§2 



FOREST AND STti:^AM. 



[July 15, 1893. 



Plant Yearlings Where Needed. 



BY WM. F. PAGE. 



A paper read at the Twenty-second Meeting of the American Fish- 

 eries Society, Chicago, HI., June 15, 1893.* 



P;The term "yearling" as heretofore used (and as must from 

 the_ necessity of the case continue to be used) is faulty in that 

 it signifies only that the fish under discussion has reached a 

 certain age, acquired a certain degree of intelligence, and 

 cost a certain sum for attendance and food. The cost of 

 a yearling will depend, other things being equal, upon the 

 general cost of living in the locality in which it has been 

 grown. The intrinsic value of the yearling for stocking pur- 

 poses, if normally developed and in health, should depend 

 upon its size, as it certainly would if the fish were to be used 

 for the table. Latitude and elevation above the sea regulate 

 to a large extent the possibilities of any particular hatchery 

 for raising fish within a stated period to a given size. There 

 is in the "United States a variation in this respect of nearly 

 1,000^. All consideration of the relative values of fry and 

 yearlings for stocking purposes should be confined to the 

 product of some particular hatchery or at least hatcheries 

 under like climatic and hydrographic conditions. 



In the past, particularly at the last meeting, the opponents 

 of raistag fish to yearlings prior to planting have used argu- 

 ments which would fall tinder the following heads: 



(a) The excessive cost. 



(b) Its want of analogy to other processes. 



(c) The large number of fish which would unavoidably be 

 lost, and 



(d) Its want of permanent and commensurate results. 

 To an answer to these points I ask your attention: 



The main element of cost heretofore discussed has been 

 that of food. It is, in factj almost, if not altogether, the 

 chief factor of expense in raising from fry to yearlings. The 

 attendance need not be counted (except perhaps in some par- 

 ticular case) for the preparation of the food and the feeding 

 of it to the fish can safely be intrusted to the care-taker, who 

 looks after the brood stock and other property. 



There are among fishes, in common with other animals, sev- 

 eral dietaries, some followed from a matter of choice, some 

 from necessity and others from ignorance on the part of the 

 atteridant. They may for convenience be thus classified: 

 First, bare subsistence diet, merely sustaining life and re- 

 sulting in stunted, deformed fish or starvation; second, 

 healthy diet, promoting normal growth and development; 

 third, fattening diet, fitttagfor heaviest marketable weight, 

 and fourth, over-fattening diet, causing a temporary or per- 

 manent suppression of the functions of the reproductive 

 organs, a partial or total destruction of the eyes and inflam- 

 mation of the intestines, frequently resulting in death. The 

 first and fourth of these diets have killed very many fish, the 

 second has hurt none and the third is outside the proper ob- 

 ject of this paper. The question largely turns upon what 

 constitutes a healthy diet.*' What does it cost? and is that 

 cost excessive? No phase of this question is more obscure, 

 more diversified in practice or richer in possibilities. 



In the following paper wherever reference is made to the 

 "daily rations," allowance," or "formulas," the amount 

 and proportions given apply to yearling trout unless other- 

 wise stated, the intention being to express only the artificial 

 lood supplied vsdthout taking into account the natixral food 

 the fish secure. Nor have I considered the highly important 

 though ever-varying elements of "initial vitality," "range," 

 and "space" in discussing the growth and size acquired by 

 fish at different establishments. It will rarely or never hap- 

 pen that these conditions are identical at diflEerent establish- 

 ments, for we know that at any one they are found varjdng 

 from year to year and frequently in the same season. In our 

 considerations of artificial food and growth we must for the 

 present disregard, or assume as constant, the initial vitality, 

 natural food, range and space. 



For convenience of study I have adopted as a unit "the 

 average daily rations in pounds per thousand yearling trout. " 

 I am aware that the unit would be more expressive and ex- 

 act if it were based upon the number of pounds of fish rather 

 than upon the number of fish to be fed. I have the data of 

 the amount and character of food and rate of growth of the 

 fish at sixteen trout cultural establishments in the United 

 States and Great Britain, the regime and results of which 

 may fairly be assumed as typical of fishculture in general. 

 These data present the as'toundlng variation in the daily 

 rations per thousand yearlings of from SJ^oz. of animal (or 

 flesh) food, in ponds containing very little natural food, to 

 lOlbs. of animal food in ponds abounding in natural food. I 

 have calculated the weight of one thousand of the average 

 yearling trout raised at these places to be 52.7.51bs., and the 

 average daily rations to be .3)^ibs. In other words, the aver- 

 age allowance for yearling trout is 6J<^ of their weight. This, 

 it seems to me, is out of all proportion to their necessities, 

 and certainly is not warranted by analogy. It is true, as 

 before pointed out, that the rate of growth depends to a large 

 extent upon the location of the hatchery, and the corollary 

 follows that the food allowance will also vary with the loca- 

 tion. The allowance of a hatchery in a warm section cannot 

 be considered a guide for one in a colder or more elevated 

 region. For instance, troiit reared in the Ozark.? acquire a 

 weight 700^ in excess of those grown in the mountains of 

 Colorado. The Colorado trout could not consume the allow- 

 ance of the Ozark troiit, and the Ozark trout would stunt or 

 starve on the Colorado allowance. On this subject Mr. Stone 

 says in "Domesticated Trout" (page 236): "The quantity 

 [of food] varies with the season, the quality, quantity and 

 temperature of the water, and other circumstances, anci can- 

 not be definitely stated. Green says 51bs. for a thousand 

 two-year olds. I should say this would be an average feed 

 through the year. I think it safe to say that under favorable 

 circumstances large trout of any a§e will eat 1-50 of their 

 weight in summer, that Ifo of their weight will keep them in 

 good condition through the year, and that they would do 

 very well on half that allowance." Dr. Slack, in his book, 

 "Trout Culture," stated that his brood stock throve very 

 well on 3^ of 1% of their weight per day. 



Jn the report of the U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries 

 for 1884 is a translation of Mr. Carl Nicklas's book entitled 

 |T?ond Culture." In this work Mr. Nicklas enters exhaust- 

 ively into the character and quantity of food necessary for 

 fish. On page 112 he says: "As there are no data on the sub- 

 ject, it will be diflicult to lay down exact rules as to the 

 quantity of food. It will be correct to presume at least 

 approximately the same principles will have to serve as a 

 basis as those prevailing in the feeding of cattle, and we 

 shall, therefore, be enabled to fix a standard which will come 

 as near the true one as possible." Reasoning on this basis, 

 Mr. Nicklas concludes that l,0001bs. of carp will require 151 bs. 

 or of their weight of food per day. When we consider 

 that a carp will consume, and probably requires, more food 

 than a trout, we see that these three writers are in fairly close 

 accord; and that the average practice of feeding of their 

 weight to trout is in excess of the amount required. How- 

 ever, it must not be forgotten that these growing yearlings 

 would most likely need a higher per cent, than the matured 

 fish; but I cannot believe that the process of growing would 

 require six times the material found necessary for mainten- 

 ance after growth was accomplished. 



So much as to the amount of food necessary and that given 

 in actual practice. Let us look now at what constitutes the 

 food of trout under domestication. At sixteen places I find 

 liver is used. Curd, horse meat and mush at three places. 

 Maggots, mussels, boiled fish and hens' eggs are each used ' 



at different places. At four of the places natural food is very 

 abundant in the waters and largely depended upon for a por- 

 tion of the year. You are all familiar with these various 

 forms of food, and I shall not make further reference to them 

 except to touch upon the points of natural food and the mix- 

 ture of vegetable and animal food for trout. No little was 

 said in the meetings of 1891 and 1892 upon the former subject, 

 and I should not now refer to it except that on the part of 

 some an incredulity was expressed as to the possibility of 

 producing an adequate amount of natural food for more thaU 

 a few hundred fishes. The following letter from Mr. An- 

 drews will, I hope, satisfy the incredulous on this point: 



Westgate House, Guilford, England, May 6, 1893.— Dear 

 Sir: In reply to yours of April 18 it gives me great pleasure 

 to comply with your request, and if the following is of any 

 use to you I shall be very glad. I presume you have kept a 

 copy of your letter to me, and I therefore simply answer your 

 questions as numbered. 



1. I have two hatcheries, the principal one being at Guil- 

 ford with capacity for hatching between 3,000,000 and 4,000,- 



000 ova. The other hatchery is at my ponds at Haslemere 

 and is smaller. 



The principal rearing ponds, and also ponds for the larger 

 fish are at Crichmere, Haslemere, and are from 200 to 300ft. 

 above sea level. 



3. Temperature of the hatching water at Guilford is pretty 

 uniform at 49 to 51 deg, Temperature at my ponds varies 

 from 49 deg. in winter to 36 deg. in summer. Occasionally it 

 rises 2 or 3 deg. higher, but very seldom. 



The quantity of water passing through my Crichmere 

 ponds amounts to nearly a million gallons per diem, and is 

 only very slightly affected by a long drought and not to any 

 visible extent. The place is, moreover, not subject to flood, 

 as all the springs rise on my grounds. The same applies to 

 the other places which I use as fish farms. 



4 and 5. I cannot tell how much liver and horse flesh is 

 given to the yearling fish, hut as natural food, viz., Qammti- 

 rus pulex, LimncBa and larvae of all water insects are pres- 

 ent in great quantities, I can safely say the artificial food 

 given to the fry is very, very small, and in two out of the 

 three of my sets of ponds no artificial food whatever is given 

 to the fish. We cultivate the natural food to a large extent, 

 leaving one or more ponds every year for the purpose, and it 

 is not an uncommon thing for us to transfer 150 gallons of 

 Gammariis pulex and 20 bushels of Limncea from one pond 

 to another. 



6, We get yearling fi.sh of fario, levenensis, fontinaUs and 

 grayling from 4in. up to B and lOin. in length in 10 to 11 

 months, and there is very little difference in size of the four 

 varieties above named. I do not care for the S. Irideus and 

 have only had a few which were given me by Sir Jas. Mait- 

 land some four or five years ago. I need hardly say that the 

 best yearlings are from fry planted in January and Feb- 

 ruary, and the smaller yearlings are from fry planted later. 

 Our fish begin to spavra" late in October and I have taken 

 eegs as late as March 20, but I place less value on these late 

 ova. 



7. Weight of Sin. yearling is about 350 grains, sometimes 

 450 grains, and this will apply to fario, leveMenstis and fOTi- 

 tinalis, but grayling are a little lighter, being a slighter 

 made fish. We include levenensis in the fario variety. 



American fontinalis do well with me," reaching a large 

 size, and I have breeders of this kind of 4 and 51bs. Many 

 of my two-year-old fish weigh l?£lbs. and 31bs. in the second 

 year, but I do not supply fish as two-year-olds over 12in. 



1 am, dear sir, yours very truly, (Signed) Thos. Akdkews. 



It must be evident, I think, to every progressive fishcul- 

 turist that a change is coming over the spirit of the dream of 

 fishculture, and in view of the fact that this change has its 

 origin in, and is spreading from the Old World, we must 

 look at our laurels or else abandon the boast that we are the 

 most advanced nation in Qshcalture. Only one thing can be 

 urged against the new departure, and that is the cost of the 

 land and the construction of the larger plant necessary for 

 such a self-feeding establishment. But when we reflect that 

 in cramped Great Britain pri\"ate indiA'iduals without 

 G<»vernment aid have successfully accomplished this thing 

 on a paying basis, we must acknowledge that in broad and 

 comparatively scantily populated America it can be done. 

 If fishculture as a private business expands in this country 

 as I hope to see it the artificial propagation of natural fish 

 food will be ixndertaken and accomplished. And to him 

 who first does it will come the cream of the profits of the 

 business. It will be by this process we will secure a rational, 

 healthy diet at a minimum cost. 



But however willing and ready we might be to take up the 

 propagation of natural fish food on a scale commensurate 

 vrith the demands, such an undertaking would necessarily 

 be slow in its accomplishment, and probably considerable 

 time would elapse before it became sufficiently developed to 

 be understood and relied upon. In the twentieth meeting 

 Mr. Seal told us how easy it was to secure a start and propa- 

 gate natural food in any desired quantity. My own experi- 

 ments ftilly confirm his statements, and by consent of the 

 Commissioner I hope soon to test them on a larger scale. In 

 the last meeting Mr. Fairbank told us how abundantly and 

 cheaply this food produced itself at his place, and how well 

 his fl.sh throve upon it. Pending the development of this 

 new method, which I feel sure will yet be undertaken and 

 prosecuted by Americans, I submit for your consideration 

 the methods of feeding trout as practiced 'at Wytheville and 

 Neosho Stations of the U. S. Fish Commission and also at 

 the Troutdale Fish Farm, at Mammoth Spring, Ark. The 

 method followed at these three places is not, so far as I know, 

 prosecuted elsewhere. The differentiation consisting in an 

 admixture of vegetable matter with the flesh or animal 

 matter, heretofore constituting the sole food for trout under 

 domestication. A few notes on the methods of preparing and 

 administering this food at the Neosho Station will illustrate 

 the method of the three places where it is used. A thick 

 mush is made by cooking "shorts" or mill-middlings in 

 boiling water, which, after it has thoroughly cooled and 

 stiffened, is mixed with liver ground to a fineness suitable 

 to the size of the trout to be fed. The very young trout have 

 never been subjected to this diet (though it is not doubted 

 that they could be induced to eat it), but they are started 

 and kept upon a pure beef liver diet until they are thor- 

 oughly trained to congregate for their food. When the fry 

 have been on liver for about two months we commence to 

 mix in a little mush, and gradually increase the proportion 

 of mush (and quantity of food) until by the time they are 

 six months old the mush and liver are in equal proportions. 

 After that time the addition of mush is made freely, so that 

 when the fish are yearlings the liver may be reduced to a 

 minimnm. 



Exigencies have axisen, making it desirable to economize 

 on liver. At such times we have not hesitated to put the 

 trout on a diet of pure mush. They do not allow this food 

 to sink to the bottom and eat it only when pressed by 

 htinger. On the contrary, they rise to the surface, some- 

 times eat it in the air, and rarely or ever allow a particle to 

 reach the bottom. To 1,000 yearling trout we have been giA^- 

 ing a daily average of l.STlbs. of this mixture, in the propor- 

 tion of 3.79 mush to 1.0 liver. Their average length at one 

 year old was 6in. , and the weight for an average 1,000 was 

 ol.Seibs. The loss in raising 40,000 trout to yearlings on this 

 diet was 6 per cent, of the number of fi-y". That the fish 

 produced by this diet were normal and healthy is beyond all 

 question, and if evidence is wanted it is to be found in that 

 their progenitors, spawning them at two years old, were 

 raised on the exact same diet. The natural question is, 

 what does this food cost? Shorts cost at Neosho, Mo., 90 

 cents per lOOlbs. One pound of shorts makes 3.61bs. of mush. 

 Mush therefore costs one-quarter of a cent per pound. Liver 



during 1892 was delivered in Neosho from Kansas City for S}4 

 cents, per pound. From this I deduce the cost of an average 

 daily ration for 1,000 yearlings was 1.707 cents. If this food 

 is not cheap enough to suit your views, I then ask your at- 

 tention to the following condensed history of an experiment 

 in feeding trout which I undertook last summer. On Aug. 

 9 13,000 healthy trout fry which had up to that time received 

 the same general treatment and allowance of food as we 

 usually give, were deprived of all animal or flesh food. 

 From that time iintil they were shipped in Februaiy, 1893, 

 not an ounce of animal food was given them, and it is cer- 

 tain that the natural animal food which fchey might have 

 obtained was the very least. Their allowance throughout 

 this time was 451bs. of mush per dav, costing a fraction 

 under one cent per 1,000 fish per day. At the end of the year 

 they averaged 4in. in length, and an average thousand fish 

 weighed 27.51bs. The fish were normal and healthy, and 

 though under the average size for Neosho, they were' above 

 the average of a.t least two American establishments. 



In closing this branch of the subject let me say that the 

 food composed of a mixture of animal and vegetable matters 

 more nearly approximates than any other artificial trout 

 food in use a rational, healthy diet; and when we con.sider 

 its capabilities of creating andsustainingthe hea\uest growth 

 in the shortest time, we must admit that it is not an extrav- 

 agant diet. A study of Mr. Nicklas's article heretofore re- 

 ferred to conclusively shows that fishes need the smallest 

 proportion of hydrate of carbon; and f urther, that the best 

 fish food is that containing the largest proportion of nitro- 

 genous materials. He says on page 111: "The most suitable 

 articles of food are blood, horse flesh, fish guano, curds, meat 

 dried and ground fine, refuse from slaughter-houses, etc. 

 All these, however, require to be mixed with other articles of 

 food containing less nitrogen so as to restore the proper pro- 

 portion of nutritive substances. On the whole, the food for 

 carp will have to be mixed very much on the same principle 

 as that for cattle and other domestic animals." (In the pas- 

 sage jtist quoted Mr. Nicklas has reference to carp, but his 

 remarks apply with equal or greater force to trout.) This is 

 just what we claim to be doing in mixing mush with liver. 

 It is probable that we are not at j^resent combining these 

 elements in the best possible proportion for fish, the Neosho 

 formula being 1.0 meat to 3.79 mush, yet I believe we are 

 using a more rational and inexpensive diet than is to be 

 found in any one element of animal substance. If jon an- 

 swer me that the trout is naturally a carnivorous animal, I 

 reply by reminding you that the trout we feed in our ponds 

 are domesticated animals. The jakal and the wolf are cai*- 

 nivorous, but your domesticated dog sickens and dies when 

 restricted to the only food acceptable to his ancient progeni- 

 tors. 



[to be'concltjded.] 



Imnel 



FIXTURES. 



DOG SHOWS. 



Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.— Blue Grass Kennel Club, at Lexington, Ky. Mr 

 Roger Williams, Sec'y. 



Sept. 5 to 8.— Kingston (Ont.) K. C, at Kingston. H, C Bates, Sec'y. 



Sept. 11 to 15.— Toronto, Canada. C. A. Stune. Sec'y. 



Sept. 10 to 23.— Ehode Island State Fair Ass'n at Narragansett Park. 

 D. 0. Collins, Sec'y. 



Sept. 19 to ^.—World's Fair, Chicago. W. I. Buchanan, Chief Dept. 

 of Agrieidture. 



Oct. 3 to 6.— Minneapolis K. C, at Minneapolis. H. T. Van Duster, See, 

 Nov. 21 to 24.— New Jersey K. L., at Newark. Dr. Ay. F. Seidler, Sec- 

 Dec. 12 to 15.— K. I. Poultry and Pet Stock Ass'n, at Providence. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Sept. 4.— Northwestern Field Trial Club's second annual trials, Man- 

 itoba. Thos. Johnson, Sec'y, Winnipeg. 



Sept. 13.— Manitoba Field Trials Club's Trials, Souris, Manitoba. E. 

 D. Adams, Sec'y, Winnipeg. 



Nov. 6.— United States Field Trials Qub's FaU Trials, Bicknell, Ind. 

 P. T. Madison, Sec'y, Indianapolis. 



Nov. 7.— International Field Trial Club's Foiu-th Trials, Chatham, 

 Ont. W. B. Wells, Sec'y, Chatham. 



Nov. 15.— Ohio Field Trial Club's Second Trials, Canton, O. C. V, 

 Lellinger, Sec'y. 



Nov. 15.— American Field Trial Club Trials, at Carlisle, Ind. W. J, 

 Beck, Sec'y, Columbus. Ind. 



Nov. 20.— Eastern Field Trial Club's Trials, at Newton, N. 0. Mem- 

 bers' Stake Nov. 16. W. A. Coster, Sec'y. 



1894, 



Jan. 29.— Southern Field Trial Club^s Trials, New Albatly, Miss. T, 

 M. Brimiby, Sec'y, Marietta, Ga. 



Feb. 19.— United States Field Trials Club's Spriflg Trials, Grand 

 Jtmction, Tenn. P. T. Madison, Sec'y, Indianapolis, Ind. 



Hamilton Kennel Club. 



The dogs which have been donated by difiietent Canadian 

 fanciers to the Hamilton Kennel Club, to help pay off the 

 guarantors of the last show are well worth winning.' Accord- 

 ing to the list sent us by the assistant secretary, Mr. Tulk, 

 many of the animals are of the very best breeding. First on 

 the li.st is Canada First, a cocker presented by Mr. Geo. Bell, 

 and is by champion Fascination out of champion I Say, 

 whelped Oct. 11, 189!3. Vixen, a dachshund, is presented by Mr, 

 C. W. Bicketts, and is by imported Comrade out of Saja and 

 whelped .June, 1S88, She has won first prizes at Buffalo, 

 N. Y., and London, Outario. Marionette is a collie bitch, 

 whelped Sept. h, 1891, and is by Metchley Worider II. out of 

 Dawn. She is donated by Mr. B. McEwen, the well known 

 collie breeder. locaste is a fox-terrier bitch, whelped 

 August, 1890, by champion Blemton Trump ex liacchante. 

 She is presented by Mr. A. A. MacDonald, of Toronto, and is 

 in whelp to his imported Dark Bye. 



Noble Eegent is a St. Bernard, whelped April, 1893, by 

 Nice ex Lady Amber and is presented by Mx. Murray 

 Williams, of Oakville, Ont. He is said to be well marked. 

 Wentworth Thora is one of Dr. Griffith's bull-terriers, 

 whelped October, 1893. She is by Principio ex Kathleen 

 Mavourneeu, which shows good breeding. Bright Light is 

 a liver and white pointer bitch which Mi-. T. G. Davey con- 

 tributes to the fund. This bitch is by Signal ex Brigh- 

 ton Leda, both imported. Black Silk is a cocker do- 

 nated by Mi-. J. Kennedy, proprietor of the Raven 

 Kennels, Hamilton, Ontario. This dog is by King 

 Raven ex Gyp, and is a likely winner. Another fox- 

 terrier bitch. Miss Coronet, by Suffolk Coronet ex Bonaily 

 Belle, is given by Mr. F. R. Close, Hamilton, Ont., and her 

 breeding is more than good. She was whelped Oct 17, 1893. 

 Another dachshund, the well-known Combat, a winner of 

 several prizes, is given by Mr. C. W. Ricketts of Hamilton, 

 Ont. Combat is by Contest ex Mischief and was imported 

 from England. Mr. J. A. Spracklin parts with a nice cocker 

 in Black Pete II., by champion Black Pete ex Althea. This 

 dog was first ac London, Out., 1890, and has not been shotvn 

 since. The twelfth donation is from Mr. .James Luckwell, 

 of Woodstock, Out., and is a cocker, Florence G., by cham- 

 pion Black Duke ex Woodland Cricket, and was whelped in 

 October, 1892. It will, therefore, be seen that the affair is 

 well worth the attention of any fancier. Mr. W. J. Tulk 

 will furnish any particulars about the drawing, which will 

 come off Aug. 4 at the Royal Hotel, Hamilton, Out., at 8 

 P. M. The spirit in which the dogs have been given is most 

 exemplary, and shows that Canadian fanciers, though cred- 

 ited with being a little cantankerous at show times, are. 

 "comrades" when trouble comes along. 



