"before applying the milt, and then stirred them with his 
hand until thoroughly mixed before he poured in the 
water. His success by this method resulted in impregnat¬ 
ing nearly one hundred per cent, of the eggs. 
Mr. Wilmot, in his report on the management, of the 
Dominion hatching establishments, asserts that experience 
taught him each year to use less and less water, aud finally 
his best results were obtained by the dry method, without 
water, aud hence he has adopted the system of dry im¬ 
pregnation. It is also said that Seth Green early applied 
these principles in fecundating eggs, and It is regarded as 
the secret of his success. 
Virginia’s Liberal Appropriation for Pish Cul¬ 
ture .—The Committee of Appropriatiou in the House of 
Representatives has passed favorably ou an appropriation 
of $30,000 to construct a fish-way around the Great Palls of 
the Potomac. The Richmond Whig says:—“This is con¬ 
sidered tantamount to its passage. A fish-way at lhat point 
will render the Potomac, with its tributaries, one of the 
finest streams on the continent for shad, salmon, rock aud 
herring. The Appropriation Committee will also probably 
favor an appropriatiou for fish-hatchiug by the United 
States Commissioner, to take effect immediately. This is a 
very important measure, aud cannot be passed too soon, as 
the spawning season is already beginning. By the speedy 
passage of the bill the Commissioner can have upwards a 
hundred millions of shad hatched to replenish all the rivers 
falling into the Atlantic, and at the same time stock the 
Western waters. If he had the money lie would now he 
at work on the Savannah. In addition to shad, hening and 
rock will also largely engage the attention of the Commis¬ 
sioner. The State Commissioners, we hear, propose to do 
all that is possible with the limited fund at their disposal 
in multiplying shad and herring and rock in the rivers of 
ihe State.” 
—The Legislature of Kentucky having made an appro¬ 
priation of $3,000 for the purpose of stocking the waters 
of the State, and having also passed a law for the protec¬ 
tion of fish, the Governor, in accordance therewith has ap¬ 
pointed a Fish Commission which held its first meeting at 
the Galt House, Louisville, on the 5th iust. HOn. C. ,1. 
Walton, of Hart County, being appointed chairman. Up¬ 
on motion, Mr. Pack Thomas, of Louisville, was elected 
President, and Dr. S. W. Combs, of Bowling Greeu, Sec¬ 
retary, and the following Executive Committee was chosen 
by ballot.: Pack Thomas, Louisville; P. H. Darby, Prince¬ 
ton; J. H. Bruce, Lancaster; Dr, S. W. Combs, Bowling 
Green, and J. A. Steele, Versailles. The greater part of 
the session was consumed in the discussion of matters per¬ 
taining to fish culture and the manner best to supply the 
Kentucky waters with fish. The chairman stated that he 
had written to a number of persons concerning the inten¬ 
tion of Kentucky in regard to pisciculture, anil l hat lie had 
received numerous responses congratulating him on the 
fact that his state had resolved to do something in so im¬ 
portant an enterprise as fish culture. 
Mr. Pack Thomas was empowered to visit the West 
and East, examine fish hatches, and obtain all informa¬ 
tion necessary for the establishment of the proposed onter- 
terprlse in Kentucky. 
—Fifty thousand salmon trout were put in the Lower 
Saranac Lake last week, cutting through ice from twenty 
to twenty-five inches thick. This appears to he carrying 
coals to Newcastle. What a reflection upon our game 
laws that they nre not enforced as they might be, with 
State Fish Commissioners to visit the lakes and arrest all 
violators during the sporting season. 
—Mr, G. C. Burt, of Mankato, Minnesota, has been 
recently appointed one of the Fish Commissioners of that 
State. 
\y ■ 4 ■ > , 
The Lawrence Dam.— Mr. E. A. Brackett, of the 
Massachusetts Fish Commission, sends the following let¬ 
ter, which we publish at his request:— 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
I find tlie following going the rounds of the papers, purporting to bo 
from the Report of the Fish and Game Leagoe or New Hampshire:— 
“The Hon. Joseph Kidclor then spoke in behalf of the Committee on 
Fishways, which was appointed nt Ihe last meeting. He said he had un¬ 
derstood that daring the year the Commissioners of Massachusetts had 
made substantial improvements in the fishways over the dam at Law¬ 
rence, but upon visiting Lawrence for the purpose of inspection he had 
found tlie way over that dam even more impassable than it has ever be¬ 
fore. The fishway was then described as it was when built, and the fact 
stated that at least two-thirds of the ladder had been carried away by 
the freshets, so that now it is totally useless. ” 
The above paragraph, in Whole or part, has been going tho rounds of 
the papers, doing Mr. Kidder great Injustice, Inasmuch as It makes him 
responsible for statements which are not true. Sir. Kidder Is a gentle¬ 
man warmly interested in fish cnlture, and could not possibly have 
made such gross misrepresentations. Mr. Charles Storrow, Treasurer 
of Essex county, and myself examined the way Monday, April 10th, and 
although the water had been sevenfeet deep on the crest of the dam, we 
found that no part of the fishway had been carried away by the freshet— 
not even bo much as a timber or plank started. E. A. Brackett, 
Com. ou Inland Fisheries, Mass. 
Nebraska Salmon. —Wonders will probably ecase when 
the wonder-mill stops; but as long as the U. S. Fishery 
Commission continues its efforts we may be prepared for 
such startling results as Nebraska salmon. Yet one would 
almost as readily expect to find birds of Paradise in Con¬ 
necticut as salmofi in Nebraska. Tlie Omaha Bee of April 
13th says that one of its editors, who has been visiting the 
southern part of the State, saw some fishermen seining in 
the Missouri river at Plaltsmoulb, and among the fish 
caught were a large number of salmon, from six to eighteen 
inches long. The younger salmon they threw into the river 
again. “These fish," it “says, no doubt came from the 
Elkborn river, where, it will be remembered, Seth Green, 
the celebrated Massachusetts pisciculturist, had a carload 
of live flsli dumped into the water at the time of the Union 
Pacific bridge accident, some two years ago. So it will he 
Been that the accident is proving a benefit to Nebraska, and 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
it demonstrates the fact that salmon will flourish iu our 
streams, muddy as some of them are." 
The correspondent who has been kind enough to give 
us this information sends the following letter, accompany¬ 
ing:— 
«' Cherry Hill, Neb,, April 13th, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
1 am informed there have been a number of fish caught at Elkhorn of 
specie unknown before the “Elkhorn wreck.” Three days after the ac¬ 
cident I saw large numbers of young fish steadily working up stream. 
Among others, I am confident there wore trout (this was several miles 
above tho scene of the accident). There was also a large number of 
young fish caught about the wreck aud taken to ponds and streams, both 
east and west; among them there were no doubt quite a number of “im¬ 
ported flsli." Iam going down to Elkhorn soon, and will ascertain If 
any fish known to be from the car have been caught. I look for reports 
from the upper waters of the Elkhorn with much interest. Prof. Liv- 
ingstau Stone’s method of "planting" fish in the Elkhorn was not one 
lhat I would recommend others to try; neither do 1 think would he, yet 
it has, beyond a doubt, given us some fine fish. R. T. C. 
—A. very large amount of work has been done at. the 
State Fish Hatchery at Caledonia, near Rochester. During 
the season of 1875-70, not yet closed, there have, been dis¬ 
tributed 1,460,000 salmon trout and eggs; 353,000 brook 
trout; 70,000 California salmon; 150,000 whiteflsb, beside 
large quantities of eggs of these fish. During the last six 
years there have beeu distributed from this single establish¬ 
ment 10,000,000 salmon trout eggs and fry, 10,000,000 of 
salmon, and 1,000,000 each of California and Kennebec 
salmon, Iu shad hatching 5,000,000 eggs were gathered 
and impregnated last year, a large part of which were put 
iu the Hudson River. 
RAISING BROOK TROUT. 
v Caledonia, N. Y., April, 1876. 
Editor Forest and Stream:— 
It Is bnl a very few years sincu little was known abont taking, impreg¬ 
nating, and hatching the eggs of fish or raising the young. The brook 
tront were first and most largely the objects of trial, both because the 
price of the fish was high, lind its culture seemed to afford a chance of 
great profit, aud because ou account of their habits and (be length of 
time required for hatching the ova, they were the easiest fish with which 
to experiment. Very rapid steps weTU made iu the art of impregnation 
Slid lunching, aud now these parts of the business seem to be sufficiently 
well understood. But from the very first days of fisli culture, there has 
been mu undue difficulty found in raising the young trout, from the time 
tile sue was absorbed until they were five or six monthB old. Other 
kinds of fish have been hatched out and the young raised without any 
difficulty. Any one can rear the fry of the salmon trout or the Cal ifor- 
niu salmon; but not every one can raise the yonng of the brook trout, 
duet here ia the queerest thing about the whole matter. Some men 
have no difficulty in raising their yonng brook trout, even if they never 
tried it before. Others who have the whole business at their finger ends 
cannot raise them at all. Their growth does not seem to he entirely a 
matter of skill. 1 am forced to tlie conclusion llmt, of waters apparently 
the same, some are better adapted to raising the fry tirnn others; though 
wherein this adaptation consists I am still at a loss to know. The exact 
reason why some people lose their trout and others grow them without 
any difficulty has still to be determined. Of course skill has something 
to do with It; hut no reasons known will account for the varying success 
»f trout growers. The only gueBS I can make ia, that late fish iu sort 
and warm waters will do better than early fish in hard and cold waters, 
because, in the first mentioned waters the young fish find more of their 
natural food. But then that is not raising them artificially. Other fish 
do well universally when fed in troughs, or tanks,-or boxes. Voung 
brook trout do not. In some places mid with some men they do well, 
aud in other places and witli other meu they die Now, the question to 
be dulsrmined is, what is the reason of the difference in success? How 
can we toll certainly whether any particular stream will not only hatch 
out but grow trout successfully? 
It would be thought at first sight that the streams which bad many 
brook trout in them, and which have been famous for years as the abode 
of trout in numbers and of superior excellence, would be the streams 
With which the most trout could be raised; hut the fact Is that such is 
hot always the case. I have known tront fry to be raised without any 
difficulty in what I should call a moddy mill-dam, and to die in numbers 
iu tho waters of a stream famous for its trout. Iam speaking entirely 
of artificial rearing, because fry allowed to rim free in tho same stream 
seemed to have no difficulty in thriving well. The point ia one which 
all pisciculturists should bear in mind, and they should give to those in¬ 
terested in the matter any facts coming to their knowledge which may 
help to solve the difficulty. A. S. Collins. 
Newfoundland Seal Fishery.— Speaking of the de¬ 
cadence Of this commercial interest, a correspondent at 
Harbor Grace, N. F., attributes it in great part to tlie 
wanton waste in killing the young “whitecoats" or “cats." 
“In old times,” be writes, “I have seen 130 sailing ships 
going to the ice from St, Johns. Now there are some 
eighteen steamers aud comparatively a few sailing vessels. 
They say three from St. Johns and about fifteen from here. 
We have three steamers.” Seals usually leave tlie ice and 
take to the water about April 10th, and as no favorable 
time for the prosecution of the fishery presented itself un¬ 
til the 9th of March, the season is likely to prove short, 
and the catch small. Our correspondent mentions several 
varieties of seals, as the “Harp," which carries a pattern 
of a harp on his back, the “Hood,” which envelopes his 
face with a hood when in danger, the “Square Flipper,” 
and the “Bedlamer,” which is one of the fortumvtes who 
have escaped the slaughter of Lite previous year. lie con¬ 
tinues: “The sailing vessels take from twenty-five to sixty 
men, and tlie steamers 300 to 350 men or more. You may 
well imagine how uncomfortable it must be for sucli a 
large body of men cooped up as they are, in a compara¬ 
tively small hold; and three or four often occupy one 
bunk. Its a wonder that epidemic disease does not de- 
velope itself. Our pe ople are a hardy race, but they can¬ 
not hope to live by seals. The men’s berths are ranged on 
a lower deck on each side of the ship; the ballast is below. 
When seals are taken, tho centre-hoards are lifted, the bal¬ 
last handed out, and the seal pelts put io, when there is a 
heavy cargo, all tlie bunks are knocked down and the men 
must sleep where they can. Is that nice!" 
Up lo April 19th the following sealers had arrived at St, 
Johns: Leopard, with seven thousand seals; Bear, with 
ten thousand seals; Wolf, with five thousand seals; Hawk, 
with four thousand seals; Ranger, with thirteen thousand 
seals; Proteus, with ten thousand seals; Lion, with twenty 
thousand seals, and Greenland with twelve thousand seals, 
165 
Jr* and giver Jfiixhitig. 
FISH IN SEASON IN APRIL. 
Brook Trout, Salmo Fontlnalis. Land locked Salmon, Salma Qtovcri. 
For list of seasonable trout flies for April see our issue of March 
23d. 
Fish in Market.— Our quotations show no material 
change from last weeks prices. Striped bass are worth 15 
to 18 cents per pound; smelts, 15 cents; salmon, frozen, 60 
cents, Kennebec, $1; California, 50 cents; shad, Southern, 
80 cents, North River, 40 cents, Connecticut River, 60 cents; 
weaklish, from Carolina, 15 cents; white perch, 15 cents; 
Spanish mackerel, 50 cents; green turtle, 30 cents; terrapin, 
$13 per dozen; halibut, 15 cents per pound; haddock, 8 
cents; king fish, 18 cents; cod fish, 10 cents; black fisb, Iff 
cents; flounders, 10 cents; eels, 18cents; lobsters, 10 cents; 
sheepshcad, 30 cents; turbot, 25 cents; scollops, $1 Der 
gallon; soft clams, 30 to 00 cents per 100; pickerel, 15 cents 
per pound; suuflsii, 10 cents; yellow perch, 10 cents; brook 
trout, Canada, 50 cents, Long Island do $1; bard crabs, $3 
per 100; pompano, 75 cents per pound. 
A Rare Visitor. —One of the smacks engaged in fishing 
for cod off Sandy Hook ou Tuesday morning took a fine 
halibut, weighing 70 pounds. It was brought to the city 
alive, and exhibited at Mr. BlackfoTd3. 
—Shad were caught plentifully with fly last February in 
Lake Monroe, Florida, a sheet of water seven miles wide, 
which is not a lake at all, but merely a widening of the 
river some 225 miles above iLs mouth. So far as testimony 
goes shad taken with the fly have always been captured 
hitherto at rapids and swift running water; hut here there 
is no perceptible current, and the fact becomes interesting 
to those who affect this sort of sport as well as to students 
of natural history. 
—A Huntsville (Ala.) correspondent sends us an account 
of a days' fishing at Gardner’s Mill in the Flint River last 
month, when some fine strings of black bass and wall-eyed 
pike—known as salmon locally—were taken. Some of the 
latter weighed 7-1 lbs. Tho fishing was done with live 
minnows, and the best success was had below the mill-dam. 
There is an angling club at Flint, and from all accounts 
the streams in the vicinity afford a good quality of sport. 
Short Creek, above Guntersville, is also a black bass resort; 
cals, drum, perch, red horse and salmon are also taken in 
abundance. 
Destruction of Suad in Lake Ontario. —The Ogdens- 
burg Journal referring to the shad placed by llic Fish Com¬ 
missioners in Lake Ontario, a few years since, as an experi¬ 
ment, expresses a doubt as to its success. The Journal 
says: 
During the past fall and winter innumerable small fisli, 
about four inches in length, have been thrown upon the 
shores of tho lake and ilvcr in a dead or dying condition. 
They were discovered at Three Mile Bay, Jefferson county, 
in tlie town of Masscna, during the recent rise of water, 
and along the shore of the Si. Lawrence, above the Light 
House, in this city. If lha destruction, from some un¬ 
known cause, has been as great on all the shores as at tho 
points named, many hundred thousands of these fish have 
perished. 
Wo, last year, observed and referred to this mortality, 
and have inclined to the belief that after a certain period 
shad must go to salt water, just as salmon do after they 
reach par-hood, or else they will die. It is true that the 
Ontario shad have access to salt water, which they can 
reach after a journey of 500 mites or more, running tho 
rapids of the St, Lawrence, meanwhile, but it remains to 
be ascertained whether they do go to salt water, or even 
make the attempt. That shad travel long distances from 
salt water is instanced by tlie fact that they ascend tlie St. 
John's river iu Florida as high as Lake Monroe, or about 
"225 miles above its mouth. There they are found in full 
flavor and condition. It may he that the Ontario shad do 
the same, but we are not aware that the fact is known. 
Decrease of Potomac Shad. —The "Washington Star 
notices the small run of Potomac shad this year, and attri¬ 
butes it to the use of gill nets whioh the old fishermen say 
are destroying the business. It says: 
The fish which would naturally ascend the river to the 
spawning grounds between the limes of hauling tho large 
seines are now all caught up by the gill nets, it being 
almost impossible for a fish lo escape them. The conse¬ 
quence is that fishing shores which in former years rented 
for thousands now command only a few hundred dollars. 
It is believed that there are at least two thousand gill nets 
between the Loug Bridge and the mouth of the river, many 
of which stretch quite across the channel where tlie fish 
run. Many of the shad caught in these nets are destroyed 
by eels and catfish before they can be readied by tlie fisher¬ 
men, and many of them drown before being reached. 
Those persons occupying shore landings complain that tho 
laws of Maryland and Virginia governing fishing in this 
river aro not enforced, and uo efforts are made to enforce 
them. 
Massachusetts— Mlton, April 15th. —The river here is 
full of smelts, and but very few are taken, and those under 
cover of the night. H. 
New Bedford , April 14th. —Fish in market are more plen¬ 
tiful, comprising cod, haddock, halibut, herrings, alewives, 
smelts, &c. The corps of amateur trout fishermen were 
out yesterday, “fast day,” and some of them met with, 
very fair success, especially the “knowing one’s,” who 
wont fishing “over there.’’ 
Primitive “NeedlePoints. —We have received from 
the writer of the following letter some very curious fish¬ 
hooks) and a line manufactured by the Mojave Indians of 
