34 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 31, 1890. 



THE ARTIFICIAL 



BREEDING OF FISH. 



FISCHERB1 VEREIN 



BT MAX VON DEM BORNE, DEUTSCHER 

 OF GERMANY. 



Translated by C. H. M. Rose. 



FOR those friends who have neither the time nor the in- 

 clination to read existing hooks on pisciculture, I will 

 brief! v describe a simple method of artificially breeding fish. 

 By this we understand the artificial impregnation and 

 hatching of fish eggs in hatching troughs as opposed to fish 

 breeding in lakes or ponds where the fish themselves are 

 permitted to deposit their eggs. 



Artificial breeding has the following advantages: A much 

 larger percentage of the eggs are hatched than would be the 

 case if left to nature, and it is possible to protect them and 

 the young against many dangers that threaten them in free 

 and open waters. 



For breeding artificially the following kinds would do 

 well: Salmon, trout, pike, etc., also shad, sturgeon, smelts 

 and other sea fish. 



Many kinds of fish, among which may be mentioned the 

 trout, can be kept in ponds until they are ready to deposit 

 their eggs. Where this is not feasible, as in the case of shad, 

 sturgeon, etc., the fish must be caught when they have 

 reached the necessary development, and when they are cap- 

 tured in great quantities, as are the shad in spring, ample 

 opportunity is afforded for getting an unlimited supply of 

 eggs and impregnating them. As by doing this the value 

 of the fish is not decreased, and the impregnated eggs are 

 readily bought, it will be to the advantage of fishermen to 

 impregnate the ripe eggs and sell them to breeders. 



But the roe, as well as the milt, is fruitful only when ripe. 

 This can easily be determined by stroking the fish from its 

 head backward under the stomach, with a gentle pressure. 

 If the roe and milt are ripe they flow freely. When they 

 flow with difficulty, further experiment is useless. 



Trout and salmon in captivity may be examined weekly 

 to ascertain their condition. The ripe fish should be placed 

 in two separate vessels of water, according to sex. It will 

 be well to take an equal number of males "and females, but 

 in case of necessity the milt from one male will be sufficient 

 for the roe from two females. 



When impregnating the fish, a glass or earthenware basin 

 should be usedT Into this is stroked first the milt and then 

 the roe. in sufficient quantity to cover the bottom of the 

 dish. The milt and roe are then mixed by carefully shak- 

 ing the vessel, after which water is gently poured down 

 the edge until the eggs are covered. The water is renewed 

 until the eggs are quite clean and the milt entirely removed. 

 Impregnation follows at the moment that eges, milt and 

 water come together. The eggs are then placed on the wire 

 cloth bottom c of the California trough, and water is per- 

 mitted follow through without interruption. 



When impregnated eggs are to be sent from a distant 

 hatchery, word as to the time of their arrival should precede 

 them by forty-eight hours, so that the receiver may have 

 ample time to be prepared for them, and care should be taken 

 that the forwarding company is instructed to send the eggs 

 promptly in warm compartments. Ou their arrival the 

 cover is removed in a cold room and the contents of the box 

 repeatedly dampened with the same water in which it is in- 

 tened to place the eggs. When this has been done, and the 

 eggs are of the same temperature as the water that will flow 

 over them in the hatching apparatus, they are transferred 

 into a larger vessel filled with water and removed from the 

 packing material. After the eggs have been thorouglj 

 cleansed and the dead ones removed, they are placed in the 

 breeeding trough by means of a ladle. 



For large eggs, with a diameter of perhaps an eighth of an 

 inch, an apparatus is recommended whichlhave constructed 

 and named a "Deep California Trough." Without further 

 preparation this is placed under a pump or under any run- 

 ning stream of water, and is then a complete fish hatching 

 establishment, in which eggs and fish can be kept until they 

 are ready to be placed in open waters. All the water is util- 

 ized in passing through the eggs, which appear in several 

 layers upon each other. Therefore the trough may, when 

 of suitable size, contain a great many fish. 



Box A is constructed of zinc and consists of three parts 

 that can be separated from each other. Compartment b, 

 into which the water flows, is I6in. long, lOin. wide and lOin. 

 deep; c, with wire-cloth bottom is 12in. long, lOin. wide and 

 Gin. deep. The front compartment d, which seals the trough, 

 is 4in. long, lOin. wide, 4in. deep. The seal is effected by 

 pressing the three overflow tubes e into each other. 



When water flows into compartment h from faucet a, it 

 reaches the trough from the bottom through sieves c and d, 

 and passes off through the overflow e. The wire cloth is so 

 fine that neither fish nor eggs can pass through it, there 

 being fifteen threads to the inch. As the bottoms consist of 

 copper wire, they must be thoroughly coated with the best 

 Syrian asphalt wax to guard against poisoning by oxida- 

 tion. 



The catch basin B is sealed by sieve g, with the object of 

 detaining any fish that may have escaped from the trough 

 when the seive d is removed. 



The breeding trough and catch basin together form a com- 

 plete fish hatchery on a small scale. With trout and sim- 

 ilar fish one quart of water per 20 to 40 seconds is required, 

 while with other fish one quart of water for every 150 to 180 

 seconds will be sufficient. 



The warmer the water the more of it must flow through 

 the trough and the fewer fish should be kept in it. A large 

 flow reduces the danger of warm water. With the water at 

 50deg. Fahrenheit it is not advisable to keep more than 5,000 

 fish in the apparatus, and with warmer water the number 

 should be lessened, When the fish are observed it will 

 easily be noticeable whether or not they are too crowded. 



When, as mentioned, 5,000 trout eggs are placed in one 

 trough they must lie in several layers on top of each other, 

 but this is not objectionable, as the water permeating them 

 from the bottom prevents heavy pressure upon the lower 

 layers. 



At first, before the eyes of the fish are visible through the 

 outer covering of the egg, every unnecessary disturbance is 

 to be avoided, as at that period the eggs are very sensitive 

 and easily killed. The dead eggs become opaque and white, 

 and are removed daily with a pair of pincers. 



After the dead eggs have been taken from the top layer, it 

 will be necessary to alter the position of the eggs in order 

 to remove the dead ones that lie beneath. To do this box c 

 s slowly lifted and then quickly pressed down again. The 



inflowing water through the sieve bottom will change the 

 position of the eggs, and possibly all the dead ones may ap- 

 pear on the. surface. 



To remove all the water from the trough a ruhber tube is 

 used a,s a syphon at compartment b. If any dirt becomes 

 lodged among the eggs the water is first removed from the 

 trough, and the eggs then deluged with a gentle spray of 

 water from the top. Should this become necessary before 

 the eyes are visible the greatest care must be exercised in 

 doing it. 



To exclude light and vermin a wooden cover is used, which 

 has a. si eve- covered opening at the place where the water 

 enters. 



As soon as the fish begin to hatch, the catch basin, B, is 

 placed in its position to catch any escaping fish, and these 

 are daily returned to the trough. At first but few pass 

 through the overflow, but later on they escape in great 

 numbers, and the breeding trough becomes filled with egg 

 shells, which gradually pass through the overflow into the 

 box beneath. From here they are removed. All dead eggs 

 and fish are also removed daily. 



When all the egg shells have disappeared and the young 

 fish begin to move about freely, it is best to retain them in 

 the breeding trough, as the rising water in it is better for 

 them than that In the box beneath the overflow. The 

 trough is therefore sealed with the front sieve. This has a 

 large surface to prevent the water from flowing against it 

 with force and thus kill the fish. A horizontal sieve is 

 better for this purpose than either a perpendicular or 

 a slanting one, because it is entirely submerged in the 

 water andits whole surface utilized. 



It is best to place the young fish in open water as soon as 

 they become thoroughly lively and before they begin to 

 feed. They are preferably placed in a situation that would 

 be selected by the parents for depositing the eggs. For in- 

 stance, in the case of trout, a shallow place in a brook (from 

 1 to 2ft. deep) where the water flows rapidly and the bottom 

 is to a large extent covered with large stones. 



In any event the brood should be divided among a number 

 of places distant from each other, to avoid'attracting the at- 

 tention of large fish and other enemies. 



In late years it is being attempted to keep the young fish 

 for weeks and feed tlreni, but information regarding this is 

 found at leugth in various works on the subject. 



TROUT CULTURE AGAIN. 



DENVER, Colo., July 20.— Editor Forest avd Stream: 

 As Mr. Milton P. Peirce continues to advertise him- 

 self as a gigantic failure in fish culture (a fact well known, I 

 am told, where he is known, and as well in other things) 

 and to assail every one differing from him regarding trout 

 culture as in some way interested in deluding their fellows, 

 perhaps, as he states in one sentence that he "has given 

 more attention to inland fishculture, including trout culture, 

 than any other," and in another sentence that he "has never 

 raised a trout," it, would be well to ask him, for the benefit 

 of the deluded trout culturists of Europe and America, to 

 place upon record, in a plain statement of facts, the many 

 valuable experiments he has made, or observed, in trout cul- 

 ture, and when and where; to state the date of his great dis- 

 covery that trout culture is impracticable and unprofitable, 

 and what really opened his eyes to the fact, and, "honest 

 injun," had he any interested motive in the matter what- 

 ever; whether there is anything in this beautiful world of 

 any value, except the carp, and whether he has noticed any 

 failure in the commercial or agricultural world from time 

 to time, and if so, whether for that reason he would assume 

 that they are useless branches of human effort, and whether 

 the uniform failure of one individual in all the affairs of life 

 is evidence of good judgment and critical ability; also, 

 whether such failure of the one individual shall be taken as 

 proof of failure by the entire human race? He might also 

 pertinently be asked whether abuse is argument, and 

 whether he thinks that his periodical wails or tirades really 

 arrest, or are likely to, the progressive development of trout 

 culture as apart of fish cultural evolution? Of course he must 

 see that the delusion is spreading from year to year notwith- 

 standing his frantic protests. True, he says there are not a 

 "baker's dozen" (13) of trout culturists in the country to-day, 

 but he does not believe any such stuff. 



He might be asked further, whether the other fellows are 

 not in the position of the eleven deluded jurymen, and lastly, 

 as he has dropped out of the procession, should he not drop 

 gracefully out of sight? At all events, and seriously, should 

 not fishculturists allow him to do so, since his distress and 

 morbid disinterestedness are so very painful to behold? 



There are many skeptics as to Mr. Peirce's self-assumed 

 exalted position in fishculture — taking the "Wenonah 

 Ponds" in New Jersey as his latest, and, no doubt, suprem- 

 est effort, although not so very recent — who will await with 

 bated breath an exposition of what Mr. Milton P. Peirce has 

 accomplished in fishculture, outside, of the newspapers, but 

 who think that the constant repetition of his failures and 

 beliefs, abuse and insinuations, are monotonous to the ex- 

 treme. ¥m. N. Byers. 



STOCKING THE YELLOWSTONE.— Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park, July 17. — Editor Forest and Stream: Prof. S. 

 A. Forbes, of Champaign, 111,, and Prof. Edwin Linton, of 

 Washington, Pa., are here in charge of an expedition for 

 the U. S. Fish Commission. The object of the expedition is 

 to investigate the life of the streams with especial reference 

 to the food of the fishes in those streams where fish occur, 

 and also to determine the nature and abundance of the life 

 in those streams where fishes are not found, preparatory to 

 stocking the latter streams with different kinds of fish. The 

 parasites of the fishes, especially those which infest the trout 

 and suckers, will also be studied. The Eastern brook trout 

 (fingerling) which were planted last fall in Glen Creek, have 

 been seen this season, and are now from 5 to 7in. long. This 

 plant was experimental, and thus far has proved very suc- 

 cessful. — H. 



FISH DYING IN PENNSYLVANIA. —Advices from 

 Huntingdon, Pa., under date of July 23, announces a sud- 

 den mortality among the black bass and other fish in the 

 Raystown branch of the Juniata river. Thousands of bass 

 have been found along the banks of the stream or floating 

 on its surface. The waters affected are several miles in ex- 

 tent and the total destruction of bass in this magnificent 

 stream is feared, as a consequence of this unexpected mor- 

 tality. Prompt measures should be taken to investigate the 

 cause of these sudden epidemics among fishes, with a view 

 of preventing their recurrance if possible. 



BLACK BASS FOR PLANTING.— We are often asked 

 where parties can obtain black bass for planting, and as the 

 season for collecting them is rapidly drawing to a close we 

 repeat the information previously published as to the oppor- 

 tunity at Sandusky, Ohio. At the present time Mr. George 

 W. Littleton can furnish young bass, but before the middle of 

 August they will probably go into deep water where they 

 cannot be taken. June and July are the best months for 

 collecting them at Sandusky. The Pennsylvania Fish Com- 

 mission obtained 2,000 through Mr. Littleton's help. 



No Extra Charge for fast time. No transfers. No midnight 

 changes. No missed connections. No appliances but modern 

 ones. No luxuries but the best. No mistake possible if you fake 

 the Chicago & Atlautic to Chautauqua, New York, New England 

 and all points East. No trouble to ask your agent for the C, & A. 

 differential rates, which save money to travelers.— Adv. 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Sept. 2 to 5— Dog Show of the Wilmington Fair Association, at 

 Wilmington, Del. F. R. Carswell, Snpt., 301 West Sixth street. 



Sept. 2 to 4.— Dog Show of the Midland Central Fair Associa- 

 tion, at Kingston, Ont. C. H. Corbett, Secretary. 



Sept. 2 to 5.— Third Annual Dog Show of the Michigan Kennel 

 Club, at Detroit, Mich. M. V. B. Saunders. Secretary. 



Sept. 15 to 19.— Second Annual International Dog Show of the 

 Industial Exhibition Association at Toronto, Canada. C. A. Stone, 

 Secretarv. 



Sept. 23 to 26.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Central Canada 

 Exhibition Association, at Ottawa. Alfred Geddes, Chairman 

 Committee. 



Oct. 6 to 11.— Ninth Annual Dog Show of the Danbnry Agricul- 

 tural Societv, at Danbury Conn. B. C. Lvnes, Secretarv. 



Dec. 30 to Jan. 3, 1891.— First Dog Show of the Buckeye Poultry 

 and Pet Stock Association, at Canton, O. James Sterling, Sec'y, 

 39 North Market street. 



1891. 



Jan. 20 to 25,— First Annual Dog Show of the Louisiana Poultry 

 and Pet Stock Association, at New Orleans, La. A. E. Shaw, Sec- 

 retary, Box 1658. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Sept. 9.— Field Trials of the Manitoba Field Trials Club. Thos. 

 Johnson, Winnipeg. Secretary. 



November.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Brunswick Fur 

 Club, at Brunswick, Me. J. H. Baird, Secretary, Auburndale, 

 Mass. 



Nov. 3.— Fourth Annual Field Trials of the Iadiana Kennel 

 Club, at Carlisle, Ind. P. T. Madison, Indianapolis, Ind., Sec'y. 



Nov. 10.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Canadian Kennel 

 Club, at Chatham, Out. C. A. Stone, Toronto, Ont., Secretarv. 



Nov. 17.— Twelfth Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, at Otterburn Springs, Va. W. A. Coster, Saratogo 

 Springs, N. Y., Secretary. 



Dec. 1.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Central Field Trials 

 Club, at Lexington, N. C. C. H. Odell, Mills Building, New York, 

 Secretary. 



1891. 



Jan. 19.— Eigh th Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Kennel Club, 

 at Bakersfield, Cal. H. H. Briggs, Secretary. 



Feb. 2.— Third Annual Field Trials of the Southern Field Trials 

 Club. T. M. Brunby, Secretary, Marietta, Ga. 



COURSING. 



Oct. 21 to 25.— Fifth Annual Meet of the American Coursing 

 Club, at Great Bend, Kan. I. D. Brougher, Secretary. 



DOGS OF THE DAY. 



THE safe arrival of Mr. Moore's new St. Bernard Alton is 

 announced from Boston, and according to all accounts 

 he should prove a very valuable acquisition to his owner and 

 St. Bernard breeders in general. Namquoit" lets the cat 

 out of the bag as to Mr. Sydney Smith's letting Alton go to 

 Mr. Moore and Mayor of Leeds and Young Plinlimmon to 

 English buyers. Sydney Smith is as shrewd a seller as he 

 is a buyer, and he never lets anything go unless he has as 

 good if not better in his kennel. When "Namquoit" told 

 the readers of the 13-months old marvel Scottish Prince, he 

 answered, before it was asked, the Stock-Keeper' 1 s query, 

 "Where are the St. Bernard giants coming from to fill their 

 places?" 



Mr. Sbillcock's dog Lord Bute is claimed to be the largest 

 dog in the world, and it does not seem to be. disputed abroad . 

 This gentleman has six St. Bernards in his kennels, the 

 weights of which are: Lord Bute, 2231bs.; Young Piiulim- 

 mon, 2171 hs.; Lord Calthorpe. 2081 bs.; Sabrina (dam of Lord 

 Bute), 1601 bs.; Forget Me Not, 1701bs.; Baroness Cardiff, 

 lS61bs. 



The correspondence betweet Mr. Everett Miliars and Prof. 

 C. T. Kingzett, anent the "New Treatment for Distemper," 

 is not progressing far toward yielding much information. 

 What the doggy public at large wishes to know is, can dogs 

 be inoculated to prevent distemper, upon the same principle 

 as people are vaccinated to prevent smallpox? Mr. Kingzett 

 wrote a very temperate criticism of Mr. Millais's "new treat- 

 ment," whereupon the latter rushes off to his lawyer to find 

 out whether somewhere in the letter there was not a libel. 

 All of which is very childish, particularly because Mr. 

 Millais has allowed his paper to be the vehicle for very 

 dastardly anonymous attacks upon such honorable men as 

 Messrs. Astley and Raper. 



A gentleman, for whose opinion I have a very high respect, 

 says on a postal card received this week, "Don't be hard on 

 Millais, he means well." I have no desire to be hard on him 

 at all, and if the opinion I once held of him has changed, he 

 has but himself to thank. A man who asks me to do a dis- 

 honorable thing, as Mr. Millais did, cannot expect one to 

 retain a good opinion of him. His last letter to me remains 

 unanswered for that reason, and I would uot now refer to it 

 but that I have heard that Mr. Millais has written to this 

 side of the Atlantic regarding my not replying. He will 

 know the reason now if it has not dawned upon him before. 



But to return to the distemper treatment, it must be 

 acknowledged even by Mr. Millais that he has given us 

 nothing new. Inoculation by distemper virus is an old 

 thing. What Mr. Millais did seem to get new was the sepa- 

 ration of the bacilli and which of the two was the active 

 agent in spreading the disease. But that, while interesting, 

 is immaterial, for if the discharges which convey distemper 

 from one dog to another contain other matter which is not 

 infectious, the dog that gets the whole dose doesn't know it. 

 It is to be hoped that Professor Kingzett and Mr. Millais 

 will cease arguing about things half of us cannot follow 

 them in, and drop fishing for libel suits in favor of carrying 

 on the so far crude experiments to something tangible and 

 that will benefit dog owners. 



"Hibernia" several years ago, in company with Dr. Glass, 

 if I remember correctly, experimented quite extensively in 

 treatment by attenuated virus. The fact that he has long 

 since given it up, though still much interested in discus- 

 sions on the subject, demonstrates that he at least lost faith 

 in getting the successful antidote. Might I suggest his giv- 

 ing Forest and Stream readers the history of his experi- 

 ments? 



On Sunday the barn at the Associated Fanciers Farm , 

 Berlin, N. J., was burned down. It was presumably the 

 work of a discharged employee, and in addition to quite a 

 large quantity of hay and wheat, one horse was burned to 

 death. The local space writer got in his work and in 

 graphic language described the scene he did not see. When 

 the Philadelphia owners of dogs boarding at the farm read 

 of how the dogs had suffered (in the reports) they pushed to 

 the city office of the farm, only to meet with the assurance 

 that the dogs were nowhere near the fire and were all safe. 

 Three large oaks which grew between the barn and Mr. 

 Ireland's residence alone saved the latter from destruction. 



An oil painting of Mr. Mitchell Harrison's collie Christo- 

 pher has been on exhibition in a window on Chestnnt street, 

 Philadelphia, during the past week. That dog must h-i 

 possessed of wonderful vitality, for after having been bred 

 to about eighty bitches last year I note in the Stock-Keeper 

 kennel registry the following births of puppies: March 19, 

 Ormskirk Gem, 8 puppies; March 23, Sweet Valentine, 11 

 puppies; March 26, Plead, 8 puppies; March 28, Walton Las- 



