

 voting fishes must be handled carefully, fur the slightest injury of 

 "the scales may cause disease and dentil. 



The breeding-) oads have the same construction as tho hat.r.bing- 

 ponds; they have dams, reserve-sluices, outlet-channels, collectors 

 and ditches iu the bottom. The only difference is in being deeper 

 and larger than hatchlng-poflda. They have an average depth ot 

 J foot 9 inches, and the width of their shallow borders is from 70 to 

 80 feet. The "kettles" have a depth of 4% feet from the surface ; 

 their borders aro fiomi to 8 inches deep. " The growth of grass 

 should also be advanced in these ponds. In small ones of about i 

 or C acres the " kettles" may have a length and width of 60 or 70 

 feet. 



Tbe stocking of the breeding ponds takes place in spring, imme- 

 diately a ftor the emptying oht of tbe hatching-ponds • it lasts from 

 the latter part of March until April. 



From SOU to ! ,000 breeding fishes may bo calculated to n,u Ameri- 

 can acre. 800 beiug the average. To cover possible risks 100 more 

 be added, as iu thu most successful poud slight losses are to 



In fa- 



•eted. 



ethe 



s left to seek its food, it will 

 mds in the ensuing autumn. 

 where feeding is practiced, 



S.tbel 



of F, 



he the 



:n fnvi 



,ght of 2 pou 



rably situated ponds, 

 ds in the same space 



. altributiible to tho mildness 

 ibt not that proportional,!;,- bettor results 



south of this country. 



city, iu which nourishing food is produced 



results of breeding are not very encour- 



thev will 



iii the 

 thev wiU sometimes rear 

 of time. This I found t 

 ever, thoBO favorable res 

 of fbo climate, and I dot 

 muv be arrived at iu the 



iii ponds of small capo 

 in small quantities, the 

 aging 



All advantage will be gained iu northern, colder ooutitiies, by 

 leaving tbe youug fishes two summers in the breeding-ponds ; that 

 is, they are transferred to a second, larger our, aud only from this 

 they pass, into the culture or real carp-ponds. This will answer 

 especially weU if Ihe bottom of tho pond is poor, or if feeding has 

 not the desired effect. 



This method is followed by man v 

 many and Austria, who, in the pos's 

 ex e'ilent, numerous ponds, find it to 

 to place larger brei 



mpetei 



thii 



its in Ger- 



lands jiud 



it enables 



. ud though 



whole year later, the loss of time is compensated for 



J iced in the enrp-ponds. 



e fishes which having been one. 



isftrred to the carpqjoud, the 



bed before. Fishes have been 



i summer onlv, wilbou being 



expiration of that time from 1 



remained there two summers 



eight. In southern 



by I he large 



In the spring of the third year the 

 vear iu the breeding-pond are tra 

 construction of which I have desci 

 kept in the breedjug-poud .for on 

 fed, will be fouud to weigh at Hit 

 to IX pound, while those which 



ill sho a a proportionally gi ' 



Hungary nnd Croatia the fishes kept iu the breeding-ponds but 

 one Slimmer occasionally thrive more favorably. Differences in 

 the ratio or weight aro commonly omng, as 1 observed before, to 

 climatic inllnence, and the greatest and most rapid increase will 

 he found m localities w here t here is an early spring and v here tho 

 mouths of September and October aTe warm, but purticuhuly 

 where the nights are. still and mild during spring and autumn. 



Breeding-ponds should have a certain number of fishes only 

 placed in them when they are stocked, aud that number should 

 uever he exceeded. For the culturist it is important to bear in 

 mind that the younger the transferable breeding-fishes are the 

 less expense they will have caused and the sooner their money 

 value u, ay be realized, all sarps weighing 1% pounds and more 

 being for the market. 



To stock a cidture-pond of one acre 400 to 500 carp of one pound 

 iu weight will be required, and in the following year, or rather in 

 the autumn nf the same year, wheu the fishes are taken out for 

 the market, they will weigh in a good pond i% to 3 pounds each, 

 or about 1.200 to 2.000 pounds in the aggregate. In some locali- 

 ties only 200 carp are taken to one acre" of American square meas- 

 ure, in other places more. 



Pike* are frequently put into carp-ponds In Europe without re- 

 ducing the. mini Per of the carp one pike being added to 25 or 30 of 

 the former. This is an old practice, which has been proved of 

 great use by experience, assisting through tho effects exocised in 

 the improvement of culture— that is. the favorable progress of 

 tbe fishes. The carp is a very indolent fish, which frequently re- 

 mains for many hours in the same place at tbe most favorable pe- 

 riod for feeding, namely in summer, It is aware of the pike's vo- 

 racity and remains always cautiously at a distance from it. The 

 introduction of tho pike is practiced for two reasons: (1.) That 

 the carp may not constantly remain in the same feeding-place, but, 

 f righteued away by tho pike, may visit others also ; (2) it is done, 

 and principally so, to prevent the more mature carp from spawn- 

 ing ; should the spawning occur, as is the. case occasionally, the 

 young fry will he devoured by tho pikes, which otherwise "would 

 have deprived the large carps of their food. The pike will also 

 destroy those fishes and their spawn which had succeeded in get- 

 ting into the ponds without the knowledge or through the inability 

 of the culturist to prey eut it. Great care is required in the intro- 

 duction of tho pike; upeeunens of minor sizes than that of the 

 carp must, be selected. The growth of tho pike being much more 

 rapid than that of the carp (. 00 per cent, per annum"), the former 

 should be younger by one year at least than tho latter, so that it 

 may not prove dangerous to tbe carp. If this precaution is taken 

 in the introduction of Ihe pike, it will be an an actual boon to the 

 carp-colonies, for it will not only exterminate by degrees all those 

 parasitical fi-hes which intrude themselves into the ponds, hut it 

 will dovonr frogs or the smaller kinds of its own species as well as 

 water-snakes and tritons. 



Should the pike suffor from want of food after having cleared 

 the pond of all theseauimalsituiiist.be supplied with it ; small 

 spoiled fishes, or such as have been stunted iu their growth, will 

 answer the purpose. If this is neglected the hungry pike will at- 

 tack its companions, the carp, end though it may not' devour them, 

 it will mortally wound them with its teeth. 



I have so far given the principal traits of natural carp-culture, 

 and will speak more explicitly of the artificial impregnation and 

 hatching of the carp's eggs iu mv next report. So far as 1 know, 

 this latter method has been little", if at all, employed in Em ope, al- 

 though it offers much greater advantages for the production of 

 vast quantities of spawn. My own experiments were rewarded by 

 by the best results. I intend continuing them this 

 Baltimore, aud hope to communicate the results hereafter. 



♦Males are selected tor this purpose. 



