FOREST AND STREAM. 



323 



faff ^nltw{t. 



PRACTICAL FISH CULTURE. 



NUMBER THREE. 



K 



The Dry Method. 



THIS is comparatively a new process in this country, 

 or rather, new to most fish breeders, as it is claimed 

 that some of them used so small a quantity of water as to 

 almost entitle them to call it dry impregnation, before the 

 discovery was announced in America, but the first public 

 announcement of this process was made in the New York 

 Citizen of May 27th, 1871, by Mr. George Shepard Page, of 

 New York, who caused an account of the experiments of 

 M. Vrasski, at Nikolsk, Kussia, to be translated. These 

 experiments were made in 1856, and therefore the Russian 

 was fifteen years in advance of us on this point; and al- 

 though the writer does not accord it as high a place among 

 Piscicultural discoveries as others have done, who have 

 predicted that it would be universally adopted and entirely 

 revolutionize the manner of taking spawn, which, by the 

 way, it has not done at present writing, for of those who 

 take trout spawn by hand at present, I do not know of more 

 than two who practice it in all its dryness, and they are a 

 little enthusiastic on this subject. The writer was employ- 

 ed by Mr. Green last spring on the Hudson, and water was 

 always placed in the pan before stripping the shad, and 

 although Mr. Green uses water in the manipulation of sal- 

 mon-trout, it is small in quantity, as it always has been 

 with him ; hence, his success, which was wondered at by 

 those who drowned their milt in a panful, as did M. Vrasski 

 in his first experiments. 



In order to fully understand the principle of dry impreg- 

 nation, it will be necessary to glance at the construction of 

 the egg and the vitalizing principle of the milt. 



The egg is provided with two coats or membranes, the 

 inner one enclosing the yolk, and between this and the outer 

 one is the space that fills with water, milt, or both, as the 

 case may be, which causes the egg to "free," as mentioned 

 in the last article. This outer covering is provided with a 

 funnel-shaped opening, called the micropyle, through which 

 fluids are absorbed. 



The milt contains numberless pin-shaped filaments, which, 

 as they are endowed with motion, I have called animalculae, 

 for the use of which term Mr. Charles Bell took me to task 

 before the American Fish Culturists 1 Association. They 

 are known to science as spermatozoa, or zoosperms, and 

 Mr. Bell quotes Dalton so effectively that I am certain that 

 I will never commit so grave an error again as to call zo- 

 5sperms "animalculae." 



Claiming, as I do, nothing but practical knowledge, an 

 error in scientific nomenclature, especially in physiological 

 science, may readily be forgiven. Mr. Bell says ; — 



"I will submit the evidence on both sides to the Associa- 

 tion, and they shall decide, not whether we shall call them 

 'zoosperms' or 'anmialculse,' but whether they are living 

 animals or simply shreds of albumen." 



The following extract is from Dr. Dalton's ' ' Treatise on 

 Physiology," published in Boston in 1859: — 



"The most remarkable peculiarity of the spermatozoa is 

 their very singular and active movements, to which we 

 have already alluded„ If a drop of fresh seminal fluid be 

 placed under the microscope, the numberless minute fila- 

 ments of which it is composed are seen to be in a state of 

 incessant and agitated motion ; this movement of the sper- 

 matozoa, in many species of animals, strongly resembles 

 that of the tadpole. * * * The tail-like filament keeps 

 up a lateral and vibratory motion, by which the spermato- 

 zoon is driven from place to fclace in the spermatic fluid, 

 just as a fish or tapole is propelled through the water. In 

 other instances, as for example, in the water lizard, the 

 spermatozoa have a writhing or spiral-like movement, 

 which presents a very peculiar and elegant appearance 

 when large numbers of them are viewed together ; it is the 

 existence of this movement that first suggested the name of 

 spermatozoa to designate the animated filaments of the 

 spermatic fluid, and which has led some writers to attribute 

 to them an independant animal nature. This is, however, 

 a very erroneous mode of regarding them, since they can- 

 not properly be considered as animals, notwithstanding the 

 active character of their movement, and the striking re- 

 semblance which it sometimes presents to a voluntary act. 

 * * * *» 



It is the entrance of this zoosperm, while still active, into 

 the micropyle that fecundates the egg, and its introduction 

 to water stimulates it to greater activity for a moment or 

 two, after which it dies. 



The following extract from the article referred to in the 

 Citizen, tells how it was discovered: — 



"In his experiments, M. Vrasski had followed the coun- 

 sels given in French and German works on pisciculture ; 

 but the results obtained were far from being brilliant. In 

 reality he obtained at each hatching but an insignificant 

 number. 'From many thousands of eggs,' said he in one 

 of his letters, 'there were only some dozens of young fry. 

 The rest of the eggs were spoiled and lost for want of hav- 

 ing been impregnated. I have, however, observed with 

 scrupulous exactness all the directions given by the man- 

 uals with a view to fecundation.' 



In the autumn of 1856, M. Vrasski was occupied with the 

 microscopic study of the eggs and milt, and kept a journal 

 in which he registered the least circumstances and incidents 

 relative to each fecundation that he effected. Two months 

 of persistent efforts brought the desired results. The 

 journal and the microscope proved to him that the cause of 



his failure proceeded precisely from the exact observation 

 of all the counsels of the foreign manuals. It is necessary 

 for fecundation that the spermatozoa of the milt of the 

 male should penetrate the eggs of the female. In order to 

 do this, the manuals recomended receiving the eggs in a 

 vessel of water*; afterwards, to receive in another vessel of 

 water the milt of the male ; and lastly, to turn the diluted 

 milt on to the eggs By his journal, kept with scrupulous 

 exactness, M. Vrasski convinced himself that the fecunda- 

 tion was so much the less complete according as the mix- 

 ture of the milt and the eggs had been most delayed. If 

 ten minutes elapsed between obtaining the milt and the 

 mixing of it with the eggs, the fecundation failed almost 

 entirely. His observations and the microscopic researches 

 of the eggs and the^milt showed that first, when received in 

 water at the instant of issuing from the fish, the eggs ab- 

 sorb the water and preserve the power of being impregnated 

 only as long as this absorption is not finished; that is to 

 say, during a half hour at the utmost. Once saturated 

 with water, the eggs do not absorb any spermatozoa; but if 

 received into dry vessels on issuing from the fish, the eggs 

 remain, on the contrary, for a sufficient time in a neutral 

 state, and do not lose the power, when once put into water, 

 of receiving the spermatozoa. 



Second, the spermatozoa of the milt, in falling into the 

 water, commence immediately, with much vigor and rap- 

 idity, to make movements, which only last, however, for a 

 minute and a half, or two at the most ; when this time is 

 elapsed, only in some few spermatozoa can there be seen 

 particular movements and agonised convulsions. When at 

 the issuing from the male fish, the milt is received in a dry 

 vessel, it does not change for many hours, and during this 

 interval the spermatozoa do not lose the power of beginning 

 to move when they find themselves in contact with water. 

 Closed in a dry tube and well corked, the milt preserved its 

 impregnating virtue during six days. 



From these observations, as also from the fact that the 

 eggs, as well as the milt, are obtained slowly, their entire 

 mass not being able to issue at once, M. Vrasski arrived at 

 the conclusion that when they were received in water the 

 greater part of the eggs attempted to saturate themselves 

 with water, and the spermatozoa almost ceased to move 

 before it was possible for the fish breeder to mix the eggs 

 with the diluted water. M. Vrasski adopted then the sys 

 tern of dry vessels, and turned the milt on the eggs imme- 

 diately he put them in water. 



The success was complete; all the eggs were impregnated 

 without one exception." 



It is very evident that if those French and German man- 

 uals that M-. Vrasski consulted are the best authorities that 

 the student of pisciculture can obtain in those countries, 

 that it is time they were revised. 



Taking spawn and milt in different vessels, diluting them 

 with water and mixing ! and even after standing in water 

 separate for a space of ten minutes they failed to impreg- 

 nate ! ! he evidently would not be called an expert operator, 

 and probably is not now if he still says "the eggs and milt 

 are obtained sloAvly," but he certainly deserves much ciedit 

 for his perseverance to final success under such bad teach- 

 ing. From his experiments it is shown that the egg is cap- 

 able of being impregnated for about half an hour after be- 

 ing taken from the fish, while the milt will lose its vitality 

 in about two minutes;- therefore, those who practice this 

 method should be able to strip a hundred or more female 

 fish, and getting a water pail full of eggs proceed to impreg- 

 nate them by wholesale with a few males. The}^ claim 

 that it does not hurt the eggs to fall like peas into a dry 

 pan, and perhaps it does not, but how about sudden 

 changes of temperature, such as will generally occur under 

 such circumstances? 



In a hatching house where a fire can be had, if required, 

 there is little danger; but there are often circumstances 

 under which such a luxury cannot be obtained, as, for in- 

 stance, when spawning wild fish from a stream. 



I do not hesitate to say that if I were taking spawn by 

 hand I would not use the dry or Russian method, as it is 

 sometimes called, for I have never liked it; it seems like 

 crowding nature too hard; and as for its boasted advan- 

 tages of time saved, and eggs impregnated, I doubt if they 

 can be demonstrated by actual experiment, to be superior to 

 the use of- a little water. 



All that has been written', as far as my observation has 

 extended, has extolled the wonderful new method of im- 

 pregnation ; but I know some of the very best operators 

 who take large quantities of spawn by hand, use water still. 

 I regard it as a natural reaction of those referred to as 

 "drowning their milt," from one extreme to the other. 

 Take water enough in the pan to cover the eggs; strip a 

 female or two and then a good male; give the pan a tip to 

 thoroughly mix the milt and water; and if your ingredients 

 are good, that is fully ripe and properly handled, you will 

 find the impregnation good. 



There may emergencies arise, as, for instance, if milt is 

 plentiful to-day and may possibly be scarce to-morrow, it 

 could be kept alive with its vitality unimpaired until re- 

 quired; as to the exact length of time that it can be so kept, 

 authorities differ — some claiming five and others ten days; 

 temperature undoubtedly has more or less influence upon 

 its keeping *qualfties, which point might possibly be found 

 midway between the extremes of heat and cold that it 

 can endure alive. 



That milt can be sent in a vial by mail or express with- 

 out injury to the zoosperms from concussions likely to be 

 received, has been suggested; but I do not remember to 

 have seen any account of its being done, and so brought to 

 the test of actual experiment; and if any trout-breeder 



wishes to try it, I will gladly exchange a vial with him, and 

 we will count the eggs, place them by themselves and note 

 the exact percentage of impregnation; then, if we succeed, 

 we will have demonstrated what is at present but theory. 

 The milt can be taken in a homeopathic vial, which can be 

 securely packed in cotton in a small box, or block of wood 

 and sent by mail, with the day and hour of its taking care- 

 fully noted, as well as the exact time of its introduction to 

 the eggs. 



In regard to the proper kind of pan for impregnating, I 

 know of nothing better than tin; last summer, at the shad- 

 hatching grounds on the Hudson, Seth Green sent for trial 

 some of the new paper pans, which are yellow or coated 

 with some yellow varnish. This was before I joined the 

 party, as they were banished after a trial or two. Mr. 

 Monroe A. Green, who was in command, declared that 

 they killed the spawn, whereupon he got out his tin ones 

 that he knew were reliable. The same authority condemns 

 galvanised iron, both for spawn and young fish; yet there 

 are some who make transporting tanks of it. I give this to 

 show how opinions vary, but never having had any ex- 

 perience with anything but tin, which is good, I cannot 

 speak authoritively. Fbed. Mather. 



3r*» fflmnel 



DISTEMPER IN DOGS. 



IT is generally supposed that this calamity was first intro- 

 duced into this country from France. It is the great 

 scourge of the canine race, and very few dogs escape it al- 

 together. The best preventive that we know of is to avoid 

 anything that will produce debility, or low poor diet, ex- 

 posure to cold, wet and damp sleeping kennels. 



Mr. Vyner, a very clever and practical writer on this sub- 

 ject says: Be beforehand with the disease if you can, and 

 upon the first symptom, which is a dry cough or husk at- 

 tended with a loss of appetite and lassitude, give the fol- 

 lowing pills, to a small dog one pill, but to a large dog two 

 pills. Always remember there is a vast difference between 

 a terrier and a hound. Each pill should contain of calomel 

 three grains, compound powder of antimony, four grains, 

 camphor half a drachm. Give one at daylight and tie the 

 dog's head up for three hours, if he is strong enough to 

 stand so long, if he is weak he must be watched by a trusty 

 person to see if he throws off his pill, and if he does he 

 must have another. "Work this off in four or five hours 

 with a dose of castor oil. If the dog is much purged omit 

 the pill and oil for one night, and then dose again as before. 



Keep on with this remedy till a change takes place for 

 the better, such as absence of fever and increased strength, 

 but do not weaken him with too strong purges. The dog 

 must be fed from the beginning, if he refuses his food, 

 with a spoon on the best beef or mutton broth, with a lit- 

 tle bred crumbled into it, or he will become so week that 

 'ie will die of exhaustion! This must be done every two or 

 three hours or he will die. He must be kept cool (not cold) 

 dry, sheltered and comfortable, with plenty of ventilation. 

 If his eyes are much affected, put a seton in the back of 

 his neck. If too much purged feed also on arrow-root or 

 flour porridge, and if he is very ill with a violent diarrhoea, 

 give him an ounce of balm or yeast, but if taken in time 

 he will not want it. 



If with the above treatment, with strict attention to feed- 

 ing the dog well upon good light, but nourishing and whole- 

 some food, and at the same time keeping cool and dry, if 

 he does not recover I fear in vain must his owner seek 

 otherwise for relief. Many young hounds die of absolute 

 exhaustion, after the worst stages of the disease are passed 

 from cruel neglect and idleness, when a little attention to 

 merely giving them nutritious food and strengthening 

 medicine might undoubtedly have saved their lives. The 

 following pill given to puppies recovering from distemper, 

 and also to older dogs which have been debilitated in their 

 constitution I. have frequently found to have the very 

 best effect. Take of quinine twenty-four grains, gentian 

 powder half ounce, bark powder half ounce, cinnamon 

 powders one and a half drachm, sulphuric acid eight drops, 

 one to be given every morning." 



■».». 



—Mr. K. C. F. of Baltimore, writes to us asking whether 

 the progeny of an ordinary bred, but thoroughly broken dog 

 is better than the progeny of a thorough bred entirely un- 

 broken dog? Answer. The puppies of an ordinary bred 

 but thoroughly broken dog, would inherit ordinary breed, 

 and give extra trouble, care, pains and expense to break 

 and train them. Then you would only have a breed of third- 

 class dogs. While the progeny of a thorough bred entirely 

 unbroken dog, would at least inherit a thorough breed, and 

 therefore the whelps would require scarcely any breaking 

 or training especially if they were taken out in the field 

 along with their mother. Then you would have a first- 

 class breed of dogs. The natural instinct of the dog, that 

 is to say (we are assuming them to be pointers or setters) 

 is to stand rigid in position on the scent of game birds, is 

 handed down from generation to generation. The break- 

 ing, training, ranging, is more or less taught after the pup- 

 pies have attained the age of maturity, and lies dormant to 

 a great extent, until the instinct is exercised and educated 

 by the dog trainer. 



. «««»» — . 



Notice.— Owing to the holidays there has been some 

 little delay in preparing the Portrait of the English Cham- 

 pion Pointer "Belle." "We will send it as soon as it is per- 

 fected. 



