Ye | 
: = 
Oct. 2, 1884.] 
Professor Brooks, of the Johns Hopkins University, was the 
first to discover that the American oyster was of both sexes, 
and that, exactly as with fish, the cees of the female might 
be made fertile by means of the milt of the male. Professor 
Ryder followed up the indieations presented by Professor 
‘Brooks, and gaye them a practical aspect by hatching out the 
oyster, and to-day Professor H J. Rice, by a method peculiar 
to himself, has sueceeded in doing the same thing. While by 
ed French process the caprice of the parent oyster has to be 
‘depended upon, by the American method the progeny of the 
_ oyster can be controlled. At the fish hatchery at Cold Spring 
Harbor there are several small ponds into which the water of 
the Sound is pumped by means of a steam engine. 
Asa yisit to Cold Spring Harbor was the object of the ex- 
_ pedition, after a delightful sail of three hours the ‘tLookout” 
arrived at her destination. The tide being low, carriages 
were taken, and presently the hatchery was reached. Here 
_ Professor Rice was found, examining oysters, which were 
_ being opened for him. This pr abeen explained what was 
the appearance of the oyster when about to produce its kind. 
Examining an oyster, large, distinct white veins were visible, 
_ which, Professor Rice said, were full of eges. The method is 
-asimple one. The eggs are taken from the female oyster and 
mixed with the milt of the male. At once the eggs are 
fertilized, and in a short time assume life. The oyster in 
them, a free swimmer, moves about at will. After a certain 
period, longer or shorter, according to temperature, the oyster 
commences to cover himself with a minute pelicule of shell, 
Then he attaches himself to an object and becomes fixed for 
life. There is no trouble in haying the oyster assume the first 
stage, that of a free swimmer, the ditticulty is to get it to 
attach itself, Temperatures seem to have a great deal to do 
with this. They mnst be equabble or the second stage of 
oyster life is not reached. There does not seem to be any 
freat impediments in the way of this, the artificial propagation 
of oysters. Like the other problems of fishculture, which 
have been thoroughly solved, ail that is required is a thorough 
series of experiments. Oysters have been produced in small 
numbers from the egg by both Professors Ryder and Rice, 
and there is no possible reason why this cannot be practically 
carried out on alarge scale. With afew hundreds of male 
and female oysters, countless millions of young oysters could 
be produced and the whole progeny kept in hand. 
In the ponds Professor Rice had placed many millions of 
the fertilized oyster eggs and was awaiting their period of 
fixation, So that the young oysters could find a nesting-place, 
' the bottom of the pond was strewed with pot-sherds. Very 
few adult oysters were found in a spawning condition owing 
' to the lateness of the season. 
Of the enemies of the oyster the borer and starfish are the 
most redoubtable. The visitors were shown the borer busily 
engaged in piercing the shell of the oyster. By means of his 
tongue or proboscis, armed with sharp points, the borer slowly 
perforates the shell of the oyster, and then feeds on the meat 
within. Sometimes, as Professor Rice showed, by a living 
example, the borer was fooled. After working for weeks he 
succeeded in drilling his hole, but it did not strike the edible 
part of the oyster. Then at once he let go his hold, but only 
to resume it againin a more favored spot. Itis quite likely, 
however, that the starfish is much more destructive than the 
borer, Ibis quite possible that when one of the astreas seizes 
hold of an oyster it becomes a dead oyster. Wrapping his 
arms around the shelllish, the astrea surrounds it with its 
stomach, which it has the power of throwing out at par euce: 
The gastric juice of the starfish acts on the soft body of the 
oyster as a solvent, and it is killed. The destruction of 
oysters can arise from accidental causes, as the depositing of 
_toud on an oyster bank, owing toe a new current, when all the 
shellfish in it are smothered, or the dumping of material 
coming from the cleansing of a great city, as New York, may 
seriously affect the condition of the oysters. 
At Cold Spring, in the ponds many fine trout were shown 
by Mr. Fred Mather. These were of two varieties—the 
American and the German trout—these last coming from eggs 
which had been sent by Herr Yon Behr. Mv, Mather said 
ena the German trout were apparently wilder than our native 
sh, 
After spending an interesting hour at Cold Spring Harbor, 
the party again went on board of the “Lookout.” some 
oyster dredging thea took place on public and private 
grounds, and in both cases some good oysters were secured. 
The “Lookout” then pointed down the Sound, and the 
oyster inquirers were landed at Peck Slip at 8 o'clock P, M. 
_ In order to cover the whole subject. Mr. Blackford has 
addressed a series of inquiries to all those engaged in the 
oyster industry in the State. From his own direct researches, 
and from the answers to his queries, he trusts to formulate an 
exhaustive report, which will cover the whole subject. One 
yery difficult matter in this business is to locate the oyster 
beds and to define their area. Disputes as to the ownership 
of oyster beds are constant, Without much apparent reason, 
Connecticut poaches on New York oyster beds, and quarrels 
between individuals are constant. It is only by a systematic 
investigation, such as Mr, Blackford has undertaken, that the 
whole subject can be understood. 
FISH COMMISSIONERS. 
POREST AND STREAM presents its annual list of the 
Commissioners of Fish and Fisheries of the different Proy- 
The list has 
inces, States and Territories of North America. 
been revised to October, 1884: 
Dominion oF CanaDa— 
[We have had no notice of 
office vacated by Mr. W. F. 
PRovincn or New BRUNSwickK— 
W, H. Venning, Inspector of Fisheries, St, John. 
PROVINCE oF Nova Scorra— 
W. H, Rogers, Inspector, Amherst. 
PROVINCE OF PRINCE EDWARD'S ISLAND— 
J. H. Duvar, Inspector, Alberton, 
PROVINCE OF BrRiTIsH COLUMBIA— 
; A. C. Anderson, Victoria. 
THH UNITED STATES— - : 
Prof, Spencer F, Baird, Washington, D. C. 
ALABAMA— 
Col. D, R. Hundley, Mooresville. 
Hon. C, 5. G. Doster, Prattville. 
ARIZONA— 
Hon. J. J. Gosper, Prescott. 
Hon. Richard Rule, Tombstone. 
J, H. Tagart, Business Manager, Yuma. 
ARKANSAS— 
James H. Hornibrook, Listle Rock. 
H. H. Rottaken, Little Rock. 
CALITORNIA— 
J. D, Redding, San Francisca. 
A. B. Dibble, Grass Valley. 
: B. H. Buckingham, Washington, 
CoLoRADO— 
Wilson E. Sisty, Idaho Springs. 
ConneEcricor— 
Dr. W. M. Hudson, Hartford. 
Robert G. Pike, Middletown, 
_ James A, Bill, Lyme. 
DELAWARE— 
; Enoch Moore, Jr,, Wilmington. 
‘HORGIA— 
Hon, J. T. Henderson, Commissioner of Agriculture, 
Atlanta, 
Dr. H, H. Cary. Supete ig acne of Fisheries. 
Under the laws of 6 
Board of Fish Commissioners. 
se 
any Be pombrtene to the 
hitcher.] 
e State these two constitute the 
<<< -— - 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
ILLINoIs— 
N. K. Fairbank, President, Chicago. 
5. P. Bartlett, Quincy, 
8. P. McDole, Aurora. 
InDIANA— 
Calyin Fletcher, Spencer, Owen county. 
lowa— 
A, W. Aldrich, Anamosa. 
A, A. Mosher, Spirit Lake. 
KANSAS— 
W.8. Gile, Venango. 
Kaytucky— 
Wi, Griffith, President, Louisville. 
P. H. Darby, Princeton. 
John B. Walker, Madisonville. 
Hon. C. J, Walton, Munfordyille. 
Hon. John A. Steele, Versailles. 
W. C. Price, Danville. 
Dr. W. Van Antwerp, Mr. Sterling. 
Hon, J, M. Chambers, Independence, Kenton county, 
A. H. Goble, Catlettsburg. 
J. H. Mallory, Bowling Green. 
Matnp— 
BK. M, Stilwell, Bangor, 
- Henry O, Stanley, Dixfield. 
MarYLAND— 
G, W. Delawder, Oakland. 
Dr. E. W. Humphries, Salisbury. 
MasssACHUSETTS— 
H. A. Brackett. Winchester. 
Ff. W, Putnam, Cambridge. 
Hdw. H. Lathrop, Springfield. 
MicHicAn— 
Dr. J, C. Parker, President, Grand Rapids. 
John H. Bissell, Detroit. 
Herschel Whitaker, Detroit. 
MInnEesoTaA— : 
ist Distric}\—Daniel Cameron, La Crescent. 
2d District—Wm. M. Sweney, M.D., Red Wing. 
3d District—Robt. Ormsby Sweeny, President, St.Paul. 
MissourI— 
John Reid, Lexington. 
J. G. W.Steedman, Chairman, 2,803 Pine st., St. Louis. 
Dr, J. 8. Logan, St. Joseph. 
NEBRASKA— 
R, R. Livingsson, Plattsmouth. 
William L. May, Fremont, 
B, E. B. Kennedy, Omaha. 
NBHYADA— 
Hon. Hubb G. Parker, Carson City. 
New HamMpPsHinE— 
Geo. W. Riddle, Manchester. 
Luther Hayes, So. Milton. 
Eliott B. Hodge, Plymouth. 
Nrw JERSEY— 
Richard 8. Jenkins, Camden, 
William Wright, Newark. 
Frank M. Ward, Newton. 
New YorK— 
Hon, R. Barnwell Roosevelt, President, 76 Chambers 
street, New York. 
Gen. Richard U. Sherman, Secretary, New Hartford, 
Oneida county, 
Hugene G. Blackford, 809 Bedford avenue, Brooklyn. 
William H. Bowman, Rochester, 
Norre CarRoLiIna— 
S. G. Worth, Raleigh, 
OHIO— 
Col. L. A. Harris, President, Cincinnati, 
Chas. W. Bond, Treasurer, Toledo. ~ 
George Daniel, Secretary, Sandusky, 
OREGON— f 
A, B. Ferguson, Astoria, 
PENNSYLVANIA— 
Jobn Gay, President, Greensburg. 
James Duffy, Treasurer, Marietta. 
H, H. Derr, Secretary, Wilkesbarre. 
A. face Spangler, Corresponding Secretary, Philadel- 
ia. 
nat: Maginnis, Swiftwater, Monroe county. 
Aug. Duncan, Chambersburg, 
RHODE [sLAND— 
John H. Barden, Rockland. 
Henry T. Root, Providence. 
Col. Amos Sherman, Woonsocket, 
SourH CaRoLiIna— 
Hon, A. P. Butler, Columbia, Commissioner of Agri- 
culture. 
C. J. Huske, Columbia, Superintendent of Fisheries. 
These two officers constitute the Fishery Commission. 
TENNESSEE— 
W. W. McDowell, Memphis. 
H. H, Sneed, Chattanooga. 
Edward D. Hicks, Nashville. 
TExXAS— 
John B, Lubbock, Austin. 
VERMONT— 
Hiram A. Cutting, Lunenburgh. 
Herbert Brainerd, St. Albans. 
VIRGINIA— 
Col. Marshall McDonald, Berryville. 
WASHINGTON TERRITORY— 
Albert B. Stream, North Cove. 
(Term expired Noy. 9, 1877; no notice of reappoint- 
ment.) 
West VIRGINIA— 
H. B. Miller, President, Wheeling. 
O, 8. White, Secretary, Romney. 
N. M. Lowry, Hinton. 
Wisconsin— 
The Governor, ex-officio, 
Philo Dunning, President, Madison. 
C, L, Valentine, Secretary and Treasurer, Janesville. 
J. V. Jones, Oshkosh. 
J. . Antisdel, Milwaukee. 
Mark Douglas, Melrose. 
C, Hutchinson, Bestown. 
Wvomine TERRITORY— 
Dr. M, C, Barkwell, Chairman, Cheyenne. 
Otto Gramm, Secretary, Laramie. 
WN. L. Andrews, Buffalo, Johnson county. 
H. W. Bennett, Warm Springs, Carbon county. 
P. J, Downs, Evanston, Uinta county. 
T. W. Quinn, Lander, Sweetwater county. 
THE LONDON DIPLOMAS.—Bxhibitors at the London 
Fisheries Exhibition will be interested in the folowing letter 
to Prof. G. Brown Goode, Commissioner in charge of the 
American exhibit: ‘International Fisheries Exhibition, South 
Kensington, London, 8, W., Sept. 12, 1884. My Dear Sir: I 
beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 1st inst., 
and to inform you that the Diplomas will be forwarded before 
the end of the year. At the same time I am directed by the 
Executive Committee to express to you thew regret at the 
delay, which has unavoidably occurred. I am, my dear sir, 
yours truly, Edward Cunlitfe Owen, Secretary,” 
189 
AMERICAN FOOD FISHES. 
THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF OUR 
AMERICAN FOOD FISHES AND INVERTEBRATES. 
[A paper read before the American Vishcultural Association. ] 
BY W. 0. ATWATER. 
T the meetings of the American Fishcultural Association 
in 1880 and 1881, [ had the pleasure of presenting some 
brief statements of the results of an investigation of the chem- 
istry of fish and marine invertebrates, which has been going 
on for some years past in the chemical laboratory of Wesleyan 
University, under the auspices of the United States Fish Com- 
mission and the Smithsonian Institution. 
Since the papers referred to were presented to the Associa- 
tion, the investigation has been continued so as to include 
chemical analyses of the flesh of some one hundred specimens 
of food fishes, embracing fifty-one species, and sixty-four speci- 
mens of invertebrates, oysters, lobsters, etc., embracing eleyen 
species, making in all one hundred and eighty-two specimens 
of sixty-two species, 
Besides the analyses, the range of the investigation has been 
extended so as to include two other, but closely related topics. 
One of these is the digestibility of the flesh of fish as compared 
with that of mammals used for food, e. g., beef, mutton, ete. 
The other line of research is more purely chemical, and con- 
Sistsin the study of the constitution of the compounds of 
which the tissues of the fish are composed. 
Along with the analyses of food fishes and invertebrates, 
parallel series of analyses of other food materials, animal and 
vegetable, has been undertaken at the instance of the United 
States National Museum, to furnish data for illustrating its 
food collection. The results are, of course, valuable in con- 
nection with our present subject, as we need to know not 
only the composition and nutritive value of fish, but also how 
qley compare in these respects with other materials used for 
ood, 
The report of the United States Fish Commission for 1880 
contained accounts of some of the earlier portions of the in- 
vestigation. I hope a detailed account of the work up to the 
present may be printed soon. Meanwhile | desire to lay before 
the Fishcultural Association some of the more important re- 
sults in so far as they bear upon the nutritive values of the food 
fishes and invertebrates that have been studied. 
Inasmuch as these statements may come under the notice of 
some who are not entirely familiar with the later results of the 
investigation of the laws of nutritive values of food materials, 
and how they are most economically utilized, a few explana- 
tions may bein place. These will be the more appropriate, 
because late investigation is tending to decide some disputed 
questions regarding the ways in which food is used in the 
body, and because many of the statements which go the 
rounds of the papers and still lmger even in current works on 
physiology and chemistry, are shown by the researches of a 
few years past to be misleading, and, in too many cases, 
decidedly incorrect. I may, perhaps, be pardoned, therefore, 
if the statements which follow contain some slight repetition 
See those made in papers previously presented to the Associ- 
ation. 
THE NUTRITIVE VALUES OF FOODS. 
It is a striking fact that while the chief item of the living 
expenses of the majority of civilized men is the cost of their 
food, even the most intelligent know less of the actual value 
of their food than of any other of the important articles they 
buy. Jt makes but little difference to the man with $5,000 per 
annum whether he pays fifteen cents or five dollars per pound 
for the protein of his food, pe Med it pleases his palate. But 
to the humble housewife whose husband earns but $500 a year, 
it is a matter of great importance, and she is very apt, after 
hesitating at the dry goods store between two pieces of calico 
for her daughter’s dress, and taking one at ten centsa yard 
for economy’s sake, though the one at eleven was prettier, to 
go to the grocer’s, the butcher’s or the fish dealer’s, and pay a 
dollar a pound for the nutrients of her children’s food, when 
shemight haye obtained the same ingredients, in forms equally 
wholesome and nutritious, for fifty or eventwenty cents. She 
will continue this bad economy until she obtains a general 
idea of the actual cheapness and dearness of foods, as distin- 
guished from their price. 
A pound of Jean beef and a quart of mill both contain about 
the same quantity, say a quarter of a pound, of actually nutri 
tive material. But the pound of beef costs more than the 
quart ut milk and it is worth more as a part of a day’s supply 
of food. 
The nutritive materials or nutrients, as we call them, in the 
lean meat, though the same quantity as in the milk, are dif- 
ferent in quality, and of greater nutritive value. Among the 
numerous branches of biological research, one, and by no 
means the least interesting and important, is the study of 
foods and nutrition, Within the past fifteen years especially, 
avery large amount of scientific labor has been devoted to 
the investigation of the composition of foods and the function 
of their ingredients in the animal economy, Indeed, very few 
persons this side of the Atlantic have any just conception of 
the magnitude of this work and its results. And, though the 
most importants problems are still unsolved, and must, 
because of their complexity, long remain so, yet enough has 
been done to give us atolerably clear insight into the processes 
by which the food we eat suvplies our bodily wants. 
The bulk of our best definite knowledge of these matters 
comes from direct experiments, in which animals are supplied. 
with food of yarious kinds, and the effects noted. The food, 
the excrement, solid and liquid, and in some cases the Inhaled 
and exhaled air, are measured, weighed and analyzed. Many 
trials haye been made with domestic animals—horses, oxen, 
cows, sheep, goats and swine—with dogs, rabbits, birds and. 
the like, and a large number also with human beings of both 
sexes and different ages. In the philosophical planning of the 
researches, in the ingenuity manifested in devising apparatus, 
in accuracy, thoroughness, patience and long continuance in 
the work, as well as in the distinguished genius of many of the 
workers, chemico-physiological science has assumed the high- 
est rank among the sciences of our time; with the rest it has 
brought us where we can estimate the nutritive values of 
foods from their chemical composition, with so near an ap- 
proach to accuracy that in Germany, where the best research 
is done, tables, giving in figures the composition and nutritive 
yaluations of foods, have been prepared by eminent chemists 
and physiologists and are coming into general use among the 
eople. 
. e eat meat and fish, potatoes and bread, to build up our 
bodies, to repair their wastes, and to supply them with fuel 
for the production of heat and muscular force. 
Ofthe meat my butcher sends me, the fish I find in the mar 
ket, the bread and the other food upon my tahle, only a part 
serves to fullfil these purposes. The bone of our roast beef we 
do not use for food at all, and that of shad is worse than use- 
less because of the bother it makes us to get rid of ib; it is only 
the edible portion that is of actual value to us as food, the rest 
being merely refuse. And when we come to consider the edi- 
ble portion, the meat freed from bone and gristle, the flesh 
of the fish, or the flour as it is baked in bread, we find that 
these consist largely of water. And although water is indis- 
pensable, that in the meat or the potatoes on my table is of 
no more value for the support of my body than the same 
amount in milk or in the glass of water by my plate. 
Leaving oub of account then, the refuse and the water, we 
haye remaining the nutritive material of our food. This con- 
sists of ditferent materials which we may call nutrients, We 
may divide them into four classes: protein, fats, carbo-hy- 
drate and mineral matter, or ash. Let me speak briefly of 
some of the characteristi¢s of these classes of nutrients. 
Protein.—The terms protein, proteids and alburainoids, are 
applied somewhat indiscriminately, in ordinary usage, to 
